Frank C. Worrell received a BA and a Masters in Psychology at the University of Western Ontario and a Ph.D. in School and Educational Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, he is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, where he serves as Faculty Director of the School Psychology program, the Academic Talent Development Program, and the California College Preparatory Academy. He also holds an affiliate appointment in the Social and Personality Area in the Department of Psychology. His areas of expertise include academic talent development/gifted education, at-risk youth, cultural identities, scale development and validation, teaching effectiveness, time perspective, and the translation of psychological research findings into school-based practice. In his research, he examines the role of psychosocial constructs as risk and protective factors in relation to students’ educational and psychological functioning.
A member of the editorial boards of several journals, Dr. Worrell was Co-Editor/Editor of Review of Educational Research from 2012–2016 and has served on committees of the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Educational Research Association, the National Academy of Education, the National Association for Gifted Children, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the Society for the Study of School Psychology. He served as a Council Representative for the School Psychology Division of APA (Division 16) from 2010–2015, and a Member at Large on the APA Board of Directors (2016–2018). Dr. Worrell was the 2022 President of the American Psychological Association (APA). More information on him can be found on the Master's in Psychology podcast website and the clinical conversations series hosted by Daniel T. Bourne.
Dr. Worrell is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, five divisions of APA (5, 15, 16, 45, & 52), and the Association for Psychological Science, as well as an elected member of the National Academy of Education and the Society for the Study of School Psychology.
In 2011, Dr. Worrell received the Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence and Equity from UC Berkeley and was also a recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Association for Gifted Children in 2013. He was a recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Contributions to Research Award from the Division 45 of APA (the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race) and the 2018 Outstanding International Psychologist Award from Division 52 (International Psychology) of APA. Dr. Worrell was the 2019 recipient of the Palmarium Award for Gifted Education from the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver. He was a Distinguished Lecturer at the annual conference of the National Association of School Psychologists in 2022 and received the Outstanding Contibution to School Psychology Award from the Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs (CDSPP) in 2023. In June of 2023, Dr. Worrell received an honorary doctorate from Heidelberg University.
Author of more than 300 articles and book chapters , book publications include Achieving College Dreams: How a University-Charter District Partnership Created an Early College High-School, Talent Development as a Framework for Gifted Education: Implications for Best Practices and Applications in Schools (winner of the 2019 National Association for Gifted Children [NAGC] Scholar Book of the Year Award), The Psychology of High Performance: Developing Human Potential into Domain-Specific Talent (winner of the 2020 NAGC Scholar Book of the Year Award), and the Cambridge Handbook of Applied School Psychology (Cambridge University Press, 2020; co-edited with Tammy L Hughes and Dante D. Dixson). Motivation Myth Busters: Science-Based Strategies to Boost Motivation in Yourself and Others (co-authored with Wendy S. Grolnick and Bejanamin C. Heddy) is forthcoming in May of 2024. Dr. Worrell has research collaborations in China, Ethiopia, Germany, Iran, Italy, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Slovenia, Turkey, Uruguay, and the United Kingdom.
Publications
Books
Weinstein, R. S., & Worrell, F. C. (Eds.). (2016). Achieving college dreams: How a university-charter district partnership created an early college high school. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190260903.001.0001
American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education. (2018). Estándares para pruebas educativas y psicológicas [Standards for educational and psychological testing]. American Educational Research Association.
Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Subotnik, R. F., & Worrell, F. C. (Eds.). (2018). Talent development as a framework for gifted education: Implications for best practices and applications in schools. Prufrock Press. [2019 Scholar Book of the Year, NAGC]
Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Worrell, F. C. (Eds.). (2019). The psychology of high performance: Developing human potential into domain-specific talent. American Psychological Association. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0000120-000 [2020 Scholar Book of the Year, NAGC]
Worrell, F. C., Hughes, T. L., & Dixson, D. D. (Eds.). (2020). The Cambridge handbook of applied school psychology. Cambridge University Press.
