Bethany Rittle-Johnson
Professor, Psychology & Human Development
Anita S. and Antonio M. Gotto Chair in Child Development
Professor Rittle-Johnson's research focuses on understanding how knowledge change occurs. Her specific interests are in how children learn problem-solving procedures and key concepts in mathematics. For example, what roles do comparison or generating explanations have in promoting learning of concepts and procedures? What early math knowledge supports later math knowledge? This research bridges between psychological theory and educational practice, and Professor Rittle-Johnson also collaborates with teachers and educational researchers to apply and test her research in educational settings.
She describes her research interests and what led to them in a 2015 interview here
Sample Research Projects:
- Exploring the Roles of Pattern and Spatial Skills in Early Mathematics Development
- Math Follow-up Project
- Compare and Discuss Multiple Strategies to Improve Algebra Learning
- Putting it All Together: Developing a More Comprehensive Theory of Early Mathematics Development
- Early Algebraic Thinking: The Roles of Self- and Instructional Explanations Project site
- Comparison and Explanation of Multiple Strategies for Promoting Algebra Learning Project site
Representative Publications
*student (graduate or undergraduate); ^post-doc
Douglas, A. -A.^, Msall, C.*, Logan, F*., & Rittle-Johnson, B. (2024). The Impact of Light-Touch Information-Based Interventions on the Home Math Environment. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 94, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2024.101682
Douglas, A.-A.*, Rittle-Johnson, B., Adler, R.*, Mendez, A.*, Haymond, C., Brandon, J.*, & Durkin, K. (2024). “He’s probably the only teacher I’ve actually learned from”: Marginalized Students’ Experiences and Views of High School Mathematics. American Educational Research Journal. doi.org/10.3102/00028312241266242
Rittle-Johnson, B. Adler, R.* & Durkin, K. (in press). Predicting marginalized students’ mathematics achievement in high school. Journal of Cognition and Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2024.2384547
Ban, J.*, Msall, C.,* Douglas, A.^, Rittle-Johnson, B., Laski, E. (2024). Knowing What They Know: Preschool Teachers’ Knowledge of Math Skills Preschoolers’ Know and its Relation to Their Instruction. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 246, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105996.
Adler, R.*, Rittle-Johnson, B., Hickendorff, M., & Durkin, K. (2024). A Longitudinal Examination of the Relations Between Motivation, Math Achievement, and STEM Career Aspirations Among Black Students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2023.102240
Douglas^, A.-A., & Rittle-Johnson, B. (2024). Parental early math support: The role of parental knowledge about early math development. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 66, 124–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.10.003
Adler, R.*, Xu. D.* & Rittle-Johnson, B. (2023 online first). What Counts as STEM, and Does it Matter. British Journal of Educational Psychology. doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12639
Select recent:
Rittle-Johnson, B, Farran, D. & Durkin, K. (2021). Marginalized students’ perspectives on instructional strategies in middle-school mathematics classrooms. Journal of Experimental Education, 89, 569-586, doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2020.1728513
Rittle-Johnson, B., Star, J. R., & Durkin, K. (2020). How can cognitive science research help improve education? The case of comparing multiple strategies to improve mathematics learning and teaching. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29, 599–609. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420969365
Zippert, E.^, Douglas, A.,* & Rittle-Johnson, B. (2020). Finding patterns in objects and numbers: Repeating patterning in pre-K predicts kindergarten mathematics knowledge. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 200, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2020.104965