Overview
Dr. Zaff is a developmental psychologist whose research focuses primarily on understanding how to create the conditions within which all children and youth thrive, particularly youth from backgrounds that have been historically oppressed. Taking this positive youth development approach, the results of his work have appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals and books, presented at local, national, and international conferences, quoted widely in the popular press, and used by youth development organizations in their program designs. His projects have included, among others, understanding the lived experiences of youth who leave high school without graduating, youth civic engagement, and the role of comprehensive community initiatives in supporting youth thriving. Most recently, Dr. Zaff’s work has examined how the constellation of social supports in a youth’s life (a web of support) can encourage positive educational, vocational, and social and emotional outcomes.
Prior to joining the faculty at Northeastern University, Dr. Zaff was the founding director of the CERES Institute for Children & Youth at Boston University. CERES conducts community-engaged applied research and evaluations in order to drive positive educational and life outcomes for children and youth. He was also the founding executive director of the Center for Promise, which was the research division of America’s Promise Alliance and a university-based research center first at Tufts University and then Boston University. Dr. Zaff began his career as a research associate at Child Trends and founded a youth policy organization.
Research Interests
Positive youth development, social supports, social and emotional well-being
Select Publications
Zaff, J. F., Margolius, M*., Varga, S. M., Lynch, A. D., Tang, C.*, & Donlan, A. E. (2021). English learners and high school graduation: A pattern-centered approach to understand within-group variations. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 26, 1-19.
Zaff, J. F., & Malone, T.* (2020). Moving beyond academics: The role of adult capacity in keeping young people in school. Youth & Society, 52, 55-77.
Pan*, J., Zaff, J. F., & Porche, M. (2020). Social support, childhood adversities, and academic outcomes: A latent class analysis. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 25, 251-271.
Varga, S. M., & Zaff, J. F. (2018). Webs of support: An integrative framework of relationships, social networks, and social support for positive youth development. Adolescent Research Review, 3, 1-11.
Zaff, J. F., Aasland, K.,* McDermott, E.,* Carvalho, A.,* Joseph, P.,* & Pufall Jones, E. (2016). Exploring positive youth development among young people who leave school without graduating high school: A focus on social and emotional competencies. Qualitative Psychology, 3, 26.
* indicates student
