There is limited research investigating psychological outcomes of students attending alternative education programs such as depression, self esteem, and belonging. These are notable potential variables, as lack of belonging has been associated with depressive symptoms and low self esteem (Hagerty & Patusky, 1995). Additionally, student’s self esteem increases when there are positive perceptions of relationship with peers and teachers (King, Vidourek, Davis & McClellan, 2002). Building on this framework, the current study examined these variables at an innovated alternative education program, located in an underserved predominately Latinx community. This program aims to empower at risk students to make life choices that positively impact their future and reduce high school drop out through innovative opportunities. This includes community outreach projects, community based activities and project based learning that focus on sustainability, including outdoor conservation and growing. Participants ranged from 12 to 18 years old, predominately Hispanic and male. The current study identified self esteem partially mediated the relationship between belonging and depressive symptoms in a predominately Latinx adolescent sample. This emphasizes that alternative education programs have an opportunity for at risk students to not only achieve academic success but increase psychological well-being (Cox,1999; Wang & Holcombe, 2010).

Background. Within graduate education, there has been an increased focus on recruiting and retaining Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students, and on the ways in which these students are often marginalized within the Academy. The current study sought to examine the mental health experiences of Black graduate students in the social sciences at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing racial injustices. Method. Six 60-90-minute focus groups were conducted with 29 self-identified Black graduate students in spring 2022 (Mage=25.07, SDage= 1.77). Students in the sample represented 23 institutions across the United States. Data were coded using a constructivist thematic analysis approach. Results. Thematic analyses revealed a number of adverse mental health outcomes, including depression, isolation, and imposter syndrome. Students spoke about graduate school's overall (negative) impact on their mental health and the physical indicators of these negative changes. Students also identified a number of strategies they used to cope with the mental health impact of higher education, including therapy and building social networks who understood their experiences. Conclusion. Recommendations are discussed for how institutions, departments, faculty, and peers can better support Black graduate students.

Youth learners are constantly exploring their own identities, which is a pivotal time to understand culture of self and others as well as key developmental milestones in Western developmental theories. Our multi-year partnership of multicultural researchers, designers, and educators developed a series of culturally centered learning activities for two sixth-grade classrooms and investigated the research question: how do youth develop relationships with culture? Taking a case study approach, we followed twelve sixth-grade participants over the course of the school year to examine the different ways that they relate with culture and how these relationships change over time. Analyses showed a holistic process of learning and engagement with culture, similar to the traditionally valued Chinese concept of Ti-Wu. In this presentation, we illustrate the Ti-Wu model of cultural understanding by tracing the student’s development through their awareness of culture (their own and others), experiences, and reflections. We will share examples of participants’ different relationships with culture to explain the model of Ti-Wu and present moments of Ti-Wu through illustrating how relationships with culture change. This Ti-Wu model of cultural learning and understanding demonstrates the importance of integrating diverse cultural experiences throughout youth learning.

Across 200 psychology undergraduate programs in North America, 6% require multicultural courses for their majors. Whereas multicultural education is typically offered as electives in upper-level courses, lower-level courses such as Research Methods required of psychology (pre)majors can make a broader impact. Our quasi-experimental study was aimed to test the effects of multicultural instruction on students' appreciation for diversity in psychological science. Data came from 2 cohorts of psychology undergraduate students enrolled in Research Methods at a mid-sized, private university (N=133, Mage=19.83, 79.8% women; 75.9% White/Euro American). In each cohort, 2 classes were randomly assigned to the multicultural quasi-experimental or control condition. The control condition focused on open science practices in place of multicultural considerations in psychological research. All students completed pre- and post-term surveys assessing their appreciation for, and critical understanding of the status quo on, cultural diversity in psychology. Controlling for pre-term scores, students in the multicultural condition scored higher on critical awareness of current limitations in diversity representation in psychological science at the end of the term than those in the control condition. Students across conditions did not differ in appreciation for the importance of cultural diversity considerations in psychology.