Lecturer in Sociology

Education

Ph.D., Applied Social Psychology

Biography

Dr. Blagg has more than ten years of experience as an evaluator, applied researcher, and educator. He is currently Director of Evaluation for the University Consortium for Children and Families (UCCF), at UCLA.  In the areas of secondary and post-secondary education, Dr. Blagg served as primary investigator for three U.S. Department of Education supported STEM programs at East Los Angeles College, and primary analyst for the Coyote Careers STEM program at the California State University, San Bernardino. As project manager for the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for State Data Support, Dr. Blagg contributed to the TA and training of state and local education agencies in their efforts to utilize data to promote safe and supportive schools. Dr. Blagg also served as Field Study Director for the U.S. Department of Education (Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development) supported national study of state bullying laws and policies. This study identified the most effective and feasibly implemented strategies being employed by state and local education agencies to confront bullying behavior. Dr. Blagg has also built an exemplary record as a teacher at the graduate and undergraduate levels, at colleges and universities across southern California. His pedagogical orientation has been characterized by diverse and dynamic techniques to serve unique student learning approaches.

In the area of health, for UCLA’s Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, Dr. Blagg directed two investigations of the impact of the Mental Health Services Act on California’s community-based mental health system, and on consumers and their families.  He also served as senior analyst for the national evaluation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Consumer Response Services Center. At the Claremont Institute for Research on Social Issues, Dr. Blagg contributed to a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funded study of the HIV/AIDS Resource Environment (SHARE). He also conducted research into the recovery and outcomes those who experience natural disaster, funded by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI). 

Personal interests:

Family, paddle boarding, surfing, skiing, backpacking/camping

Representative Courses Taught

  • SOC 202 Introduction to Research Methods
  • SOC 310 Research Methods in Sociology
  • PSY 213 Developmental Psychology

Select Publications

  • Blagg, R. D., Franke, T. M., & Christie, C. A. (2016). Policy Research in a Local Context: Resource Family Recruitment in Los Angeles County. In press. University of California, Los Angeles. 

  • Blagg, R. D. (2015, November). Statewide Evaluation of California’s Mental Health Services Act: Developing Statewide Performance Indicators. Paper presented at the American Evaluation Association conference, Chicago, IL.

  • Blagg, R. D. (2011). A bridge between basic social science and evaluation. In S. Mathison (Ed.), Really new directions in evaluation: Young evaluators’ perspectives. New Directions for Evaluation, 131, 27–30.

  • Hogg, M. A., Adelman, J. R., & Blagg, R. D. (2010). Religion in the face of uncertainty: Uncertainty-identity theory of religiousness and religious extremism. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14, 72-83.

  • Blagg, R. D. (2010). Bystander effect. In J.M. Levine & M.A. Hogg (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

  • Blagg, R. D. (2010). Self verification. In R.L. Jackson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Identity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Keywords

Applied research methods, program evaluation, policy evaluation, training evaluation, health, education, social welfare

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