David Bergin earned a Ph.D. in education, focusing on educational psychology, at Stanford University. He has been a teacher-educator for over 25 years. His research focuses on motivation and achievement, with a special emphasis on the achievement of talented youth of color. He is a past president of the Educational Psychology division of the American Psychological Association, and has published in journals such as Journal of Educational Psychology, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Journal of Negro Education, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, Journal of Literacy Research, and Journal of Adolescent Development, among others. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal… of Educational Psychology, Journal of Counseling Psychology, and Contemporary Educational Psychology. As does his co-author, Bergin has extensive experience working with a diverse range of children, having lived in Central America and done university outreach in Mexico, Guatemala, and most recently as a Fulbright scholar in Chile.
Christi Bergin earned a Ph.D. in child development and early childhood education at Stanford University, and is a developmental psychologist. Her research focuses on the socio-emotional development of typical children as well as the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development of infants and children in families struggling with poverty, drug use, and child abuse. For over two decades she has observed hundreds of parent-child interactions, including in-home visits to so-called "crack houses." Dr. Bergin has conducted research in both schools and medical centers. She has published in journals such as the Journal of Literacy Research, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Journal of… Applied Developmental Psychology, Child Maltreatment, Journal of Adolescence, and Infant Mental Health Journal, among others. Through her research, experience as a preschool teacher, and work as a community volunteer, she has extensive experience with children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.