Katherine Muenks
Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology
Email: kmuenks@utexas.edu
Office: SZB 5.714F, SZB
Office Hours: By appointment
View Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
Email: kmuenks@utexas.edu
Office: SZB 5.714F, SZB
Office Hours: By appointment
View Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
Katherine Muenks studies what motivates students to learn and how teachers, parents, and peers can create equitable and motivationally supportive environments. She takes a social-cognitive approach to studying motivation, emphasizing peoples beliefs about and perceptions of themselves and others. Ultimately, her goal is to contribute to knowledge about best supporting all students learning.
Ph.D. in Human Development, University of Maryland, 2016
B.S. in Psychology, Ohio State University, 2010
Student academic motivation; motivational beliefs about ability and effort; growth and fixed mindset; teacher, parent, and peer effects on student motivation; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) contexts
Muenks, K. & Yan, Y. (2024). Do my peers have a fixed or growth mindset? Exploring the behaviors associated with undergraduate STEM students perceptions of their peers mindsets about intelligence. Motivation and Emotion, 48, 17–35. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-023-10049-8.
Muenks, K., Kroeper, K., Canning, E. & Murphy, M. (2024). Instructors mindset beliefs and behaviors: How do students and instructors perceive them?. Social Psychology of Education, 27, 2883–2899. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-024-09948-6.
Muenks, K., Lin, S., Rutten, L., Hecht, C. & Yan, V. (2024). Exploring students challenge frameworks: A person-centered approach. Learning and Individual Differences, 116, 102562. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102562.
Rutten, L., Zengilowski, A., Lyra, F., Woznicki, N. & Muenks, K. (2024). Only some can succeed here: A mixed methods study of how faculty unproductive mindsets relate to gender, racial, and first-gen representation in higher education. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 79, 102319. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2024.102319.
Muenks, K., Sievers, J., Kroeper, K. & Canning, E. (2024). Exploring effects of mixed mindset messages from instructors. Motivation Science. doi:https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/mot0000381.
Kroeper, K., Muenks, K., Canning, E. & Murphy, M. (2022). An exploratory study of the behaviors that communicate perceived instructor mindset beliefs in college STEM classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 114, 103717. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103717.
Muenks, K., Peterson, E., Green, A., Kolvoord, R. & Uttal, D. (2020). Parents beliefs about high school students spatial abilities: Gender differences and associations with parent behavior and students STEM career intentions. Sex Roles, 82, 570–583. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-019-01072-6.
Muenks, K., Canning, E., LaCosse, J., Green, D., Zirkel, S., Garcia, J. & Murphy, M. (2020). Does my professor think my ability can change? Students perceptions of their STEM professors mindset predict in-class psychological experiences. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149, 2119–2144. doi:https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/xge0000763.
Canning, E., Muenks, K., Green, D. & Murphy, M. (2019). STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes. Science Advances, 5. doi:https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau4734.
Muenks, K., Wigfield, A. & Eccles, J. (2018). I can do this! The development and calibration of childrens expectations for success and competence beliefs. Developmental Review, 48, 24–39. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2018.04.001.
Muenks, K.. & Miele, D.. (2017). Students thinking about effort and ability: The role of developmental, contextual, and individual difference factors. Review of Educational Research, 87, 707–735. doi:https://www.jstor.org/stable/44667672.
Review of Research Award, American Educational Research Association (AERA) (2018)
Paul Pintrich Memorial Award, American Educational Research Association (AERA) Motivation in Education Special Interest Group (2015)
Yiqiu "Echo" Yan, Ph.D., expected 2025 (Supervisor)
She is interested in studying field-specific ability belief (FABs), perceived mindset (e.g., perceptions of peers, professors, and parents' beliefs), cultural competence, gender differences (e.g., women in STEM), and motivation in context.
She is interested in studying field-specific ability belief (FABs), perceived mindset (e.g., perceptions of peers, professors, and parents' beliefs), cultural competence, gender differences (e.g., women in STEM), and motivation in context.
Madeline C O'Grady, M.S., expected 2025 (Supervisor)
Madeline is a First-year Ph.d. student interested in academic motivation.
Madeline is a First-year Ph.d. student interested in academic motivation.
Luke D Rutten (Supervisor)
Julie Sievers (Supervisor)
| Year | Semester | Course |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Spring | EDP 382D: 20-Curr Issues In Motivation |
| 2024 | Spring | EDP 398T: College Teaching Methodology |
| 2023 | Fall | ALD 320: Cognit, Human Learn, And Motiv |
| 2023 | Fall | EDP 382D: 6-Motivation And Emotion |
| 2023 | Spring | ALD 320: Cognit, Human Learn, And Motiv |
| 2023 | Spring | EDP 398T: College Teaching Methodology |
| 2022 | Fall | ALD 320: Cognit, Human Learn, And Motiv |
| 2022 | Fall | EDP 382D: 6-Motivation And Emotion |
| 2022 | Spring | EDP 382D: 20-Curr Issues In Motivation |
| 2022 | Spring | EDP 398T: College Teaching Methodology |
| 2021 | Fall | EDP 382D: 6-Motivation And Emotion |
| 2021 | Fall | ALD 320: Cognit, Human Learn, And Motiv |
| 2021 | Spring | EDP 398T: College Teaching Methodolgy-Wb |
| 2021 | Spring | ALD 320: Cognit, Human Learn, Motiv-Wb |
| 2020 | Fall | EDP 382D: 6-Motivation And Emotion-Wb |
| 2020 | Spring | ALD 320: Cognit, Human Learn, And Motiv |
| 2020 | Spring | EDP 382D: 20-Curr Issues In Motivation |
| 2019 | Fall | ALD 320: Cognit, Human Learn, And Motiv |
| 2019 | Fall | EDP 382D: 6-Motivation And Emotion |
| 2019 | Spring | EDP 382D: 6-Motivation And Emotion |
| 2018 | Fall | ALD 320: Cognit, Human Learn, And Motiv |
