Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies (TLS)
- Literacy Development: Understanding how individuals learn to read and write.
- Curriculum Development: Designing and evaluating effective curricula for various subjects and age groups.
- Teacher Education: Preparing and supporting effective teachers.
- Environmental Learning: Investigating how people learn about the environment and sustainability.
- Indigenous Education and Heritage-language Revitalization: Research and initiatives focused on supporting Indigenous languages and educational practices.
- Sociocultural Theory: Examining how learning is influenced by social and cultural factors and disparities.
Educational Psychology (EDP)
- Cognitive Processes in Learning: Exploring how memory and cognition influence learning environments.
- Psychology of Teaching and Learning: Researching the psychological principles that underpin effective teaching and learning practices.
Burgeoning Areas
- Ethical use of evolving technologies like AI.
- Preparing teachers to use AI and other emergent technologies responsibly and effectively to enhance learning.
Researcher Spotlight
Dr. Erin Turner (Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies) examines how mathematics instruction can draw upon children’s multiple mathematical funds of knowledge — their mathematical thinking as well as their cultural, linguistic, and community-based knowledge and experiences — in ways that support mathematical understanding and a sense of agency.
Dr. Sung Eun Jung (Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies) explores teaching practices in early childhood robotics education as a space for culturally responsive STEM teaching and learning that encourages youth agency. Her research has led to better understandings of how young children learn with particular materials, technology, and their bodies.
Dr. Jung’s work has resulted in theme-based integrated curricula, project-based learning activities, and several partnerships with local schools and community centers — one example being the launch of a “STEM Studio” with Ochoa Community School for these “Tiny Techies.”
Dr. Jonathan Tullis (Educational Psychology) conducts his research in cognition through the Cognition and Metacognition in Education Lab (CAMEL). Dr. Tullis and his team explore how studying related pieces of information influences memory for those pieces, enables generalization, and impairs contextual memory.
They also investigate the metacognitive processes behind how students assess their learning, how they choose study strategies, and how self-regulated learning can be improved. Dr. Tullis is also examining how students can use generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to bolster learning.