Educational Psychology (EDP)
- Student Wellbeing and Motivation: Studying factors that influence student motivation, emotion regulation, and overall well-being.
Disability & Psychoeducational Studies (DPS)
- Special Education: Research and teaching focused on supporting students with disabilities and special abilities.
- Counseling and Rehabilitation: Exploring practices and strategies for supporting individuals with disabilities and promoting their well-being.
- School Psychology: Addressing psychological issues and interventions relevant to the school setting.
- Behavioral Health: Studying the contexts of education and its relationship to mental health and wellness.
- Deaf Studies and Visual Impairment: Research and education specifically related to those with visual impairments or the deaf community.
Researcher Spotlight
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Dr. Katherine (Kat) Cheng (Educational Psychology) leads BioS.P.H.E.R.Es research investigating how family-school partnerships can support emotions, emotion regulation, relationships, and motivation — factors that contribute to a child’s lifespan development and health.
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Dr. Michelle Perfect (Disability & Psychoeducational Studies) pursues three connected lines of research:
- Examining the benefits of sleep, behavioral medicine, positive psychology, technology-based, and mind-body interventions to improve school-related and neurobehavioral functioning (learning, behavior, memory, attention, and self-regulation).
- Strengthening the critical and collaborative roles of systems — school, family, healthcare, foster care, and policy — in students’ lives.
- Increasing educational access and success for culturally and economically diverse students to mitigate the effects of adversity.