Faculty Profile for Dr. Edna C Alfaro

profile photo for Dr. Edna C Alfaro
Dr. Edna C Alfaro
Professor — School of Family & Consumer Sciences
FCS 111
phone: (512) 245-2412
Scholarly/Creative Work
Awards
Grants
Service

Biography Section

Biography and Education

 Education:
Ph.D., Family and Human Development, Arizona State University
M.S., Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
B.A., Psychology, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX

Research/Scholarly Focus:
Dr. Alfaro’s research explores how family, cultural, and environmental factors shape the lives of adolescents and college students. Using ecological and academic resilience frameworks, she investigates the roles of parental support, sibling relationships, and cultural values in promoting student success. Her work often centers on Mexican-origin youth and emphasizes strengths-based approaches to understanding development in diverse contexts.

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Jones, S. K., Killoren, S. E., Kline, G. C., & Alfaro, E. C. (2022). Mexican-origin college students’ stress, sibling relationships, academic motivation, and depressive symptoms. Journal of Family Issues, 43(2). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X21994135
  • Alfaro, E. C. (2020). Communication frequency and types of supportive messages: A mixed methods approach to examining Mexican-origin college students’ relationships with mothers and fathers. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 9, 52–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192718772663
  • Seo, E., Shen, Y., & Alfaro, E. C. (2019). Adolescents’ beliefs about math ability and their relations to STEM career attainment: Joint consideration of race/ethnicity and gender. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(2), 306–325. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0911-9
  • Seo, E., Lee, Y., Steingut, R. S., Alfaro, E. C., & Lee, K. (2024). Testing the generalizability of the multiplicative effects of expectancy and value across different ages, genders, and races. Learning and Individual Differences, 116, 102578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102578
  • Gulseven, Z., Pierotti, S., Killoren, S. E., Alfaro, E. C., & Carlo, G. (2024). The role of maternal warmth in understanding the relations between cultural orientations and prosocial behaviors. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 12(3), 261–276. https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000253

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: Favorite Professor, Alpha Chi National College Honor Society. 2020
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Teaching Acknowledgement from Graduating Undergraduate Student, Texas State University. 2020
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Teaching Award of Honor during COVID-19 Crisis, Texas State Alumni Association. 2020
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Transfer Student Appreciation of Campus Support, Texas State University. June 25, 2019
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Graduating Undergraduate Student Recognition, Texas State University. 2015 - June 21, 2018

Selected Grants

  • Shen, Yishan (Principal), Goble, Priscilla Maria (Co-Principal), Alfaro, Edna C (Co-Principal), Behnke, Andrew Owen (Co-Principal), Dier, Shannon Elizabeth (Co-Principal), Seo, Eunjin (Co-Principal), Weimer, Amy Ann (Co-Principal). Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Human Development and Family Sciences (OUR HDFS): A Two-Track Training Program, Texas State University, $6000. (Submitted: July 2024, Funded: September 2024 - May 2025). Grant.
  • Shen, Yishan (Principal), Goble, Priscilla Maria (Principal), Weimer, Amy Ann (Co-Principal), Alfaro, Edna C (Co-Principal), Seo, Eunjin (Co-Principal), Behnke, Andrew (Co-Principal). Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Developmental Psychology (OUR DP) Fellowship Program, American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, $5000. (Submitted: October 2023, Funded: January 2024 - Present). Grant.
  • Shen, Yishan (Principal), Goble, Priscilla Maria (Co-Principal), Weimer, Amy Ann (Co-Principal), Alfaro, Edna C (Co-Principal). Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Human Development and Family Sciences (OUR HDFS) Fellowship, Texas State University, $5000. (Submitted: July 2022, Funded: September 2022 - May 2023). Grant.
  • Shen, Yishan (Principal), Goble, Priscilla Maria (Co-Principal), Perez-Brena, Norma Judith (Co-Principal), Weimer, Amy Ann (Co-Principal), Alfaro, Edna C (Co-Principal), Bishop, Nicholas Joseph (Co-Principal). Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Human Development and Family Sciences (OUR HDFS) Fellowship, Texas State University, $5000. (Submitted: June 11, 2021, Funded: September 2021 - May 2022). Grant.
  • Alfaro, Edna C (Principal). Mexican-origin Student Success, Greater Texas Foundation, Other, $90000. (Funded: 2013 - 2017). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Program Coordinator
Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Program Coordinator
2021-Present
Reviewer / Referee
Institute of Education Sciences, Review Panel
August 2019-2025
Program Vice President Elect
Texas Council on Family Relations
2023-2024
Member
Texas Council on Family Relations Board Member
2022-2023
Member
Child Life Committee
2024-Present