Selected Chapters (2021–2022)
Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Worrell, F. C. (2021). The talent development megamodel: A domain-specific conceptual framework based on the psychology of high performance. In R. J. Sternberg & D. Ambrose (Eds.), Conceptions of giftedness and talent: Worldwide perspectives (pp. 425–442). Palgrave-Macmillan.
Kanaya, T., Wai, J., & Worrell, F. C. (2022). The “Flynn Effect” and decision-making in education: Addressing fairness concerns. In J. L. Jonson & K. F. Geisinger (Eds.), Fairness in educational and psychological testing: Examining theoretical, research, practice, and policy implications of 2014 Standards (pp. 251–268). American Educational Research Association. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2kzv0fw.15
Müllensiefen, D., Kozbelt, A., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Subotnik, R. S., Worrell, F. C., & Preckel, F. (2022). Talent development in music. In G. McPherson (Ed.), Oxford handbook for music performance, Vol. 1 (pp. 84–105). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190056285.013.32.
Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Worrell, F. C., & Subotnik, R. S. (2022). Assessment of talent development trajectories. In S. K. Johnsen & J. VanTassel-Baska (Eds.), Handbook on assessments for gifted learners (pp. 240–254). Routledge.
Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Worrell, F. C. (2022). Channeling gifted abilities into transformative creativity productivity. In R. J. Sternberg, D. Ambrose, & S. Karami (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of transformational giftedness for education (pp. 373–385). Springer.
Selected Journal Articles (2021–2023)
Wai, J., & Worrell, F. C. (2021). The future of intelligence research and gifted education. Intelligence, 87, 101546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2021.101546
Worrell, F. C., Andretta, J. R., Wells., K. E., Cole, J. C., & McKay, M. T. (2021). Time attitudes and mental well-being, psychological, and somatic symptomatology in final year high school students. Current Psychology, 40(9), 4541–4552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00386-8
Worrell, F. C., Fhagen, P. E. Vandiver, B. J., & Cross, W. E., Jr. (2021). Psychometric properties of Cross Ethnic-Racial Identity Scale–Adult (CERIS-A) scores: A replication study. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 21(2), 89–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2020.1828087
Worrell, F. C., Mello, Z. R., Laghi, F., Baiocco, R., & Lonigro, A. (2021). Time perspective constructs in Albanian and Italian adolescents: Exploratory analyses. Psychological Reports, 124(2), 693–719. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120913493
Worrell, F. C., Subotnik, R. F., & Olszewski-Kubilius, P. (2021). Giftedness and eminence: Clarifying the relationship. Gifted and Talented International, 36(1–2), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332276.2022.2049461
Andretta, J. R., & Worrell, F. C. (2022). Attitudes toward the past, present, and future: Associations with self-reported academic outcomes in academically talented adolescents. Gifted Child Quarterly, 66(1), 62–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862211019425
Li, X., Wang, C., Lyu, H., Worrell, F. C., & Mello, Z. R. (2022). Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02622-6
McKay, M. T., Worrell, F. C., & Cole, J. C. (2022). Searching for something positive in Future Negative: The Adolescent and Adult Time Inventory–Time Attitudes Scale. Evaluation & the Health Professions, 45(2), 168–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163278720985597
McKay, M. T., Worrell, F. C., Perry, J. L., Chishima, Y., Zivkovic, U, Mello, Z. R., & Cole, J. C. (2022). “Even a broken clock is right twice a day”: The case of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory. Personality and Individual Differences, 184, 111157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111157
Murillo, M. A., & Worrell, F. C. (2022). College week: Preparing first-generation students for the transition to post-secondary education. The Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention, 29(1), 1–6. https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/jcotr/article/view/4870
Przepiórka, A., Blachnio, A., Jankowski, T., Mello, Z. R., & Worrell, F. C. (2022). The assessment of time attitudes among adolescents and young adults with the Polish Adolescent and Adult Time Inventory – Time Attitude Scale (AATI-TA-Polish). European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 38(5), 370–384. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000671
