Current projects: motivation, development, emotion, engagement, achievement, learning, self-regulation, science, math, elementary, middle school, child, adolescent
My research focuses on the development of achievement motivation in school settings (primarily K – 12) and the interplay among achievement motivation, affect, and learning. I am particularly interested in understanding how to create classroom contexts that promote adaptive forms of motivation and in understanding the interplay between the classroom environment and individual differences. A second area of research concerns the interplay among forms of achievement motivation (e.g., achievement goals, efficacy, interest), affect (moods and emotions), and students’ engagement and learning in school. I investigate both of these types of questions in the domains of mathematics and science learning, with a focus on small group instruction in mathematics and conceptual change in science. The goal of this research is to further our theoretical understanding of children’s development while also informing educational practice and policy.