Joel Hektner

Professor

Faculty

Human Development and Family Science

Joel Hektner

Dr. Hektner is currently serving as Interim Dean of the College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies and is not accepting new graduate students at this time.

Areas of Study & Research

Design and effectiveness of programs to prevent adjustment problems and promote well-being in children and adolescents; Peer affiliation patterns and peer influences on children's behaviors; Family and school conditions that facilitate optimal experiences (flow) and optimal development; The Experience Sampling Method.

Courses Taught

HDFS 330, Child Development
HDFS 710, Foundations of Youth Development
HDFS 714, Contemporary Youth Issues: Promoting Optimal Development in Youth
HDFS 854, Advanced Quantitative Methods in Developmental Science
HDFS 856, Longitudinal Research Methods and Analysis

Current Grants

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (2021-2027)

Awards & Honors

  • Exceptional Contributions to Faculty and Student Mentoring, College of Human Development and Education, NDSU, 2014.
  • Exceptional Contributions to Professional Development, College of Human Development and Education, NDSU, 2011. Nominated also in 2010.
  • Robert and Patty Hendrickson Faculty Development Award, College of Human Development and Education, NDSU, 2009.
  • James Lebedeff Endowed Professorship, College of Human Development and Education, NDSU, 2008.
  • Exceptional Contributions to Scholarly Activity, College of Human Development and Education, NDSU, 2004, 2007. Nominated also in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2023.

Professional Associations

Society for Research in Child Development
Society for Prevention Research
National Council on Family Relations

Community and Professional Engagement

Member, North Dakota Alliance for Children’s Justice, 2015-
Member, Advisory Committee of the North Dakota Out of School Time Network, 2020-
Member, United Way Community Impact Review Panel, 2024, 2025
Member, Human Sciences Board of Directors of the Innovative Digital Education Alliance (IDEA), 2025-

Links

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Psychology: Human Development, University of Chicago
  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Princeton University

Publications

Hektner, J. M., Kole, D., Chinopfukutwa, V., & Carlson, S. (2024). Assessing staff-youth interaction quality: Using the CLASS to evaluate afterschool programs. Journal of Youth Development, 19(3), Article 3. Available at: https://open.clemson.edu/jyd/vol19/iss3/3

Hektner, J. M. (2025). Diary studies, event sampling, and smart phone apps. In P. Brough (Ed.), Advanced research methods for applied psychology: Design, analysis, and reporting, (2nd ed., pp. 178-189). Routledge.

Hektner, J. M. (2022). Experience sampling method. In B.B. Frey (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of research design (p. 526). Sage. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781071812082

Chinopfukutwa, V. S. & Hektner, J. M. (2020). Peer crowd affiliations as predictors of prosocial and risky behaviors among college students. Journal of American College Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1790574

Hektner, J. M., Brennan, A. L., & August, G. J. (2017). Incorporating well-adjusted peers in a conduct problems prevention program: Evaluation of acceptability, fidelity, and safety of implementation. School Mental Health, 9, 66-77. https://doi.og/10.1007/s12310-016-9199-7

Hektner, J. M., August, G. J., Bloomquist, M. L., Lee, S., & Klimes-Dougan, B. (2014). A 10-year randomized controlled trial of the Early Risers Conduct Problems Preventive Intervention: Effects on externalizing and internalizing in late high school. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82, 355-360. https://doi.og/10.1037/a0035678

Hektner, J. M., Brennan, A. L., & Brotherson, S. E. (2013). A review of the Nurtured Heart Approach to parenting: Evaluation of its theoretical and empirical foundations. Family Process, 52, 425-439. https://doi.og/10.1111/famp.12030

Hektner, J. M., & Swenson, C. A. (2012). Links from teacher beliefs to peer victimization and bystander intervention: Tests of mediating processes. Journal of Early Adolescence, 32, 516-536. https://doi.og/10.1177/0272431611402502

Hektner, J. M., Schmidt, J. A., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2007). Experience Sampling Method: Measuring the quality of everyday life. Sage.

Hektner, J. M. (1995). When moving up implies moving out: Rural adolescent conflict in the transition to adulthood. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 11, 3-14. https://journals.newprairiepress.org/jrre/article/id/20350/