Fashina Aladé, PhD

Fashina Aladé,

Assistant Professor

Department
  • Advertising + Public Relations
aladefas@msu.edu
517-353-2938

Bio

Fashina (Shina) Aladé is an Assistant Professor of Advertising & Public Relations, and also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Her work lies at the intersection of media effects, developmental psychology, and early childhood education, with a focus on young children’s comprehension of and learning from educational media. Her research has won top paper awards from the International Communication Association, and has been published in journals such as Media Psychology and the Journal of Communication. Dr. Aladé is the Associate Editor for the Society for Research in Child Development’s Social Policy Report, and she has also worked with WTTW Chicago and MediaKidz Research and Consulting, Inc. on a variety of projects evaluating children’s television programs and online games. She earned her PhD at Northwestern University in Media, Technology, & Society, where she conducted research with the Center on Media and Human Development. She also holds an MA from Ohio State University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, both in Communication.

Dr. Aladé is passionate about elucidating the ways that media and technology can be used to positively impact the lives of children and families. As a community-engaged scholar, much of her research is conducted in partnership with community organizations. She often engages in outreach activities, such as professional development workshops for educators and creating tip sheets for children's television producers, to make sure that her research reaches the people who need it most: parents, educators, and children's media creators. 

Research and Teaching

Research Areas
  • Children and Media
  • Educational Technology
  • Cognitive Development
  • Comprehension Models
Current Projects
  • Parents and teachers' perceptions of a one-to-one tablet program for kindergartners
  • Using a Media Psychology framework to evaluate the impact of a school readiness intervention program for parents in Detroit
  • Understanding parents' beliefs and attitudes towards childhood vaccinations
  • Representations of Gender and Race in Children's Educational Media
Courses
  • ADV 342 Account Planning & Research
  • ADV 492 Kids, Media, & Advertising
  • ADV 892 Advertising & Media in the Lives of Children and Adolescents
Select Publications
In the News

"Aladé awarded NSF funding to research engagement in STEM media" (Nov. 16, 2022) https://comartsci.msu.edu/about/newsroom/news/alade-awarded-nsf-funding-research-engagement-stem-media

“Fashina Alade receives grant to study inclusivity in new PBS show” (Mar. 1, 2022) https://comartsci.msu.edu/about/newsroom/news/fashina-alade-receives-grant-study-inclusivity-new-pbs-show

“How is STEM children's programming prioritizing diversity?” (Oct. 15, 2020) MSU Today. https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2020/STEM-childrens-programming

STEM TV Mirrors Racial, Gender Disparities in STEM Fields, Study Shows” (Oct. 26, 2020) VeryWell Family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/stem-tv-programming-disparities-5084058

Blog Posts

The Great Interactive Debate – How Does Interactivity Really Impact Learning?  (June, 2019) Technology in Early Childhood (TEC) Center, Erikson Institute. https://www.erikson.edu/blog/the-great-interactive-debate/

How old should kids be to get phones? (December, 2019) The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-old-should-kids-be-to-get-phones-126389

Contact Information

Communication Arts & Sciences
404 Wilson Rd Room 315
East Lansing, MI 48824
aladefas@msu.edu
517-353-2938