Faculty

Niobe Way

Professor of Applied Psychology

Niobe Way

Phone: 998 5563
Email:

Link to Niobe Way's home page

Niobe Way is Professor of Applied Psychology in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University. She is also the Director of the Developmental Psychology program and the co-Director of the Center for Research on Culture, Development, and Education at NYU. In addition, she is the President-Elect for the Society for Research on Adolescence.  She received her doctorate from the School of Education at Harvard University in Human Development and Psychology and was an NIMH postdoctoral fellow in the psychology department at Yale University. Way's research focuses on the intersections of culture, context, and human development, with a particular focus on the social and emotional development of adolescents from low-income families. She is primarily interested in how schools and families as well as larger political and economic contexts influence the developmental trajectories of children and adolescents. Her work also focuses on adolescents’ experiences of social identities, including both their gender and ethnic identities. Way is a nationally recognized leader in the field of adolescent development and in the use of mixed methods; she has combined quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the social and emotional development of adolescents for over two decades..


Way is the author of numerous books and journal articles. Her sole authored books include: "Everyday Courage: The Lives and Stories of Urban Teenagers" (NYU Press, 1998); and “Deep Secrets: The Hidden Landscape of Boys' Friendships” (to be published by Harvard University Press). Her co-edited or co-authored books include: "Urban Girls: Resisting Stereotypes, Creating Identities" (NYU press, 1996); Adolescent Boys: Exploring Diverse Cultures of Boyhood (NYU Press, 2004).and "Growing up Fast: Transitions to Adulthood among Inner City Adolescent Mothers" (Erlbaum Press, 2001)”. The latter co-authored book (with Bonnie Leadbeater)  received the Best Book Award from the Society of Research on Adolescence (2002). Her current projects focus on the influence of families and schools on the  trajectories of social and emotional development among middle school students in New York City and in Nanjing, China. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, The National Science Foundation, The William T. Grant Foundation, The Spencer Foundation, and by numerous other smaller foundations.


Degrees Held

  • Ed.D. Harvard University
  • B.A. University of California, Berkeley

Awards

  • The Henry Murray Dissertation Award, Henry Murray Research Center, Radcliffe College, Cambridge MA.
  • National Institute of Mental Health Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • Behavioral Science Track Award (B/START)for Rapid Transition from the National Institute of Mental Health
  • The William T. Grant Faculty Scholars Award
  • The National Science Foundation
  • The Spencer Foundation

Publications

  • Way, N. (In progress). Intimacy, Desire, and Distrust in the Friendships of Boys. Under contract with Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. (300 pages).
  • Way, N. Santos, C., Niwa, E., & Kim, C. (In press). A contextualized understanding of ethnic identity among Chinese American, African American, Puerto Rican, and Dominican youth. In M. Azmitia (Ed). The intersection of social and personal identities. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development.
  • Qin, D., Way, N., & Pandey, P. (In press). The other side of the model minority myth: Family and peer influence on the psychological and social adjustment of Chinese American Adolescents Journal of Youth and Society.
  • Tamis-Lemonda, C., Way, N. Hughes, D., Yoshikawa, H., Kalman, R., & Niwa, E. (In press). Parents’ Goals for Children: The Dynamic Co-Existence of Collectivism and Individualism in Cultures and Individuals. Social Development
  • Way, N., Reddy, R., & Rhodes, J. (In press). Students’ perceptions of school climate during the middle school years: Associations with trajectories of emotional and behavioral adjustment. American Journal of Community Psychology
  • Way, N., Greene, M., & Pandey, P. (2007). Parental peer-related attitudes and practices and their link to friendship quality among Chinese American and Puerto Rican youth. In B. Brown & N. Mounts (Eds). Links between parents and peers. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development.
  • Leadbeater, B. & Way, N. (Eds). (2007). Urban girls: Building Strengths. New York University Press.
  • Way, N. ,Becker, B.& Greene, M. (2006). Friendships among African American, Latino, and Chinese American adolescents in an urban context. In C. Tamis-Lemonda & L. Balter (Eds). Child Psychology: A Handbook of Contemporary Issues. 2nd Edition. New York: Psychology Press.
  • Pahl, K. & Way, N. (2006). Longitudinal Trajectories of Ethnic Identity Among Urban Black and Latino Adolescents. Child Development, 77, 1403-1415.
  • Greene, M., Way, N., & Pahl, K. (2006). Trajectories of perceived adult and peer discrimination among Black, Latino, and Asian American adolescents: Patterns and psychological correlates. Developmental Psychology., 42 218-238.
  • Way, N. & Greene, M. (2006) Changes in perceived friendship quality during adolescence: The patterns and contextual predictors. Journal of Research on Adolescence.16, 293-320.
  • Way, N. (2005). Seeking engagement: Reflections from a qualitative researcher. Journal of Adolescent Research. 20, 531-537.
  • Greene, M. & Way, N. (2005). The development of self-esteem among ethnic minority high school students. Journal of Research on Adolescence. 15, p. 151-178.
  • Rhodes, J., Roffman, J., Reddy, R., Fredriksen, K. & Way, N. (2004) Changes in self-esteem during the middle school years: A latent growth curve study of individual and contextual influences. Journal of School Psychology. 42, p. 243-261.
  • Rosenbloom, S. & Way, N. (2004). Experiences of discrimination among African American, Asian American, and Latino Adolescents in an urban high school. Journal of Youth and Society. 35, p. 420-451.

Courses

  • Social and Emotional Development
  • Adolescent Development
  • Qualitative Methods