Sullivan, A. L., Worrell F. C., & Jimerson, S. R. (2022). Reconceptualizing school psychology for the 21st century: The future of school psychology in the United States. School Psychology Review, 51(6), 647–660. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2022.2139131
Worrell, F. C. (2022). Who will teach the teachers? Examining implicit bias in the educator workforce. Learning and Instruction, 78, 101518.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2021.101518
Kuncel, N. R., & Worrell, F. C. (2023). What was not said and what to do about it. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(1), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221100461
Sommerfeld, E., Mello, Z. R., & Worrell, F. C. (2023). The Hebrew version of the Adolescent and Adult Time Inventory – Time Attitude Scales (AATI–TA): A validation study. Scientific Reports, 13, 12238. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39431-9
Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Corwith, S. Calvert, E., & Worrell, F. C. (2023). Transforming gifted education in schools: Practical applications of a comprehensive framework for developing academic talent. Education Sciences, 13, 707. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsi13070707
Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Worrell, F. C. (2023). The role of insider knowledge in the trajectories of highly accomplished scientists. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1527, 84–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15034
Worrell, F. C. (2023). From “behind the bridge” to the presidency of the American Psychological Association: Lessons from an unplanned journey. American Psychologist, 78(5), 637–649. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001181
Worrell, F. C., Vandiver, B. J., & Fhagen, P. E. (2023). Nigrescence theory from 1971–2021: The critical contributions of William E. Cross, Jr. American Psychologist, 78(4), 389–400. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001052
Zapata, M. A., & Worrell, F. C. (2023). Disability self-worth and personal meaning relate to psychosocial functioning among employed U.S. adults with LD and ADHD. Rehabilitation Psychology, 68(2), 184–193. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000484
Dixson, D. D., Gentzis, E-A., Jansen, L., & Worrell, F. C. (in press). Gifted profiles of hope: Being hopeful is associated with a talent development psychosocial profile in gifted students. High Ability Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598139.2023.2206114
Astor, R. A., Benbenishty, R. Capp, G. P., Watson, K. R., Wu, C., McMahon, S. D., Worrell, F. C., Reddy, L. A., Martinez, A., Espelage, D. L., & Anderman, E. M. (in press). How school policies, strategies, and relational factors contribute to teacher victimization and school safety. Journal of Community Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23084
Special Issues of Journals
Vandiver, B. J., & Worrell, F. C. (Eds.). (2001). Psychological nigrescence revisited. [Special issue]. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 29(3).
Miranda, A. H., Radliff, K. M., Graves, S. L. Jr., & Worrell, F. C. (Eds.). (2014). Culture counts: Preparing school psychologists for working with diverse populations. [Special issue]. Psychology in the Schools, 51(4).
Worrell, F. C. (Ed.). (2014). Developing international partnerships: American school psychologists consulting in other countries. [Special issue]. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 24(4).
Fiske, S. T., Levine, F., Mayer, R., Murphy, P. K., Newcombe, N., & Worrell, F. C. (Eds.). (2016). Policy Insights from Education Research. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(1).
Fiske, S. T., Levine, F., Mayer, R., Murphy, P. K., Newcombe, N., & Worrell, F. C. (Eds.). (2016). Policy Insights from Education Research. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(2).
Worrell, F. C., Beghetto, R. A., & Renzulli, J. (Eds.). (2016). Beyond the IQ test. [Special issue]. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1377(1).
Campbell, L. F., Worrell, F. C., Dailey, R., & Brown, R. T. (Eds.). (2018). Master’s level practice. [Special section]. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 49(5–6), 299–331.
Fiske, S. T., Levine, F., Mayer, R., Murphy, P. K., & Worrell, F. C. (Eds.). (2019). Policy Insights from Education Research 1. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 6(2).
Worrell, F. C. (Ed.). (2019). Mental health and wellness in the Caribbean [Special issue]. Journal of Black Psychology, 45(4).
