Last updated on Friday, July 12, 2024
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Name : Sothy Eng
Title : Associate Professor
Unit : Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
Address : 2515 Campus Road Honolulu, HI 96822
Room : Miller Hall 201E
Phone : (808) 956-7212
Fax : (808) 956-2241
E-mail : sothy@hawaii.edu
Specialties : family relationship dynamics; social capital; domestic violence; home gardening; food systems; program evaluation; Cambodian families
Professional Prep/Appointments : Professor of Practice (August 2011-2018) Comparative and International Education | Lehigh University
Post-Doctoral Fellow, (2010-11) California Center for Population Research | UCLA
Ph.D., Human Development and Family Studies (December 2009) | Texas Tech University
M.S., Human Development and Family Studies | Texas Tech University
B.S., Psychology | Royal University of Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
Projects : Relationship Building: Critical Empathetic and Mindful Relations (CEMR)
Home Garden Network (website | Facebook)
Hawaii's Food Systems (website)
Previous Project at Lehigh University
International Education Development: Caring for Cambodia-Lehigh University Partnership (Facebook Page: /CFCLU)
Courses Taught: HDFS340: Intimacy, Marriages, and Families
HDFS352: Community Needs and Resources
HDFS495: Capstone Portfolio
Graduate Courses at Lehigh University (2011-2018)
• Globalization and Curriculum Implication, CIE403, Graduate Level (Hybrid Class)
• Statistical analysis using STATA, CIE491, Graduate Level (Hybrid Class)-- Course Blog
• Program Development and Evaluation, CIE 402, Graduate Level (Hybrid Class)
• Issues and Institutions in International Educational Development, CIE 404, Graduate Level (Hybrid Class)
• Research Methods, Educ491/Educ403, Graduate Level (Hybrid Class)
• Diversity and Multicultural Perspectives, CPSY471, EDUC471, Graduate Level (Hybrid Class)
Professional Interests :
Dr. Eng's work involves the use of social capital to guide his research, teaching, and programming. His research focuses on the role of social capital embedded in family’s socio-cultural beliefs and attitudes in facilitating healthy family dynamics and resilient child and adolescent development. His most recent research examines how informal preschools, such as home- and community-based settings, which are conducive to social interactions, not only support informed parenting and strong social networks but also mitigate harmful factors such as fatalistic beliefs, rigid gender attitudes, and family violence. This work supports policies that encourage community building and social cohesion that helps contribute to overall societal well-being. Dr. Eng also serves in the Editorial Board of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
In his teaching, Dr. Eng builds social capital among students by creating an environment that promotes a sense of belonging and encourages the building of social networks. As a result, students learn not only from the instructor but also from their classmates through sharing, openness, and vulnerability. He is currently on sabbatical, affiliating with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at American University of Phnom Penh. During this time, he is working on his research focusing on a relationship-building theory, Critical Empathetic and Mindful Relations (CEMR), which he uses to guide his teaching.
In programming, Dr. Eng founded the Home Garden Network program, which leverages social relationships and networks among families and friends to create a community that supports each other in gardening. As families gather for multiple gardening sessions, social capital is created, enabling families to learn, grow, share, and heal together. Between 2018-2024, he led Food Systems Working Group in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Publications :
* Media Articles on HuffPost | The Cambodia Daily
* Media Articles Based on Research (Remarriage & Domestic Violence | STEM & Gender Gap)
* Community News
* Google Scholar Profile
JOURNAL ARTICLES (* indicates graduate student; ** undergraduate student at the time the article was written)
Eng, S., Sustarsic, M.*, Ooki, N., Greenwood, H., & Hanakawa, C. (2024). Youth development in the Pacific: A decade in
review. Child & Youth Care Forum.
Eng, S., Donoghue, C.*, Khun, T.*, & Szmodis, W. (2024). Growing, learning, sharing, and healing through Home Garden
Network: A social capital framework. Family Relations.
Apsley, H. B.*, Knapp, K. S., Eng, S., & Cleveland, H. H. (2023). Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Original Grit
Scale (Grit-O) Among Cambodian Adolescents. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 41(8), 900-915.
Sustarsic, M.*, Eng, S., Ooki, N., & Greenwood, H. (2023). “It Takes a Village!”: Social Capital Building in a Remote Hawai ‘i
Community. Journal of Youth Development, 18(3), 8.
Eng, S., Sustarsic, M.*, Ooki, N., Greenwood, H., & Hanakawa, C. (2023). Maximizing the First-Year Planning Period for
Scholarly Publications: Implications for Prospective CYFAR Grant Recipients. Journal of Extension, 61(1), 4.
Knapp, K. S.*, Chimed-Ochir, U.*, Apsley, H. B.*, Eng, S., Fosco, G. M., & Cleveland, H. H. (2022). Profiles of future
expectations among urban adolescents in Cambodia. Developmental Psychology, 58(8), 1528.
