Assistant ProfessorHDFS Faculty
Office: SEA 2.442
Lab: SEA 2.402
Research Areasadolescence and young adulthood, contexts of human development, diversity and culture, health and biobehavioral processes, infancy and childhood
Aprile Benner’s substantive research interests center on the development of low-income and race/ethnic minority youth, investigating how social contexts influence school transitions, experiences of marginalization, and developmental outcomes during adolescence. As a developmental psychologist, the core of her research program is a fundamental developmental question—what are the continuities and changes in the social, emotional, and cognitive growth and maturation of young people? Reflecting her training in educational demography, she works to answer this question with an awareness of how such developmental patterns are embedded in the groups, contexts, and social structures of society.
Benner, A.D., Crosnoe, R., & Eccles, J.S. (forthcoming). Schools, peers, and prejudice in adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence.
Benner, A.D. & *Wang, Y. (forthcoming). Demographic marginalization, social integration, and adolescents’ educational success. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
Benner, A.D., *Kretsch, N., Harden, K.P., & Crosnoe, R. (2014). Academic achievement as a moderator of genetic influences on alcohol use in adolescence. Developmental Psychology.
Benner, A.D. & *Wang, Y. (2014). School attendance trajectories from middle to high school: Influences of school transitions and changing school contexts. Developmental Psychology.
Benner, A.D. & Graham, S. (2013). The antecedents and consequences of discrimination during adolescence: Does the source of discrimination matter? Developmental Psychology, 49, 1602-1613.
Benner, A.D. (2011). Latino adolescents’ loneliness, academic performance, and the buffering nature of friendships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 556-567.
Adolescents and the Social Contexts of American Schools (2013-2018), William T. Grant Scholars Program. PI: Aprile Benner.
School Demographics, Marginalization, and Adolescent Substance Use (2011-2014). National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R03DA032018). PI: Aprile Benner.
Courses Recently Taught
HDF 371 – Adolescent Development
HDF 380k.4 – Advanced Regression and Structural Models