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PhD Student
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Janice Hansen
PhD Student
Department of Education
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Biography
Science is cool! It puts people into orbit, explores mysteries as big as a universe and as small as mitochondria, and it develops technologies that make us smarter, stronger and faster. So, why do so many kids lose interest in the subject somewhere between entering kindergarten and high school graduation? This is the question that interests me and that I hope to explore during my time at UCI.
When I was looking for a doctoral program, I found that the UCI Ph.D. in Education with specialization in Learning, Cognition and Development was a perfect fit for me. The great variety of research interests among faculty members gives students the opportunity to experience a wide breadth of knowledge as well as a chance to dive into study alongside professors whose interests are a close match with their own. The combination of breadth and depth is important to me because my goal is to teach future teachers, eventually seeking a professorship at a California university.
I completed a Master’s degree in Education-Educational Psychology in 2002 and have been teaching in the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach since that time. My Master’s thesis focused on the difference in math self-concept between boys and girls at three levels of math performance. It was while I was researching this issue that I became interested in the related field of science education.
For the past four years I have been very active with Sally Ride Science and the National TOY challenge, an extended science and engineering competition in which teams of middle school girls and boys invent, design and build a toy. As a result of my involvement in the program, I have had the opportunity to help develop coaching materials and to mentor several coaches in this high-impact science competition.
In my free time I enjoy writing, traveling, volunteering, hanging out with my family and friends, and watching Grey’s Anatomy (don’t call me on Thursday nights, I’m busy!).
Publications
S.Kim, et.al.(2004). Accountability for Performance: Pre-Kindergarten Through Graduate School (2004). In J.W. Houck, K.C. Cohn and C.A. Cohn (Eds.), Partnering to Lead Educational Renewal (pp. 145-164). New York: Teachers College Press.
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