Kathleen Hughes

My research focuses on how students' social and emotional strengths can influence their educational experiences.

Topics I am particularly interested are shyness & social anxiety, peer relationships, parent-child and teacher-student relationships, social & emotional learning, motivation, personality, academic engagement, and classroom climate. My research also examines the role marginalization and how demographic factors (gender, age, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, socioeconomic status) can influence student experiences.

I have taught over 18 university credit courses at 3 Canadian universities including Introduction to Psychology (Parts 1 & 2), Developmental Psychology, Personality Psychology, Statistics, Advanced Research Methods, Motivation & Emotion, Testing & Assessment, Behavioral Psychology, and a seminar in Educational Psychology.

As a student-centered Instructor who is passionate about student engagement, I strive to be very authentic and approachable both inside and outside of the classroom. I like to make psychology related to everyday life and my courses often have applied projects that students typically find fun and scholastically challenging.

As a statistics and psychometrics oriented Instructor, I am diligent about having fair and balanced tests and measures of evaluation. I work hard to ensure each and every multiple choice test question is a valid measure of students' knowledge and performance in my courses, and that all assignments are reflective of the learning objectives of a course.

My goal as an Instructor is to be an inspiring, fair, helpful, and encouraging leader to all my students, no matter your circumstances, background, or educational goals. I am a strong supporter of accommodated learning for students with accessibility needs. If you are interested in enrolling in a course with me and have questions, please feel free to reach out at my university email.

Byers, E. S., Sears, H., & Hughes, K. (2017). Predicting mother-adolescent sexual communication: Use of the integrative model of behavioral prediction. Journal of Family Issues.

Hughes, K., & Coplan, R. J. (2017). Why classroom climate matters for anxious solitary children: A study of differential susceptibility. School Psychology Quarterly.

Nonoyama-Tarumi, Y., Hughes, K., & Willms, J. D. (2015). The role of family background and school resources on elementary students’ mathematics achievement. Prospects, Journal of Comparative Education, 175(3), 305-324.

Hughes, K., Bullock, A., & Coplan, R. J. (2013). A person-centered analysis of teacher-child relationships in early childhood. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 253-267.

Bosacki, S. L., Coplan, R. J., Rose-Krasnor, L. & Hughes, K. (2011). Elementary school teachers' reflections on shy children in the classroom. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 57(3), 273-287.

Coplan, R.J., Hughes, K., Bosacki, S. L., & Rose Krasnor, L. (2011). Is silence golden? Elementary school teachers’ strategies and beliefs towards hypothetical shy/quiet and talkative/exuberant children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103(4), 939-951.

Hughes, K. & Coplan, R.J. (2010). Exploring the processes linking shyness and academic achievement in childhood. School Psychology Quarterly, 25, 213-222.

• Courses