Faculty Profiles

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Dr. Eunjin Seo

  • Assistant Professor - School of Family & Consumer Sciences
Portrait of Dr. Eunjin Seo

Biography and education

Dr. Eunjin ("Jin") Seo is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas State University, where she joined the faculty in August 2023. She earned her B.A. in Education from Seoul National University as a first-generation college student and received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin as a Fulbright Scholar. In 2023, she received the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, one of the most prestigious early career fellowships in education research, in recognition of her foundational work on peer mindset culture.

Research Interests

  • Shen, Yishan (Principal), Alfaro, Edna C (Co-Principal), Behnke, Andrew Owen (Co-Principal), Dier, Shannon Elizabeth (Co-Principal), Goble, Priscilla Maria (Co-Principal), Weimer, Amy Ann (Co-Principal), Seo, Eunjin (Co-Principal). Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Human Development and Family Sciences (OUR HDFS): A Two-Track Training Program, TXST College of Applied Arts, Texas State University, $5000. (Submitted: October 2025, Funded: November 2025 - May 2026). Grant.
  • Goble, Priscilla Maria (Principal), Shen, Yishan (Principal), Weimer, Amy Ann (Supporting), Alfaro, Edna C (Supporting), Seo, Eunjin (Supporting), Behnke, Andrew Owen (Supporting). REU Site: Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Human Development and Family Sciences (OUR HDFS) Fellowship Program, National Science Foundation, Federal, $439005. (Submitted: September 2023, Funded: September 2024 - August 2027). Grant.
  • 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, TXST College of Applied Arts, Texas State University, $6000. (Submitted: July 2024, Funded: September 2024 - May 2025). Grant.
  • Seo, Eunjin (Principal). A Causal Examination of How Peer Mindset Climate Shapes STEM Major Belongingness and Persistence, National Academy of Education / Spencer Foundation, $70000. (Funded: September 2023 - August 2025). Grant.
  • Seo, Eunjin, Lee, Youkyung. Negative Gender Stereotype Concern and the Protective Role of Growth Mindset, Student Experience Research Network, $8000. (Funded: September 2018 - October 2019). Grant.
View all grants
  • Seo, E., Lee*, S. Y., Muenks, K., & Yan, Y. (2025). The secret language of peers: How peer behaviors signal mindset and influence classroom experiences. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 1286–1309. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12759
  • Seo, E., *Clapper, M., Hecht, C. A., Crosnoe, R., & Yeager, D. S. (2025). Peer mindset culture as a developmental context for belonging. Educational Psychology Review, 37, 103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10082-8
  • Seo, E., Lee*, S. Y., & Lee, Y. (2025). Growth mindset in action: Teaching practices that fuel student interest and academic success. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 54, 3008–3022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-025-02216-6
  • Seo, E., Lee*, S. Y., & Hecht, C. (2025). Who stays in STEM? How growth mindset culture fuels minoritized students’ motivation and belonging. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12, 147–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/23727322251354872
  • Shen, Y., Seo, E., Jiles*, A. I., Zheng, Y., & Wang, Y. (2022). Language brokering and immigrant-origin youth’s well-being: A meta-analytic review. American Psychologist, 77(8), 921–939. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001035
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Favorite Professors of Fall 2025, Alpha Chi National Honor Society. 2025
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Paul R. Pintrich Memorial Research Award, American Educational Research Association. 2017
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Michael B. Salwen Research Award, Korean-American Educational Research Association. 2015
  1. Member

    Korean-American Educational Research Association Mentoring Committee

  2. Editorial Review Board Member

    Educational Psychology

  3. Editorial Review Board Member

    Journal of Youth and Adolescence

  4. Member

    Graduate Admissions Committee

  5. Other

    Bobcat Day

  6. Member

    High School Outreach to Promote the HDFS Major

  7. View all activities