School of Education

Phone: (626) 815-5363
Email: jyau@apu.edu

Jenny Yau, Ed.D. is an associate professor in the Department of Doctoral Studies in Educational Leadership. She started her career as a teacher in a prestigious elementary school in Hong Kong for 6 years. As a developmental psychologist, she has 13 years of teaching experience in higher education in the U.S. and Hong Kong before joining APU. Her expertise in working with K-12 children and educators in various cultural contexts provides a strong foundation for integrating theory and practice in her teaching. Her effective teaching and mentorship have been highly recognized. Her research interests include adolescent-parent conflicts, adolescents’ development of autonomy, children’s conceptualization of social rules and authority, and diverse learners in schools.

Ed.D. – Developmental Psychology, University of Rochester
M.S. – University of Rochester
M.A. – Educational Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University
B.A. – Psychology,University of Waterloo

Presentations
Yau, J.  Chinese-American adolescents’ personal arena:  An analysis of their self-disclosure to parents.  Paper presentation at the 2008 Conference of the Western Social Sciences Association.

Yau, J., Brashear, N., Contrucci, N., and Speaker, N. (April, 2007).  Beating the odds: The strengths of elementary teachers and principals in high-achieving low-income schools.  Presentation meeting sponsored by Noel Academy for Strengths-Based Leadership and Education, and Azusa Pacific University, CA.

Yau, J. (2005, November).  An analysis of Chinese teachers’ responses to preschool children’s transgressions from the Domain Theory perspective.  Presented at the Association for Moral Education annual conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Yau, J. (2004, August).  Chinese adolescents’ conceptions of parental authority in relation to their personal justifications for the conflicts with parents. Presented in an invited symposium titled “The role of independence and interdependence in adolescence: Adolescent-parent conflict and conflict resolution in diverse cultures” at the 28th International Congress of Psychology.

Publications
Yau, J., Smetana, J.G., & Metzger. A (in press, 2009).  Young Chinese children’s authority concepts.  Social Development, 18(1).

Yau, J. (2007).  Reforming the instructional directions for promoting young children’s moral and social growth:  A qualitative analysis of six Chinese teachers’ responses to preschool children’s transgressions from the Domain Theory perspective.  International Journal of Educational Reform,16(2), 130-155.

Yau, J., & Smetana, J.G. (1993).  Chinese-American adolescents’ reasoning about cultural conflicts. Journal of Adolescent Research, 8(4), 419-438.

Yau, J., & Smetana, J. (1996).  Adolescent-parent conflict among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Child Development, 67, 1262-1275.

Yau, J., & Smetana (2003).  Adolescent-parent conflict in Hong Kong and Shenzhen: A comparison of youth in two cultural contexts. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27, 201-211.

View All Professional/Scholarly Presentations

Academic Experience
Overseas invitation for lecturing: The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Consulting Engagements
Serving as programs External Examiner : The Hong Kong Institute of Education

Industry Experience
Reviewer for journals:  International Journal of Behavioral Development Social Development, Social Development, Child Development, and Family Issues.

Proseminar in Doctoral Study (EDUC 700)
Theories of Learning (EDUC 730)
Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners (EDUC 734)