Areas of Research

VISUAL-SPATIAL REASONING

Individual differences in cognitive skills such as spatial thinking and relational reasoning can serve as barriers to STEM learning and may contribute to gender differences in STEM learning. How do students visualize and represent scientific concepts in their mind? What processes do we use to understand visualizations? How can classrooms support spatial thinking?

CURIOSITY

Intrinsic motivations such as curiosity and interest are critical for sustained inquiry in science and mathematics. What neurological and physiological changes take place when students are curious? How does curiosity develop? Why are some individuals more curious than others?

Links to Articles About Our Research


Current Studies

Spatial Thinking in Science

This study seeks to learn more about problem solving in college students. Students participating in this study will learn about scientific diagrams and will have their eyes tracked while solving some problems to investigate how different students solve problems that use diagrams. Click below to sign up for this study!

Science Reasoning
in Middle School

This study explores middle school students’ reasoning in science. The goal of this project is to understand how students think about science problems to advocate for equitable science education that builds on students’ strengths to support their learning. Please fill out our interest form to see if your child is eligible!