RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research focuses on the social context factors and individual differences that affect the persistence and achievement of university students. Particular topics of interest are:

(1) Trust: Applications of trust models from various fields to the field of education,

(2) Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning: Applications of interactional models with a focus on students’ motivational beliefs (e.g., self-efficacy), and resource management strategies (e.g., effort regulation, help seeking),

(3) Group Dynamics: Applications of social psychology research to the field of education regarding the motivation in groups, group membership, and the need to belong,

(4) Personality: Big-Five factors, and

(5) Cognitive Styles: Examining the different ways students organize and represent information.  

 

RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

2008

What Makes Professors and Classmates Trustworthy for Ethnically Diverse First-Year Doctoral Students? Poster presented at the Annual American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, March 24-28, 2008, New York, NY

Teachers’ Emotion Regulation (third author). Paper presented at the Annual American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, March 24-28, 2008, New York, NY

Comparing the Language Content of University Presidents’ Addresses According to Their Campuses’ Ethnic Diversity. Paper presented at the 5th Annual Educational Research Exchange Conference (ERE), March 7, 2008, Kent, OH

2007

Toward Understanding the Nature of Trust among Adult Learners: A Qualitative Investigation of Classroom Interactions. Paper presented at the 4th Annual ERE Conference, March 2, 2007, Youngstown, OH

Achievement Goals vs. Self-Determination: Predicting Academic Performance of College Freshmen (second author). Paper presented at the 4th Annual ERE Conference, March 2, 2007,Youngstown, OH

2006

Predicting Academic Achievement by Cognitive Styles among Turkish University Students. Paper presented at the 3rd Annual ERE Conference, March 3, 2006, Akron, OH