Rate My Professor Aubrey Whitehead

Aubrey Whitehead, Ph.D., serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Military Institute, holding the rank of Major. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from George Mason University in 2019. His dissertation, "Examining Relationships among Undergraduates' Social Group Influences, Motivation, and STEM Degree Persistence," chaired by Dr. Anastasia Kitsantas, delves into how social influences and motivational factors contribute to students' retention in STEM programs.

Whitehead's academic interests focus on the effects of motivation, close social group influence, self-regulation, classroom contexts, and teacher support on undergraduate degree persistence, with particular attention to STEM fields and mathematics achievement. His research highlights the role of family, friends, educators, and peer subgroups in shaping STEM major selection, engagement, and long-term success. Key publications include "The company you keep: Effect of close social subgroup influence on STEM degree persistence at a small liberal arts college" (Journal for STEM Education Research, 2024, co-authored with Melissa Schen and Jillian Morrison), which investigates social dynamics in STEM retention at liberal arts institutions. Other significant works are "Relations among classroom context, student motivation, and mathematics literacy: a social cognitive perspective" (2021, with A. Kitsantas and J. Cheema), "Student Engagement while Creating Serious Educational Games in Collaborative Learning Environments: Implications for STEM Interest" (2021), "Examining Influence of Family, Friends, and Educators on First-Year College Student STEM Major Selection" (2018), "Teachers' Classroom Cognitive Activation, Support, and Student Motivation and Achievement in Mathematics" (2019), and "Interactions between Anxiety, Family Influence, and Athletic Status on College Student Mental Health Outcomes" (2024, with C. Osborne). His scholarship has accumulated 35 citations on ResearchGate.

In addition to his teaching and research, Whitehead contributes to institutional leadership as Assistant Inspector General and Title IX officer at VMI. He volunteers weekly as a senior mentor at the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center, supporting youth development through psychological and motivational guidance.