Fiske, S. T., Levine, F., Mayer, R., Murphy, P. K., & Worrell, F. C. (Eds.). (2020). Policy Insights from Education Research 2. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 7(1).
Worrell, F. C., & Dixson, D. D. (Eds.). (2022). Equity in gifted education. [Special issue]. Gifted Child Quarterly, 66(2).
Selected Instruments and Manuals
Worrell, F. C., Vandiver, B. J., Fhagen, P. E., & Cross, W. C., Jr. (2016). The Cross Ethnic-Racial Identity Scale – Youth. Unpublished scale, The University of California, Berkeley.
Worrell, F. C., & Vandiver, B. J. (2022). The Cross Ethnic-Racial Identity Scale Adult (CERIS-A): Manual 1.1. Graduate School of Education, The University of California.
FOR OTHER PUBLICATIONS, See CV.
Research Interests, Awards, and Selected 2022 Presentations
Research Interests
Achievement Issues, Adolescence, At-Risk Youth, Black Education, Caribbean Education, Ethnic and Racial Identity, Gifted Education and Talent Development, Scale Development and Validation, School Culture, Teaching Effectiveness
Selected Awards
Fellow, Divisions 5, 15, 16, 45, & 52, American Psychological Association
Member, Society for the Study of School Psychology (Elected 2007)
Presidential Award, National Association of School Psychologists, 2009
Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence and Equity, UC Berkeley, 2011
Fellow, Association for Psychological Science, 2011
Presidential Citation, American Psychological Association, 2011
Excellence in Research Award (Senior Category, with Rena F. Subotnik and Paula Olszewski-Kubilius for PSPI article), Mensa Education and Research Foundation, 2013
Jack Bardon Distinguished Service Award, Division 16, American Psychological Association, 2013
Distinguished Scholar Award, National Association for Gifted Children, 2013
Fellow, American Educational Research Association, 2015
Distinguished Contributions to Research Award, Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race), American Psychological Association, 2015
Outstanding Service Award, Caribbean and African Studies in Education Special Interest Group, American Educational Research Association, 2016
Nadine Lambert Outstanding School Psychologist Award (Region II), California Association of School Psychologists, 2016
Member, National Academy of Education (Elected 2018)
Excellence in Research Award (with Jonathan Wai for PIBBS article), Mensa Education and Research Foundation, 2018
Outstanding International Psychologist Award, Division 52, American Psychological Association, 2018
The Palmarium Award in Gifted Education, University of Denver, Morgridge College of Education, 2019
Scholar Book of the Year Award, National Association for Gifted Children (with Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and Rena F. Subotnik), 2019
Legacy Book of the Year Award (Scholar Category), Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (with Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and Rena F. Subotnik), 2019
Scholar Book of the Year Award, National Association for Gifted Children (with Rena F. Subotnik and Paula Olszewski-Kubilius), 2020
Distinguished Lecturer, National Association of School Psychologists, 2022
Outstanding Contributions to the Profession of School Psychology, Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs, 2023
Dr. Phil. (Honoris Causa), Faculty of Behavioral and Cultural Studies, Heidelberg University, Germany, 2023
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS (2022–2023)
Worrell, F. C. (2022, February 15–18). Psychosocial constructs and adaptive functioning: Examples from culture and time [Distinguished lecture]. National Association of School Psychologists 2022 Annual Convention, Boston, MA, United States.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, March 5). Children’s mental health: Setting the stage [Keynote address]. 2022 Congress of La Federación Latinoamérica de Psicoterapias Cognitivas y Conductuales [Virtual].
Worrell, F. C. (2022, March 7–11). Attitudes toward the past, present, and future: Predictors of resilience and vulnerability in multiple national contexts [Keynote address]. 62nd International Military Testing Association 62nd Conference, Raleigh, NC, United States..
Worrell, F. C. (2022, April 29). APA’s apology to people of color: Psychology’s role in combating systemic racism [Colloquium presentation]. Human Development and Psychology Division, School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles [Virtual].
