Faculty

Erin O'Connor

Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education

Phone: 212 992 9473
Email:

Erin O'Connor received her doctorate in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2005. She is currently an Assistant Professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. O'Connor leads a research program examining relationships with mothers and teachers and the impacts of these relationships on children's development in early and middle childhood. This research focuses on three specific areas. The first is on the influences of the school and family environments and teacher and child characteristics on the quality of teacher-child relationships in early and middle childhood. The second is on the effect of mother-child and teacher-child relationships on children's academic achievement and social development in pre-kindergarten. The third is on the developmental/ longitudinal trajectories of children's relationships with teachers across the elementary school years, and the influence of these trajectories on children's social development and academic achievement. O'Connor also conducts randomized control trials of relationship-building interventions on the language and social development of pre-kindergarten children from low income families and neighborhoods. Her research has implications for teaching and learning and applied developmental science as well as educational practitioners and policy-makers. O'Connor has published in educational and psychology journals including the American Educational Research Journal, Journal of Educational Psychology and Journal of Applied Psychology. Her work is supported by grants from several institutions including the Institute for Education Sciences. O'Connor is a member of the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association and the Society for Research in Child Development.


Degrees Held

  • Ed.D. Harvard University 2005
    Human Development and Psychology
  • Ed.M. Teachers College, Columbia University 2000
    Counseling and School Psychology
  • M.S.T. Fordham University 1997
    Elementary Education
  • B.A. Georgetown University 1996

Awards

  • 2011 : The Steinhardt School W. Gabriel Carras Research Award
  • 2008 : The National Academy of Education / Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 2005 : Harvard Graduate School of Education Dissertation Grant
  • 2002 : Harvard Graduate School of Education Service Award

Selected Publications

  • O’Connor, E., Rodriguez, E., Cappella, E., & McClowry, S.G. (accepted). The effects of enrollment in INSIGHTS into children’s temperament on parenting attitudes and beliefs and child disruptive behavior. Journal of Community Psychology.
  • Dennis, S., & O’Connor, E. (accepted). Looking at quality in early childhood education through an ecological lens. Journal of Childhood Education.
  • O’Connor, E., Bureau, J.F., McCartney, K., & Lyons-Ruth, K. (in press). Differential maternal and child correlates of controlling and disorganized patterns of attachment at age three in the NICHD Study and Early Care and Education. Infant Mental Health Journal.
  • Bang, H.J., Suárez-Orozco, C., O’Connor, E., & Pakes, J. (in press) Making homework work for immigrant students: An ecological perspective on facilitators and impediments to task completion. American Journal of Education.
  • Collins, B. A., Toppelberg, C. O., Suárez-Orozco, C., O’Connor, E. & Nieto-Castañon, A. (2011). Cross-sectional associations of Spanish and English competence and wellbeing in Latino children of immigrants in kindergarten. International Journal of Sociology of Language, 208, 5-24.
  • O’Connor, E., Dearing, E., & Collins, B. (2011). Teacher-child relationship trajectories: Predictors of behavior problem trajectories and mediators of child and family factors. American Educational Research Journal, 48 (1), 120-162.
  • O’Connor, E., (2010). Teacher-child relationships as dynamic systems. Journal of School Psychology, 48 (3), 187-218.
  • Suárez-Orozco, C., Gaytán, F. X., Bang, H.J., Pakes, J., O’Connor, E. & Rhodes, J. (2010). Academic trajectories of newcomer immigrant youth. Developmental Psychology, 46 (3), 602-618.
  • Koles, B., O’Connor, E., & McCartney, K. (2009). Teacher-child relationships in preschool: The influence of child and teacher characteristics. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 30 (1), 3-21.
  • Berry, D. & O’Connor, E. (2009). Teacher-child relationships and social skill development across middle childhood: A child-by-environment analysis of change. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30 (3).
  • Ayoub, C., O’Connor, E. Rappolt-Schlicthmann, G., Vallotton, C., Raikes, H., & Cohen, R. (2009). Cognitive Skill performance among young children living in poverty: Risk, change and the impact of Early Head Start. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24 (3), 289-305. *Note: the first three authors contributed equally to this publication and are listed in alphabetical order
  • Bang, H. J., Suárez-Orozco, C., Pakes, J., & O’Connor, E. (2009). The importance of homework in determining immigrant students’ grades in schools in the USA context. Educational Research, 51(1), 1-25.
  • O’Connor, E., & McCartney, K. (2007b). Maternal attachment and cognitive skill development: Investigating pathways of influence. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 28 (5-6), 458-476.
  • O’Connor, E., & McCartney, K. (2007a). Examining teacher-child relationships and achievement as part of an ecological model of development. American Educational Research Journal, 44 (2), 34-369.
  • O’Connor, E., & McCartney, K. (2006). Testing associations between mother-child and teacher-child relationships. Journal of Educational Psychology, 26 (5), 301-326.
  • Ayoub, C., O’Connor, E., Rappolt-Schlictmann, G., Fischer, K., Rogosch, F., Toth, S., & Cicchetti, D. (2006). Cognitive and emotional differences in young maltreated children: A translational application of dynamic skill theory. Development and Psychopathology, 18 (3), 679-706.
  • Ayoub, C.A., Fischer, K.W., & O’Connor, E. (2003). Analyzing development of working models for disrupted attachments: The case of hidden family violence. Attachment and Human Development, 5 (2), 97-119.
  • O’Connor, E., & McCartney, K. (2005). Psychosocial development: Attachment in young children. In K. Thies & E. Travers (Eds.), Handbook of human development for health professionals. Thorofare, NJ: Slack Publishing.
  • Archibald, A., O’Connor, E., Graber, J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2001). The role of nutrition and physical activity in promoting healthy adolescent development. In T. Gullotta & M. Bloom (Eds.), The encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion. New London, CT: Klewer Academic/ Plenum.

Courses

• Applied Research Design

• Advanced Quantitative Methods I & II

• Child Development

• Contemporary Research Issues in Early Childhood Education

• Curriculum in Early Childhood

• Field Seminar/Supervision in Classroom Teaching

• Instructional Strategies for Supporting Diverse Learners in Early Childhood Settings I

• Integrating Seminar in Early Childhood Special Education II

• Integrating Seminar in Classroom Teaching I

• Introduction to Early Childhood and Elementary Education

• Learning Experiences in the Family, School and Community

• The Special Needs Child: Child, Family and Community I

• The Role of the Professional in Early Childhood Special Education

• Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences II