Dr. Ai Miyamoto

I am an educational psychologist and postdoctoral researcher in the Cognition, Learning, and Instruction section of the Department of Educational Science. My research focuses on understanding how learning environments and individual learner characteristics influence educational development across the lifespan.

A central focus of my work is the design and evaluation of instructional methods that foster effective learning. Using randomized controlled experiments, I investigate how specific instructional features influence learners’ cognitive processes, motivation, and achievement. In particular, I examine generative learning methods, such as learning by explaining, and identify the conditions under which these approaches become effective learning tools. In the LEBEX (Learning by Explaining) project, for example, I investigate how instructional support and production medium influence secondary school students’ learning processes and outcomes.

A second line of research examines the role of cognitive and non-cognitive factors in educational development. I investigate how motivation, personality, mindsets, and other learner characteristics develop over time and contribute to important educational outcomes such as literacy and numeracy. To address these questions, I analyze large-scale longitudinal datasets, including the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), using advanced longitudinal modeling approaches such as latent growth curve models and latent change score models.

A third research focus concerns individual differences in educational development. I study how factors such as gender, migration background, and socioeconomic circumstances shape learning processes and educational outcomes across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This work aims to better understand the mechanisms underlying educational inequalities and developmental differences in cognitive and non-cognitive skills.

My central research questions are:

• How can instructional methods be designed to effectively promote learning, motivation, and achievement?

• How do cognitive and non-cognitive factors develop over time and contribute to learning and educational success?

• How do individual differences, such as gender, migration background, and socioeconomic background, shape learning processes and educational outcomes?

I also teach courses in educational psychology, research methods, and statistics at both the B.A. and M.A. levels.