Worrell, F. C. (2022, April 29). The importance of time constructs in psychological research (La importancia de los consructos temporales en la investigación psicológica) [Invited address]. On the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the College of Psychologists, Peru [Virtual].
Worrell, F. C. (2022, June 15–18). Meeting our global obligations: Psychology in service to society [Invited address]. International Summit on Psychology and Global Health: Leadership for Emerging Challenges, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, July 5–8). Psychology as a hub science: The central role of talent development [Plenary lecture]. 17th European Congress of Psychology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, July 7). The alarming rise of suicides in communities of color: A mental health crisis. Bebe Moore Campbell Moore Campbell Annual Virtual Symposium.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, July 21). COVID-19 as cover: Scapegoating tests for educational disparities in college admissions. In J. Wai (Convenor) and A. DeSoto (Moderator), When can psychological science be useful in educational policy and practice? The case of COVID-19 and college admissions processes [Association for Psychological Science Webinar]. United States.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, August 4–6). Opening remarks. In S. O’Brien (Moderator), The kids are not alright [Main Stage Session]. American Psychological Association 130th Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, August 4–6). Panelist. In K. Haynes-Mendez (Moderator), The psychological impact of anti-Trans legislation [Main Stage Session]. American Psychological Association 130th Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, August 4–6). Panelist. In M. Akbar (Moderator), Working differently together: Collaboration on the path toward reconciliation and repair with communities of color [Main Stage Session]. American Psychological Association 130th Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, November 7). Promoting resilience and recovery in educational settings [Invited presentation]. Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning, College of Education, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT, United States.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, November 10). La dimension psicológica de la identidad professional docente: Entrevista al Dr. Frank Worrell [Invited virtual presentation]. Universidad de Concepción, Universidad de La Serena, y Universidad de Atacama, Chile.
Worrell, F. C. (2022, November 17). Attitudes to the past, present, and future as predictors of risk and resiliency [Invited virtual presentation]. Zimbabwe Psychological Association.
Worrell, F. C. (January 12–14, 2023). Psychology’s role in creating a better society [Invited address, virtual]. Haiti Peace Psychology Summit.
Worrell, F. C. (January 13, 2023). The choices we make: Psychology’s role in social justice [Invited address, virtual]. Saybrook University Spring Diversity Luncheon.
Worrell, F. C. (January 18, 2023). Attitudes toward the past, present, and future: Markers of risk and resilience [Invited virtual address]. Northern Ireland Public Health Research Network.
Worrell, F. C. (2023, February 17–18). Understanding and addressing violence against educators [Invited presentation and panelist]. In Bullied brains: Preventing bullying & improving school climate. 2023 Learning and the Brain Conference (Teaching Behaved Brains: Strategies for Challenging Disruptive Behaviors, Autism, ADHD, and Executive Function). San Francisco, CA, United States.
Worrell, F. C. (2023, February 23–24). Moving forward with hope [Invited keynote]. Equality Florida 2023 Conference (All Together Now: Fostering Inclusive Schools for LGBTQ Students). Virtual.
Worrell, F. C. (2023, March 9–11). The surprising reach of attitudes toward time [Invited presentation]. 2023 Conference of the Middle East Psychological Association, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Worrell, F. C. (2023, April 11). Supporting diverse perspectives in a divided society: A critical challenge for psychology [Invited presentation]. Big Problems Being Solved with Psychology Colloquium Series, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Worrell, F. C. (2023, May 30). Mental health of educators of color: Contextual factors [Invited presentation]. U.S. Department of Education Webinar (“Promoting Mental Health Supports for Educators of Color”).
Worrell, F. C. (2023, June 12). The path to success is not always direct: Act in good faith and hope for the best [Invited presentation]. Honorary Doctorate Ceremony Presentation. Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Worrell, F. C. (2023, July 27–92). Cognitive abilities: Necessary but not sufficient for talent development [Invited address]. Institute of Mental Chronometry, Berkeley, CA, United States.
