Research

Within the field of educational technology, my research often gravitates towards exploring technology’s impact on the self, including identity, self-belief, and mental well-being, which also includes other constructs like self-esteem, self-efficacy, and resilience. Due to my prior background in literature and linguistics, I often opt for qualitative or mixed methods and ground my studies using approaches like phenomenology, narrative, and oral-history.

In 2022, I completed my doctoral dissertation—Experiences of video game play and subreddits on mental health during COVID-19: A phenomenological study of Animal Crossing: New Horizons—which explored the impact that one popular video game had on individuals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from my study indicated that participants felt the game had positive outcomes on their mental well-being and resilience, as well as their ability to socialize with other players and computer-controlled avatars. When looking to the future, my study may help individuals discover additional ways to cope during mental health crises, such as mental illness or future pandemic lockdowns.

Prior to receiving my doctoral degree, I also worked as a member of two research labs: CTRL (Creative Technology Research Lab) and DETAIL (Dynamic Educational Technology Advancements and Innovations for Learning). Within CTRL, I helped develop and deliver computer science and computational thinking instruction to elementary school students as part of an NSF grant project that explored the relationship between elementary mathematics and computational thinking. Within DETAIL, I helped conceptualize and write several research studies, such as: 1) a meta-analysis on the effects of gamification in educational settings, 2) an analysis on elementary, middle, and high school students’ conceptions of learning with/from technology, and 3) an evaluation of the trends and priorities of educational technology journal editors.