Gigliana MelziGigliana Melzi, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Dr Melzi obtained her doctoraldegree from Boston University and later published articles and chapters focusing on the early literacy and language development of Spanish-speaking Latino children living in the U.S. and in their countries of origin. In one line of research, she has investigated through qualitative methodologies the daily literacy activities of immigrant parents and their impact on children's school performance. She also conducted studies on various discourse and linguistic features of Spanish-speaking mother-child dyads from non-immigrant and immigrant Latin American families across various socioeconomic groups. Currently, Dr Melzi is funded by the National Institute of Health and the Administration for Children and Families for her work on educational involvement of Latino Head Start families. She is also a co-investigator in other funded projects housed in New York University's Medical School and the Center for Research in Culture, Development and Education, which examine numerous factors influencing Latino children's academic engagement and performance. Read More Read Less