Guan Saw is an associate professor in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University. He received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from University of Technology, Malaysia, a Master’s degree in sociology of education from National Taiwan Normal University, and a doctoral degree in measurement and quantitative methods from Michigan State University.
Saw’s major research interests include educational inequality, STEM education and workforce, rural education, college access and success, social capital, mentorship, teacher victimization, health disparities, and research methodology. His teaching focuses on sociology of education, inequalities in education, statistics, and research practicum.
Prior to joining the CGU faculty, Saw was an assistant professor in the department of educational psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he received an Outstanding Professor Award in 2020—nominated and selected by students.
Saw is lead author for a number of studies appearing in Educational Researcher, Educational Psychology, American Journal of Education, Journal of Higher Education, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Policy Insights from Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education. He is also associate editor for Handbook of the Sociology of Education in the 21st Century (Springer, 2018) and a member on the editorial board of American Educational Research Journal (AERJ; 2024-).
Saw’s research work has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), and American Educational Research Association (AERA). He received the National Rural Education Association (NREA) Best Research Award in 2024. He also served as a member of the NASEM Board on Science Education (BOSE) committee on K-12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas (2023-2025).
Coauthored with C.-N. Chang, et al. “Disparities in mentoring and mental health problems of US college students in science and engineering during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Educational Psychology 43, no.5 (2023): 509-30.
Co-authored with C. Agger. “STEM pathways of rural and small-town students: Opportunities to learn, aspirations, preparation, and college enrollment.” Educational Researcher 50, no. 9(2021): 595-606.
“Leveraging social capital to broaden participation in STEM.” Policy Insights from Behavioral and Brain Sciences 7, no. 1 (2020): 35-43.
Co-authored with B. Moon and J. McCluskey. “Teacher victimization and turnover: Focusing on different types and multiple victimization.” Journal of School Violence 19, no. 3 (2020): 406-20.
Co-authored with E. Covay Minor, et al. “External contextual factors and teacher turnover: The case of Michigan high schools.” Teachers College Record 121, no. 11 (2019): 1-30.
Co-authored with B. Swagerty, et al. “Out-of- school time STEM program: Students’ attitudes toward and career interests in mathematics and science.” International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education 8, no. 2 (2019): 356-62.
“The impact of inclusive STEM high schools on student outcomes: A statewide longitudinal evaluation of Texas STEM academies.” International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education 17, no. 8 (2019): 1445-57.
“Remedial enrollment during first year of college, institutional transfer, and degree attainment.” Journal of Higher Education 90, no. 2 (2019): 298-321.
Co-authored with C.N. Chang and H.Y. Chan. “Cross-sectional and longitudinal disparities in STEM career aspirations at the intersection of gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.” Educational Researcher 47, no. 8 (2018): 525-32.
Co-authored with C.N. Chang. “Cross-lagged models of mathematics achievement and motivational factors among Hispanic and non-Hispanic high school students.” Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 40, no. 2 (2018): 240-56.
Co-edited with B. Schneider. Handbook of the sociology of education in the 21st century. Springer International Publishing AG, 2018.
Co-authored with B. Schneider, et al. “The impact of being labeled as a persistently lowest achieving school: Regression discontinuity evidence on school labeling.” American Journal of Education 123, no. 4 (2017): 585-613.
Co-authored with B.L. Schneider. “Racial and ethnic gaps in postsecondary aspirations and enrollment.” Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 2, no. 5 (2016): 58-82.
Sociology of Education
Inequalities in Education
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis
Quantitative Research Methods
Research Practicum