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Nyrie Nalbandian
Nyrie Nalbandian was awarded a Bachelor of Science (Psychology major) and a Bachelor of Education (Education major) in 2006, a Bachelor of Education (Hons) Degree in 2009 and is currently a PhD Candidate at the Centre of Positive Psychology and Education. Prior to taking up academic work she was a secondary Psychology teacher within Victoria and later worked as a research assistant and officer at the CPPE. Her doctoral study will develop an ethnic identity measure and will investigate a probable relationship between ethnic identity and the academic self-concept and academic motivation of Armenian students attending various school settings within Australia and the United States.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Education (Hons)
Thesis Title
Longing or Belonging: A study of Ethnic Identity and its influences on Armenian Students and its Connection to Psycho-Social Constructs within the Australian and American Classroom Context.
Supervisors
Professor Rhonda Craven, Dr Marjorie Seaton & Dr Nida Denson
Abstract
Ethnic identity is defined as recognition of characteristics, (i.e. religion, food, language and culture) which are shared and valued within a particular ethnic group (Phinney & Ong, 2007). Empirical research has found that a proficiency in the ethnic language and a connection or interaction with members of that ethnic group enhance one’s ethnic identity (Phinney, Romero, Nava, & Huang, 2001). For many ethnic minorities preservation of ethnic identity is of great importance, even more so after parting from the homeland. In Australia some parents from ethnic backgrounds have chosen to send their children to language or bilingual school in order to preserve their ethnic identity. Recent studies have shown that ethnic identity influences positive human behaviour (Tsai, Chentsova- Dutton, & Wong, 2002). Despite this, little is known of how ethnic identity promotes positive outcomes other than self-esteem (Supple, Ghazarian, Frabutt, Plunkett, & Sands, 2006). The objective of this investigation is to explore whether Ethnic Identity promotes positive behavior amongst Australian and American students with Armenian ethnic background. More specifically the study will investigate a plausible relation between Ethnic Identity and psychosocial constructs such as academic self-concept, academic motivation and academic achievement amongst these students using both sophisticated quantitative instruments and a qualitative thematic approach.
