Dr. Susana Beltrán-Grimm is an Assistant Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology and Education at Portland State University. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in learning technologies from Pepperdine University. Prior to coming to PSU, she was a postdoctoral research associate in the Human Development and Family Science at Purdue University. Dr. Beltrán-Grimm’s research has thrived in applied settings, as the Early Learning Director for the PBS Station in Los Angeles, and in academic settings, acknowledging her dedication to advancing translational and transdisciplinary research deeply connected to community needs. Dr. Beltrán-Grimm received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) Latina/o/x Research Issues Group and has been honored with the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Early Career
Transdisciplinary Fellowship.
Research
Dr. Beltrán-Grimm’s research is dedicated to leveraging asset-based frameworks to explore the cultural and contextual factors of Latine families to maximize math learning, media, and technology usage as opportunities at home, school, and community spaces. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, she seeks to extend knowledge of diverse family values and practices and build from children’s and families’ lived experiences and cultural funds of knowledge to bolster children’s early childhood experiences, ensuring all children have every advantage for a bright
future. She is interested in families as co-designers, which is a central priority in her research due to the profound impact of collaborative, participatory action research methodologies in promoting equity within communities. Dr. Beltrán-Grimm’s research provides valuable insights into the complex interplay of sociocultural and political factors that influence how Latiné families engage with their children in formal and informal settings. Dr. Beltrán-Grimm’s current research explores the intersection of mathematical language and cultural practices among U.S. Latiné families with young children. Central to her research is exploring how culturally specific language practices in bilingual Latiné households shape their children's mathematics learning, investigating the dynamics of bilingual language use and interaction patterns during math-related activities at home. She is also engaged in research in her native Mexico, working with the Indigenous Tsotsil families to explore math practices distinguished by cultural traditions, codes, and linguistic narratives.