Research

I study how social structures shape people’s perceived possibilities, identities, decisions, and trajectories over time, with a particular focus on the transition to adulthood. My research uses longitudinal and mixed methods across educational, family, and migration contexts.

A central question connects my research: How do people develop understandings of what is possible for their lives, and how are those possibilities shaped by the social contexts in which they are embedded? I examine how institutions, families, social relationships, and unequal access to resources structure both the opportunities people encounter and how they interpret them. This perspective allows me to connect individual decision-making and identity development to the broader social structures in which they unfold.

My methodological approach reflects my interest in understanding these processes as they unfold over time. I use longitudinal and mixed methods to connect broader social patterns with changes within individuals and with people’s interpretations of their own experiences. My quantitative work includes longitudinal and panel-data analysis, regression-based approaches, multilevel modeling, latent-variable methods, and demographic analysis. I complement these approaches with qualitative interviews and mixed-method designs that integrate qualitative evidence with longitudinal survey data.

Research Projects

First-Generation Student Study

Longitudinal mixed methods | College students | Large Midwestern university

Longitudinal survey and in-depth interview data following students from their first through fourth years of college, with a focus on first-generation students’ experiences and educational trajectories.

Family Migration and Early Life Outcomes (FAMELO)

Longitudinal panel data | Adolescents and families | Jalisco, Mexico · Gaza Province, Mozambique · Chitwan Valley, Nepal

Comparative longitudinal data on migration, education, family relationships, aspirations, identities, and transitions to adulthood across three distinct social contexts.

From Policy to Practice: Administrator Perspectives on the LEARNS Act

Qualitative interviews | School administrators | Arkansas

An interview-based study examining how school administrators interpret education policy and translate policy changes into organizational practice.

Selected Publications

  • Alcaraz, Melissa, Erick Axxe, and Jennifer E. Glick. 2026. “Adolescent Migration Goals: An Application of the Aspirations-Capabilities Framework.” Population Research and Policy Review 45(2):13. doi:10.1007/s11113-026-09993-3.

  • Axxe, Erick, Jasmine L. Whiteside, Vincent J. Roscigno, and Anne McDaniel. 2025. “First-Generation Inequalities, Adaptation, and Resilience.” Sociological Forum 40(4):465–480. doi:10.1111/socf.70002.

  • Axxe, Erick, Sarah R. Hayford, and Dirgha J. Ghimire. 2024. “Household Migration and Adolescent Marriage Choice in Settings with Changing Marriage Systems.” Journal of Comparative Family Studies 55(1):4–31. doi:10.3138/jcfs.55.1.02.

  • Axxe, Erick, Sarah R. Hayford, and Natalie D. Eggum. 2022. “Youth’s Family and Non-Family Roles as Predictors of Subjective Adulthood in Three Low-Income Agricultural Settings.” Journal of Research on Adolescence 32(4):1546–1565. doi:10.1111/jora.12731.

For a full publication list and citation metrics, see Google Scholar.