Human Development, Culture, & Learning Sciences (HDCLS), as a core academic area of specialization, represents the scientific and theoretical bases for research and practice within the field of Educational Psychology.
In order to prepare graduate students for careers in teaching and research, we train students in theories of:
- human cognition
- culture
- development
- language
- learning
- motivation
- social psychology
- personality psychology
Our program offers both Ph.D. and master's degrees in specific sub-areas within our academic discipline. Please visit the links below for additional details about our program.
Human Development, Culture, and Learning Science Faculty
 Stephanie CawthonProfessor, Graduate AdvisorElizabeth Glenadine Gibb Teaching Fellowship in Education Explores individual, school, community, and system level factors that affect education, employment, and quality of life outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. |
 Patricia ChenAssistant ProfessorStudies the mindsets and behaviors that motivate learning, achievement and well-being; develops psychologically precise, scalable interventions to empower people, improving lives and societies. |
 Toni FalboProfessorStudies the outcomes of sibling status on human development and educational attainment, and examines the effects of China's one-child policy on the personalities of Chinese children and adults. |
 Katherine MuenksAssistant ProfessorFocuses on motivation and how individual beliefs and social-contextual factors influence students’ achievement and academic behaviors. |
 Laura Quiñones CamachoAssistant ProfessorStudies predictors of risk for mental health problems in early childhood. |
 Marie-Anne SuizzoAssociate Professor, HDCLS Area ChairResearch interests are centered around how parent-child relationships, parental involvement, and child socialization shape children's and adolescents' development and learning across cultures and ethnic groups. |
 Veronica YanAssistant ProfessorStudies the cognitive underpinnings of learning and instruction (memory & metacognition), integrated with social-psychological processes (motivation & mindset), in direct applications to classroom practices, online instruction, and self-regulated learning. |
Affiliated Centers
Coping and Stress in Education Research TeamExplores the intersection of health, psychology, and education by researching how to promote wellness and productivity in educational settings. |
National Deaf Center on Postsecondary OutcomesSupports postsecondary outcomes for individuals who are deaf, deafblind, deafdisabled, hard of hearing, or late deafened by drawing on evidence-based strategies to educate and engage with stakeholders across the nation. |
Social Psychological Approaches to East Asian and Asian American EducationFocuses on family and cultural factors that affect educational outcomes. Topics include the impact of: East Asian culture, including perfectionism and shame, immigrant status in the U.S. and Asia, and only-child and socioeconomic status. |
© 2023 College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin