Jia Ma Profile Photo

Jia Ma

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate

Office Location

Ridley Hall 269
P.O. Box 400281 
405 Emmet Street S 
Charlottesville, VA 22903
 

Biography

Jia Ma is a postdoctoral research associate working on a variety of studies conducted by the Preventive Interventions: Collaborative Research on Engagement and Wellbeing (PIT-CREW) team. As a former middle school special education teacher, Ma is committed to promoting inclusive education and fostering self-determination and self-advocacy in youth with disabilities. During her doctoral training at the University of Florida, Ma worked as a research assistant on a federally-funded grant examining the effectiveness of a self-regulation curriculum (I Control) for middle school students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Ma's doctoral research focused on effective behavior prevention strategies, positive mental health development in youth, adolescent aggression prevention, evidence-based programs, and teacher professional development. Specifically, her doctoral work examined how goal setting affects self-regulation (goal-directed effortful control of thought, emotion, and action) and behavioral functioning in youth who receive special education services for emotional and behavioral disorders.

Education

Ph.D., University of Florida
M.A., California State University, Fresno
B.A., Hebei University of Science and Technology
 

 

Research

  • Designing, evaluating, and implementing behavior prevention programs and mental health initiatives in schools
  • Motivation science in youth positive development
  • Exploring system-level factors that influence the effective implementation of evidence-based programs

Featured Research