Dr. Michelle Taylor

Dr. Taylor’s primary research interests include examining contextual and relational influences on young children’s school readiness. Much of her work focuses on the role of adults in young children’s learning and development, with specific emphasis on the quality of interactions between caregivers and children. Additionally, she is involved in the development and evaluation of teacher professional development programming, with a particular interest in the mechanisms that lead to positive changes in caregiver behavior including engagement, reflection, and coaching support. 

Academic Area:
Child Development and Family Studies

Michelle Taylor - Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

  • Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
  • M.A. in Child Development, California State University, Los Angeles
  • B.A. in Child Development, California State University, Chico

  • Early Care and Education
  • Professional Development
  • Program Evaluation
  • Community-Based Research

Taylor, M., McLean, L., & LoCasale-Crouch, J. (2026). Head Start teachers' perceptual accuracy of children's approaches to learning: Relations with teacher experiences and personal characteristics. Acta Psychologica, 266, 106822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106822 

LoCasale-Crouch, J., Nelson, B. B., Moon, R. Y., Zhang, Y., Gurka, K. K., Deeken, G., Taylor, M., Duyile, Bisola, & Chernyavskiy, P. (2026). Virginia locality and perinatal health: An ecologic study using the Child Opportunity Index 3.0. Pediatrics Open Science, 2(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1542/pedsos.2025-000802 

Taylor, M., Alamos, P., Turnbull, K. L. P., LoCasale-Crouch, J., & Howes, C. (2023). Examining individual children’s peer engagement in pre-kindergarten classrooms: Relations with classroom-level teacher-child interaction quality. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 64, 331-344.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.04.007     

Taylor, M., Madrigal, L., Cox, T. & Dolezal-Ng, J. (2023). Strengthening youth resilience via social work internship placements within Boys & Girls Clubs:  A process evaluation. Current Social Sciences, 2, 1-11.  10.2174/012772316X283178240116114727 

McLean, L., Taylor, M., & Sandilos, L. (2023). The roles of adaptability and school climate in first-year teachers’ developing perceptions of themselves, their students, and the career. Journal of School Psychology, 99, 101213.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2023.04.003 

Gaias, L. M., Taylor, M., Pratt, M. E., & Whelan, M. (2022). Promoting parent involvement at the Public Library: Evaluating a math and science storytime program for preschoolers. Frontiers in Psychology,13, 1049694. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1049694

Taylor, M., Pratt, M., & Whelan, M. (2021). Exploring the untapped potential of library-university partnerships: A focus on early learning. Public Library Quarterly, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2021.2002095

Cho, S. H., Taylor, S., Taylor, M., Giffen, R., Rock, C., & Reiboldt, W. (2021). Adapting to the changing needs of Family and Consumer Sciences Students: Instructor perspectives during the pandemic. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 113(3), 8-17. https://doi.org/10.14307/JFCS113.3.8

Taylor, M., Pratt, M. E., Gaias, L. M., van Huisstede, L., & Gal-Szabo, D. E. (2020). Improving parenting to promote school readiness: An evaluation of the Books Can…© public library program. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 8(2), 47-57. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v8i2.4544  

McLean, L., Abry, T., Taylor, M., & Gaias, L. M. (2020). The Influence of adverse classroom and school experiences on first year teachers’ mental health and career optimism. Teaching and Teacher Education, 87, 102956. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102956  

Taylor, M., Pratt, M. E., & Fabes, R. A. (2019). Public libraries as a context for the study of development. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 23(2), 51-62.

Taylor, M., McLean, L. E., Bryce, C., Abry, T., & Granger, K. (2019). The influence of multiple life stressors during teacher training on burnout and career optimism in the first year of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 86, 102910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102910  

McLean, L., Taylor, M., & Jimenez, M. (2019) Career-choice motivations in teacher training as predictors of burnout in the first year of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 85, 204-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.06.020  

McLean, L., Abry, T., Taylor, M., & Connor, C.M. (2018). Associations among teachers’ depressive symptoms and students’ classroom instructional experiences across third grade. Journal of School Psychology, 69, 154-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2018.05.002   

Abry, T., Granger, K. L., Bryce, C. I., Taylor, M., Swanson, J., & Bradley, R. H. (2018). First grade classroom-level adversity: Associations with teaching practices, academic skills, and executive functioning. School Psychology Quarterly, 33(4), 547-560. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000235   

Gaias, L. M., Gal, D., Abry, T., Taylor, M., & Granger, K. (2018). Diversity exposure in preschool: Longitudinal implications for cross-race friendships and racial bias. Applied Developmental Psychology, 59, 5-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2018.02.005

Gaias, L. M., Jimenez Herrera, M., Abry, T., Granger, K. L., & Taylor, M. (2018). Kindergarten teachers' instructional priorities misalignment and job satisfaction: A mixed methods analysis. Teachers College Record, 121(12).

McLean, L., Abry, T., Taylor, M., Jimenez, M., & Granger, K. (2017). Teachers' mental health and perceptions of school climate across the transition from training to teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 65, 230-240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.03.018

  • CDFS 405: A Practical Approach to Social Science Research
  • CDFS 411: Child Development Applications: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice