In this episode, host Sarah Stancombe talks with Educational Psychology expert Rachael Cody, Ph.D. about self-discovery, values, identity, and future planning—and why these concepts are essential for children and students.

Rachael Cody, Ph.D., who holds a PhD from the University of Connecticut and is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University, has researched giftedness, student resilience, study strategies, and how students make major life or academic decisions.

She explains the importance of agency—a child’s ability to feel in control of their environment. Agenic opportunities help prepare children for adulthood and often show up as boundary-pushing or confidently making different choices from peers.

Sarah and Rachael Cody, Ph.D. also explore the many factors that influence students to change majors or career paths, from professors to media to peer stories. They highlight how parents can support these moments with open, understanding conversations.

Finally, Rachael Cody, Ph.D. shares ways parents can nurture their child’s values—by recognizing strengths, celebrating learning through mistakes, and noticing acts of empathy.

View Rachael Cody, Ph.D.’s work on Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=slGsTzAAAAAJ&hl=en

View Rachael Cody, Ph.D.’s work on The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachael-cody-1555983

Connect with Rachael Cody, Ph.D. on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-cody-phd-866b9521b

Works referenced by Rachael Cody, Ph.D. in this episode:

Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 1–26. https://doi.org.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.1

Boud, D. (1988). Developing student autonomy in learning (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Matusov, E., von Duyke, K., & Kayumova, S. (2016). Mapping concepts of agency in educational contexts. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 50(3), 420–446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-015-9336-0

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