Mengyuan received her Ph.D. degree in Comparative Human Development from the University of Chicago in 2024. She has rigorous training and rich experience on applying a wide range of advanced quantitative methodologies, including causal inference, mediation analysis, multilevel modeling, item response theory to educational research. Her research interests center on addressing educational inequities, with an overarching goal to inform policies designed to remove the barriers that hinder equal access to high-quality education.
Her research broadly addresses topics pertaining to education equity, equal access to effective teaching and learning resources, and STEM education. In her dissertation project, she examined the theoretical relationships between teacher knowledge, instructional practice, and student learning through rigorous quantitative analysis.
She is currently involved in multiple ongoing projects at the Cornwall center, including the Promising Practices Project led by Dr. Vandeen Campbell and Dr. Charles Payne in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), and the STEM Pathway Study. She is enthusiastic about applying her analytic skillsets and experiences to strengthen the research team’s quantitative research capabilities. At the same time, she actively seeks collaborative opportunities with researchers, practitioners and policymakers who share her passion and commitment to addressing social inequity and injustices, contributing to evidence-based solutions through both qualitative and quantitative (mixed methods) research.
Selected Publications:
Liang, M. (2024). Content Knowledge for Teaching Among Mathematics Teachers: Investigating Its Inequitable Distribution and Causal Impacts on Instructional Quality and Student Outcomes (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Chicago). https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.12950
Hwang, J., Choo, S., Morano, S., Liang, M., & Kabel, M. (2024). From silos to synergy in STEM education: Promoting interdisciplinary STEM education to enhance the science achievement of students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 39(3), 117-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/09388982241245452
Sun, J., Zhang, Y., Guo, Q., Liang, M., Li, Z., & Zhang, L. (2024). Latent classes of early childhood development and their predictors in Low- and middle-income countries: Results from multiple indicator cluster surveys 2010 – 2020. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 68, 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.04.006
Zhang, Y., Wang, C., & Liang, M. (2022). A Latent Class Analysis of Sexual Behavior and Associations with Sex Education, Smoking, Drinking, and Pornography Use Among Chinese Youth. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(2), 1351–1361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02091-9