Sally Zengaro
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
School of Psychology
Degree Program
Ph.D. Psychology
Dr. Zengaro’s formal training is in educational psychology, with specializations in learning and development, self-regulation and motivation. She has taught courses in adolescent development, educational psychology, social psychology, sport psychology, positive psychology, gender psychology, psychology of learning, research, and cognitive psychology since 2012. At Walden University, she is a contributing faculty member in Developmental Psychology working predominantly with doctoral dissertation committees.
Dr. Zengaro’s research interests include sports participation and moral development, aggression in adolescents, motivation, self-regulation, the role of affect in learning and development, and improving performance through mindfulness. She has over 20 publications and 60 presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Mid-South Educational Research Association, and the Southeastern Psychological Association.
Education
PhD, University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, AL United States
MA, University of Alabama
BA, Harding University
Awards / Honors
University of Alabama Outstanding Dissertation Award , University of Alabama, 2012
College of Education M. Ray Loree Most Outstanding Dissertation Award, University of Alabama, 2012
Publications
Zengaro, S. A., Zengaro, F., Ali, M. (2021). Academic support for ELL and immigrant adolescents: Connecting home, school, and communities.
Zengaro, F., Zengaro, S. A. Active Learning, Student Engagement, and Motivation: The Importance of Caring Behaviors in Teaching.
Zengaro, S. A., Warley, R. M. The Fallacy of Higher Education as the Great Social Equalizer: Racial Identity, Implicit Bias, & Academic Achievement.
Zengaro, F., Zengaro, S. A. (2019). Sports as intuitive experiences: Biofunctional embodied sports performance. MAHPERD Journal.
Zengaro, S. A., Iran-Nejad, A., Schumacker, R., Zengaro, F. (2017). Understanding adolescent attitudes toward sports aggression: An integrated perspective. Research in the Schools.
Presentations
Zengaro, S. A., Zengaro, F., Alvarez, J. (2021). Using stroboscopic visual training to enhance sports performance. Southeastern Psychological Association.
Zengaro, S. A., Goldman, J., Evans-Amalu, K. (2020). Using contemplative practice in psychology courses to promote mindfulness, mastery, and resilience. American Psychological Association.
Zengaro, S. A., Zengaro, F. (2019). Assessing student learning: Using writing prompts as summative evaluations. International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning.
Zengaro, S. A., Zengaro, F. (2018). Moral development and sports participation in adolescents: A cross-sectional study. Mid-South Educational Research Association.
Zengaro, S. A. (2017). Engaging students where they are. American Psychological Association.