Research Interests

Ironically, there is conflicting evidence about whether or not, and to what degree learners detect contradictions in educational materials. I am specifically interested in under what conditions learners detect when a text and graph don't match. Current studies involve various manipulations of aspects of complexities and the roles in contradiction detection

Learners often fail to effectively integrate between multiple representations and multiple text documents. I am specifically interested in the processes involved in integration between aspects of multiple documents, the resulting representation, and how those processes relate to products of comprehension.

There are different processes and norms involved with comprehending information in the different disciplines. The discipline of Science, for example, requires a specific set of skills with collecting, depicting, and analyzing data with multiple representations. My interest is in how learners engage with these representations in ways that are authentic with the ways scientists engage with materials.

The interpretation of works of literature (arguably) comes easily to experts in the field. Despite everyday experiences with interpreting the non-literal (e.g., understanding song lyrics), novices are often lacking in their interpretive skills. I am specifically interested in the processes literary novices engage in while interpreting works of literature and what can be done to facilitate those process.