Education

Ph. D., Educational Psychology

University of Florida, 2008

Courses

• Research Methods & lab (PSY 210 & PSY 211)
• Educational Psychology (PSY 310)
• Psychology of Learning (PSY 331)
• Behavior Modification (PSY 443)
• History of Psychology (PSY 481)
• Advanced Educational Psychology (PSY 510)

Research Interests

I am interested in the roles of metacognitive and motivational processes in performance and psychological well-being. In addition, I am interested in cultural differences in metacognitive and motivational processes.

Example research questions investigated in my lab: Why do people have little insight into how well they have performed on tasks? How to improve metacognitive accuracy (e.g., the accuracy of performance self-assessment)? Are students motivated or paralyzed in anticipation of rapid performance feedback? – Does it depend on metacognitive beliefs about ability? Do incremental beliefs about ability ameliorate the negative effects of self-doubt on affect and self-esteem? Are there cultural differences in perception and effects of self-doubt?

If you are interested in gaining research experience by working in the Metacognition Lab, feel free to drop by my office or contact me via email/phone. And, please fill out this form (Lab Application Form) and send it to me via email (qin.zhao@wku.edu).

Research Supervision

I am willing to serve as director or serve on a committee for any of these types of projects: Psy 290, Psy 490, Honors, MA theses, Ed.S. Specialist Projects, or Psy.D. Dissertations.

Links

• Metacognition Lab
• WKU Chinese Flagship Program (Dr. Zhao is an affiliated faculty)
• Resume