Her research interests involve literacy and learning as a collaborative effort, in which students, families, and teachers work together to generate, negotiate, and build on understandings. Specifically, she is interested in how narrative fiction can play a role in the social, emotional, and relational development of adolescents. Her latest research has explored how empathy plays in this process, specifically, how a student’s ability to empathize with characters in stories leads to new knowledge about people, relationships, and social issues.