Eng, S., Khun, T.**, Esquivel, M., Ooki, N., Bloese, J., Sand, S., & Lincoln, N. (2021). Farmers’ Perceived Needs of
Extension’s Support During Covid-19 in Hawai'i. The Journal of Extension, 59(2), 15.
Eng, S., Grace, K.*, & Szmodis, W.* (2020). Parenting Practices and Child Mortality in Remarried/Repartnered Families in
Cambodia. Journal of Family Issues, 41(7), 1010-1031.
Eng, S., Szmodis, W.*, & Grace, K.* (2020). Cambodian remarried women are at risk for domestic violence. Journal of
Interpersonal Violence. 35(3-4), 828-853.
Eng, S., Donoghue, C.*, Khun, T., & Szmodis, W.* (2020). Critical consciousness of food systems as a potential
lifestyle intervention on health issues. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 14(3), 258-263.
Eng, S., Khun, T.**, Jower, S.**, & Murro, JM** (2019). Healthy lifestyle through home gardening: The art of sharing.
American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 13(4), 347-350.
Grace, K.*, & Eng, S. (2020). A capabilities approach to female graduates’ post-secondary academic and career-
related goal pursuit in Siem Reap Cambodia. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 1-19.
Grace, K.*, Seng, T., & Eng, S. (2019). The Socialization of Gender-Based Aggression: A Case Study in Cambodian
Primary Schools. Sex Roles, 1-16.
Grace, K.* & Eng, S. (2019). Gender socialization among Cambodian parents and teachers of preschool children:
Transformation or reproduction? International Journal of Early Childhood, 51(1), 93-107.
Waluyo, B.*, Eng, S., & Wiseman, A. (2019). Examining a model of scholarship for social justice. Comparative and
International Education, 14(2), 272-293.
Eng, S., Muslow, M., Ritchey, E., & Zvonkovic, A. (2016). Redefining the roles of parents and social structure in
the educational outcomes of Cambodian young adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 32(6), 742-767.
Eng, S., Szmodis, W.*, & Mulsow, M. (2014). Cambodian parental involvement: The role of parental beliefs,
social networks, and trust. The Elementary School Journal, 114(4), 573-594.
Eng, S. (2013). Cambodian early adolescents’ academic achievement: The role of social capital. Journal of
Early Adolescence, 33(3), 378-403.
Eng, S., Li, Y., Mulsow, M., & Fisher, J. (2010). Domestic violence against women in Cambodia:
Husband control, frequency of spousal discussion, and domestic violence reported by Cambodian women.
Journal of Family Violence, 25, 237-246.
Eng, S., Mulsow, M., Cleveland, H. H., & Hart, S. (2009). Academic achievement among adolescents in
Cambodia: Does maternal trauma matter? Journal of Community Psychology, 37, 754-768.
Eng, S., Kanitkar, K. Cleveland, H. H., & Herbert, R., Fischer, J., & Wiersma, J. (2008). School
achievement differences among Chinese and Filipino American students: Acculturation and family factors.
Educational Psychology, 28, 535-550.
BOOK CHAPTERS (* indicates graduate student at the time the article was written)
Eng, S., & Khun, T. (2022). Growing, Learning, Sharing, and Healing Together: Home Garden Networks as a Learning City
and Movement to Global Citizenship and Life-Long Learning. In Perspectives on Lifelong Learning and Global
Citizenship: Beyond the Classroom (pp. 149-159). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Grace, K.*, & Eng, S. (2019). Knowledge Hierarchies and Interviewing Methods in Cambodia: Strategies for
Collaborative Interpretation. In Interrogating and Innovating Comparative and International Education Research (pp.
148-165). Brill Sense.
Szmodis, W.*, Eng, S., & Cooper, C. (2018). Cambodian students’ motivation for learning: The role of teachers and
parenting practices. In Asian Education Miracles (pp. 10-28). Routledge.
Eng, S. & Szmodis, W*. (2015). STEM learning achievement among Cambodian middle school students : An
examination of gender and psychosocial factors. Annual Review of Comparative and International Education,
28, 279-305.
Szmodis, W.* & Eng, S. (2015). Cambodia. In Colditz, G. A. & Golson, J. G. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Cancer and
Society 2nd Edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Eng, S. (2014). Cambodia[n families]. In Constance L.S. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Family Studies, Hoboken, New
Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.
Szmodis, W.* & Eng, S. (2013). Tolerance (compared with understanding and empathy). In Cortes C.E. & Golson,
J.G. (Eds.), Multicultural America, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Eng, S. (2013b). Intermarriage demographic trends. In Cortes C.E. & Golson, J.G. (Eds.), Multicultural America,
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Eng, S. (2013a). Cambodia. In Emery R.E. & Golson J.G. (Eds.), Cultural Sociology of Divorce: An Encyclopedia,
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Eng, S. (2012). Genocide: Cambodia's mass casualty trauma. In Figley C.R. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Trauma.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Eng, S. (2011). Cambodia. In Barnett, G.A. & Golson, J.G. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Social Networks. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publications.
Languages : English, Khmer
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