Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour presents research at the American Psychological Association convention

Assistant Professor of Psychology Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour, Ph.D., recently presented two projects at the annual American Psychological Association convention in Washington, D.C.

Stiegler-Balfour’s first presentation highlighted the differences between various types of science of teaching and learning research and opportunities for using pedagogical research to improve teaching methods and techniques during a symposium on “Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Across the Faculty Lifespan.”

Joined by co-authors Jordan Troisi, Sadie Leder-Elder, Bethany Fleck and Jessica Good, Stiegler-Balfour also presented research examining the impact of mentorship on the professional development of early career psychologists (ECPs). Leveraging data collected as part of a national survey of 122 ECPs, this study assessed the presence (or absence) of three types of ECP mentors (i.e., in their department, in another department at their university, or another self-selected mentor), as well as the successes and challenges associated with working with those mentors. Study results showed that ECPs viewed relationships with mentors quite favorably and believed mentorship had a positive impact on the development of more effective teaching activities and adherence to model teaching criteria.  

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