Her research interests are in classroom motivation, focusing on the influence of the learning context on student motivational outcomes and achievement as well as the methodological challenges associated with analyzing classroom data. Her expertise is in research design and applied quantitative data analyses including HLM and SEM methods. Her publications have appeared in the Journal of Educational Psychology, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Social Psychology of Education, and The Elementary School Journal. She is a former high school teacher in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and has done consulting and program evaluation for multiple school districts.