Robert Marx, PhD (they/them and he/his)

SJSU Lurie College Faculty Robert Marx

Assistant Professor, Child & Adolescent Development

Robert Marx’s community-engaged research and practice focus on reframing dominant visions of queer young people, so that they are no longer viewed as damaged or at-risk, but rather as the gifted, complex people they are. Marx deploys a variety of research methods, including critical youth participatory action research and meta-analysis, to better understand and promote marginalized youth’s development. As a former high school English teacher, they approach this work from the intersection of educational studies, developmental psychology, and critical pedagogy, and his work encourages young people to see themselves as producers of knowledge and change agents.

Education

  • Ph.D., Community Research and Action, Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University
  • M.A.T., Secondary English Education, Boston University
  • B.A., English, Spanish, and Linguistic Anthropology, Brandeis University

Recent Publications

  • Marx, R. A., & Regan, P. V. (2021). Lights, camera, (youth participatory) action! Lessons from filming a documentary with trans and gender non-conforming youth in the USA. In E. A. Hennessy and H. Corbin (Eds.) Arts and Health Promotion. Springer. (double-blind peer-reviewed book chapter)
  • Kettrey, H. H., & Marx, R. A. (2020). Effects of bystander sexual assault prevention programs on promoting intervention skills and combatting the bystander effect: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1-25.
  • Poteat, V. P., Calzo, J. P., Yoshikawa, H., Rosenbach, S. B., Ceccolini, C. J., & Marx, R. A. (2019). Extracurricular settings as a space to address sociopolitical crises: the case of discussing immigration in Gender-Sexuality Alliances following the 2016 US presidential election. American Educational Research Journal, 56(6), 2262-2294.
  • Marx, R. A., Hatchel, T., Mehring, C. B., & Espelage, D. L. (2019). Predictors of sexual victimisation and suicidal ideation among transgender and gender-nonconforming adolescents. Psychology & Sexuality, 1-17.
  • Kettrey, H. H., & Marx, R. A. (2019). Does the gendered approach of bystander programs matter in the prevention of sexual assault among adolescents and college students? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of sexual behavior, 48(7), 2037-2053.
  • Hatchel, T., & Marx, R. A. (2018). Understanding intersectionality and resiliency among transgender adolescents: Exploring pathways among peer victimization, school belonging, and drug use. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(6), doi:10.3390/ijerph15061289
  • Roberts, L. M., & Marx, R. A. (2018). The persistence of policies of protection in LGBTQ research & advocacy. Journal of LGBT Youth, DOI: 10.1080/19361653.2018.1479325

Recent Presentations

  • "Strengthening Resilience for LGBTQIA+ Youth: Understanding and Optimizing School and Family Supports for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth," Symposium Organizer, Society for Prevention Research 2020 (conference moved online)
  • "Understanding Who’s Under the Umbrella: Disaggregating School Assets for LGBTQQ students," Society for Research on Adolescence 2020 (conference canceled)
  • "Queer Voices, Queer Rooms: Understanding LGBTQ+ Students’ Rationales for Joining Their Gender and Sexuality Alliances," Society for Research on Child Development Special Meeting 2020 (conference postponed)
  • Marx, R. A. Understanding the Importance of Social Networks and Organizations in LGBTQ+ Lives. Symposium chair, Society for Prevention Research.
  • Marx, R. A., Temkin, D., & Cadill, R. The Relative Importance of Individual- and School-Level Factors in Predicting LGBTQ+ Students’ Sense of School Belonging. Society for Prevention Research.
  • Marx, R. A. Fostering Developmentally Appropriate Discussions of Racism in Queer youth Organizations: Lessons from Participants and Advisors. Society for Research on Child Development.
  • Marx, R. A. “Cliqued up White Groups”: An Analysis of Discussions of Racism in Queer Youth Spaces. American Educational Research Association.
  • Marx, R. A. A Poem is Never Finished: Exploring Critical Methods with Spoken Word Poetry. American Educational Research Association.
  • Kettrey, H. H., & Marx, R. A. Effects of bystander programs on the prevention of sexual assault among adolescents and college students: A systematic review. Stockholm Criminology Symposium.
  • Marx, R. A. Poetry as prevention: Spoken word poetry supports academic and emotional growth for middle school students. Society for Prevention Research.

Noteworthy Grants and Awards

Online Resources

Areas of Research Interest

  • After-school activities
  • High schools
  • Multilevel modeling
  • Queer youth
  • School belonging
  • Well-being
  • Youth development

Recommended Reading

Personality Playlist

Listen to Robert's playlist below and access all of the personality playlists on our Lurie College of Education Spotify account