Dilara Yaya-Bryson

Dilara Yaya-Bryson

Postdoctoral Researcher & Adjunct Faculty
Educational Leadership
ADVANCE Faculty Affairs and Diversity Office | AGEP-NC Alliance

Dilara Yaya-Bryson (she|her) started as a Postdoctoral Researcher in NSF-granted Alliances for Graduate
Education and the Professoriate – North Carolina (AGEP-NC) in Fall 2023, working with Dr. Lisa
Merriweather. As an educational research scholar for about fifteen years, Dilara has conducted research
in higher education and early education settings. Her research centers on ways to improve the quality of
education services from an ecological perspective, emphasizing classroom environment, workforce
qualifications and professional development, education policies, and DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion).
Her current research in AGEP-NC emphasizes racially minoritized STEM doctoral students’
mentor/mentee relationships.


Before coming to UNC Charlotte, Dilara worked as a research and teaching scholar at the University of
Connecticut. She also worked as a graduate research assistant and lecturer at different universities in
Turkey and the United States.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. – Human Development and Family Studies (with a minor in Educational Research Methods), University of North Carolina Greensboro
Ph.D. – Early Childhood Education, Hacettepe University, Turkey
M.S. – Educational Administration, Supervision, Planning, and Economics, Hacettepe University, Turkey
B.A. – Elementary Education and Teaching, Gazi University, Turkey

RESEARCH

  • AGEP – NC
  • Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRISs) in Early Care and Education
  • Teacher preparation and professional development
  • Higher education
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion in education settings

Selected Publications

Yaya-Bryson, D., Scott-Little, C., Akman, B., & Cassidy, D. J. (2020). A Comparison of early childhood classroom environments and program administrative quality in Turkey and North Carolina. International Journal of Early Childhood, 52(2), 233-248. Doi: 10.1007/s13158-020- 00268-2   

Yaya, D. & Atanur Baskan, G. (2012). Opinions of research assistants working in the faculties of education regarding their workload and workload qualifications. Contemporary Educational Research Journal, 2(2), 29-43.

Selected Scholarships and Awards

  • NSF, AGEP-NC Postdoctoral Scholar
  • D. Elizabeth Williams International Scholarship, School of Health and Human Sciences, University of North Carolina Greensboro  
  • Greensboro Graduate Scholar, University of North Carolina Greensboro
  • TUBITAK – The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey – 2214A International Research Scholarship Programme for Doctoral Students, 2015-2016 Academic Year