Peter S.Y. Kim, Ph.D.

Learning Never Ends

Dual PhD in HDFS and Demography

Summary Statement

My aims are to study the role of culture in developmental research for immigrant populations; incorporate social context into our understanding of how immigrant children acculturate; and develop a measure of activity space that could be used to collect daily spatial patterns.

Education

Doctorate of Philosophy in Human Development and Family Studies
Penn State University, 2021

Doctorate of Philosophy in Demography
Penn State University, 2021

Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies
Penn State University, 2015

Master of Science in Demography
Penn State University, 2015

B.A. in Creative Writing and Computer Science
Seattle University, 1998

Professional Experience

Awards and honors at Penn State:

  • Demography Research Assistantship
  • University Graduate Fellowship
  • Hintz Fellowship

Courses taught at Penn State:

  • HDFS 129: Introduction to HDFS, instructor
  • HDFS 239: Adolescent Development, instructor
  • HDFS 312W: Empirical Inquiry in HDFS, lab instructor

Guest lectures at Penn State:

  • “Measurement Issues in Activity Space” for PSYCH 529: Context and Culture
  • “Culture and Health” for PSYCH 432: Multicultural Psychology in America
  • “Social Contexts of Parenting” for HDFS 315: Family Development
  • “Placing Activity Space in Context” for PSYCH 529: Context and Culture
  • “Measuring and Operationalizing Activity Space” for PSYCH 490: Youth Development in Context
  • “The Asian-American Experience” for HDFS 416: Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the American Family
  • “Reading Research Articles” for HDFS 433: Developmental Transition to Adulthood
  • “Relational Aggression and Bullying” for HDFS 239: Adolescent Development
  • “Ethnic Identity Development in Adolescence” for HDFS 239: Adolescent Development

Workshops and professional development at Penn State:

  • Academic poster workshop, lead presenter
  • Activity space workshop, lead presenter
  • Annual Report of Graduate Student Accomplishments in Demography Program, co-author

Catholic University of Korea
Visiting English Professor
Gyeonggi-do, Korea, 2009~2011

  • Taught both accredited (compulsory) and unaccredited English conversation classes
  • Developed weekly lesson plans that included speaking drills and group conversation exercises
  • Administered a university-wide English speech contest during the fall 2009 term
  • Managed a group of 8 visiting instructors during the winter 2010 English camp

Euisung Elementary School District
English Teacher
Gyeongsanbuk-do, Korea, 2007~2009

  • Conducted English conversation classes for both elementary school students and faculty members
  • Prepared lesson plans and activities that met with the goals of school curriculum
  • Charted each student’s progress and provided individualized verbal feedback

CDI Suji
English Instruction Supervisor
Gyeonggi-do, Korea, 2005~2006

  • As a Level 2 instructor, supervised other teachers and oversaw daily meetings
  • Taught general listening, speaking, and writing curriculum to elementary and middle school students
  • Developed an effective TOEFL Writing program for a group of gifted students
  • Met each scheduled deadline for administrative paperwork and students progress reports

Editing Experience

Features Editor
Spectator, Seattle University, Seattle, WA

Volunteer Work

English and Composition Tutor, Tutoring Center
Seattle Central Community College, Seattle, WA

  • Taught basic essay forms and helped students implement them into their own homework by showing them how to reorganize their thoughts into a clear thesis and a coherent argument
  • Established rapport with students from diverse ethnic backgrounds and empowered them to learn at their own pace and to enjoy the writing process

Teaching Assistant
Children’s Literacy Project, Seattle, WA

  • Volunteered classroom assistance to students with learning disabilities in low-SES schools around the Seattle downtown area

Volunteer Mentor
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, Seattle, WA

  • Developed a close relationship with a little brother with planned visits and activities twice a week

Languages

English, Korean, Chinese, French (In order of fluency)

Publications

Matthews, S. A., Kim, P. S. (in progress). Activity Space. In D. Richardson (Ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment, and Technology. John Wiley & Sons.

Bámaca-Colbert, M. Y., Martinez, G., Kim, P. S., Aceves, L., Castillo, J., Witherspoon, D. P. & Gonzales-Backen, M. A. (2017) Discrimination-distress link among adolescent girls of Mexican origin: Do dimensions of ethnic-racial identity mediate this association longitudinally? In D. J. Johnson, S. S. Chuang, & J. Glosman (Eds.), Re/formation and Identity: The intersectionality of development, culture, and immigration.

Kim, P. S., Bámaca-Colbert, M. Y., Jian, N., & Gonzales-Backen, M. A. (2017) Friends’ cultural orientation as a mediator between familial ethnic socialization and ethnic identity among Mexican-origin adolescent girls. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 23(2), 291-299.

Bámaca-Colbert, M. Y., Gonzales‐Backen, M., Henry, C. S., Kim, P. S., Roblyer, M. Z., Plunkett, S. W., & Sands, T. S. (2017). Family profiles of cohesion and parenting practices and Latino youth adjustment. Family Process. Advance online publication. Doi: 10.1111/famp.12314

Bámaca-Colbert, M. Y., Varvil-Weld, L., Kim, P. S., Robins, R. W., & Conger, R. D. (in progress) Mexican-origin parent-child cultural-orientation gaps: Differences in parent-child relationship domains from pre-adolescence to mid-adolescence.