Education
Ph.D., Special Education, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2017
M.S.E., Inclusive Early Childhood Education, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2013
Songtian (Tim) Zeng
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Autism
Trauma
Family support
Research Interests
Dr. Zeng’s interest focusses on supporting children and youth with disabilities and/or mental health needs. His current interest includes the study of preventing exclusionary practices for these students, and ways to better support the family system. Dr. Zeng is also a mentor for the autism doctoral studies program. He has over 40 peer-review publication and his research projects have been funded by federal, state and private foundation.
Selected Publications
Zeng, S., An, Z. G., Xu, F., Lee, Y., & Douglass, A. (2026). Under the radar: Unpacking center-based program providers’ use of informal removals for children with challenging behaviors. Early Childhood Education Journal.
Zeng, S., Ai, J., Kabir, P. et al (2025). Teacher turnover and factors contributing to workforce retention: Supporting teachers working with children with challenging behaviors. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01994-9
Zeng, S., Lee, Y., DelVecchio, B. L., Mendes, L., & Douglass, A. (2025). Evaluation of A Business Management Program to Promote Child Care Educator Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Early Childhood Education Journal, 53(5), 1657-1665.
Zeng, S., An, Z., Corr, C., Ai, J., Zhao, H. (2025). Problem behaviors and social emotional competence for children in head start classrooms: Is there evidence of teacher implicit bias? Early Education and Development.
Courses Taught
- PSYC 203 Human Development
- PSYC 611 Developmental Psychology
- PSYC 689 Multivariate Methods
- FMST Applied Family Science