Yuuko Uchikoshi Tonkovich

Yuuko Uchikoshi Tonkovich is a Professor at the School of Education, University of California, Davis, where she has served since 2004, advancing from Assistant to Associate and then to full Professor. Her work centers on language and literacy development in young dual language learners, with a focus on bilingualism, early literacy, and the role of family and media in language acquisition.

Her research interests include:

• Early Childhood Development
• Multilingual Learners and Bilingual Education
• Language Acquisition and Literacy
• Parent-Child Interaction and Home Language Environment
• Quantitative Analysis of Educational Outcomes
• Educational Television and Multimedia

Her recent publications span topics such as cognitive distancing in parent-child reading, morphological awareness in bilingual readers, and the impact of teacher language use in multilingual classrooms. The research consistently emphasizes longitudinal, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary approaches, particularly focusing on Chinese American and Mexican American immigrant families.

Her scientific awards include:

• AERA Vocabulary SIG Notable Vocabulary Researcher Award (2025)
• Foundation for Child Development Young Scholars Program Grant
• International Reading Association Dissertation Fellowship and Finalist Award
• Harvard Graduate School of Education Fellowships

She has advised numerous research projects and secured significant funding from NIH/NICHD, the Foundation for Child Development, and other organizations. She teaches courses such as Language Development, Early Literacy, and Research on Text Comprehension. She is actively involved in national initiatives, serving on the Technical Advisory Group for the First 5 California Dual Language Learner Study and as Associate Editor of Applied Psycholinguistics. She leads the Language & Literacy Development Lab at UC Davis, which investigates the cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development of dual language learners.