Barbara Hofer

RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research interests include a broad range of issues related to learning and development, particularly in adolescence and during the college years. My current work focuses on:
1) the development of personal epistemology - individual beliefs about knowledge and knowing - and how this interacts with learning strategies, motivation, cognition, and academic performance (currently funded by a four-year grant from the National Science Foundation);
2) the development of self-regulation and autonomy during the college years and, in particular, how this is related to the recent rise in frequent contact with parents through cell phones, email, etc.
I have also worked on cross-national studies of academic achievement and schooling, and research on the interrelationship of mind and culture.

EDITORIAL SERVICE
  Editorial Boards: Educational Psychologist, Journal of Experimental Education, Contemporary Educational Psychology (2005-2007)
  Ad hoc reviewer: Journal of Educational Psychology, British Journal of Educational Psychology, Human Development, Psychological Science, Psychological Reports, Review of Educational Research, American Educational Research Journal, Review of Higher Education, Higher Education, Sex Roles, Educational Research and Evaluation, Instructional Science, Motivation and Emotion, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Informal Logic, Physics Education Research, Learning and Instruction, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, European Journal of Psychology of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Metacognition and Learning, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Science Education, Curriculum Inquiry, Teachers College Record

PUBLICATIONS

EDITED BOOK
Hofer, B. & Pintrich, P. (2002). Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS (*indicates current or former Middlebury student collaborator)

Hofer, B. K. (in press). Personal epistemology, learning, and cultural context: Japan and the U.S. In M. Baxter Magolda, E. G. Creamer, and P. S. Meszaros (Eds.) Refining understanding of the development and assessment of self-authorship. Stylus.

Hofer, B. K., *Lam, C., & *DeLisi, A. (in press). Understanding evolutionary theory: The role of epistemological development and beliefs. In R. Taylor and M. Ferrari (Eds.), Epistemology and science education: Understanding the evolution vs. intelligent design controversy. New York: Routledge.

Hofer, B. K. (in press). Epistemological development. In E. Anderman (Ed.), Psychology of classroom learning: An encyclopedia. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA.

*Wildenger, L. K., Hofer, B. K., *Burr, J. E. (in press). Epistemological development in very young knowers. In L. Bendixen and F. Haerle (Eds.), Personal epistemology in the classroom: Theory, research, and implications for practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hofer, B. K., *Souder, C., *Kennedy, E., *Fullman, F. E., & *Hurd, K. (in press). The electronic tether: Communication and parental monitoring during the college years. In M. K. Nelson and A. I. Garey, (Eds.). Who’s watching? Practices of surveillance in contemporary families. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press.

Hofer, B. K. (2008). The electronic tether: Parental regulation, self-regulation, and the role of technology in college transitions. Journal of the First-year Experience & Students In Transition, 20(2), 9-24.

Hofer, B. (2008). Personal epistemology and culture. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), Knowing, knowledge and beliefs: Epistemological studies across diverse cultures. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

Hofer, B. K. (2006) Beliefs about knowledge and knowing: Domain specificity and generality. Educational Psychology Review.

Hofer, B. K. (2006). Motivation in the college classroom. In W. J. McKeachie & M. Svinicki, Eds. McKeachie’s teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Hofer, B. K. (2005). The legacy and the challenge: Paul Pintrich’s contributions to personal epistemology research. Educational Psychologist,40, 95-105.

Hofer, B. K. (2005). An inverse career path: From faculty development - to developing as a faculty member. In Teaching of psychology in autobiography: Perspectives from psychology’s best teachers. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Hofer, B. K. (2004). Exploring the dimensions of personal epistemology in differing classroom contexts: Student interpretations during the first year of college. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 29, 129-163.

Hofer, B. K. (2004). Paradigmatic approaches to personal epistemology: Introduction to the special issue. Educational Psychologist, 39(1), 1-3.

Hofer, B. K. (2004). Epistemological understanding as a metacognitive process:  Thinking aloud during online searching. Educational Psychologist, 39(1), 43-55. 

LeTendre, G., Hofer, B., & Shimizu, H. (2003). What is tracking? Cultural  expectations in the U.S., Germany, and Japan. American Educational Research Journal, 40(1), 43-89.

Hofer, B. K. & Yu, S. L. (2003). Teaching self-regulated learning through a ‘Learning to Learn’ course. Teaching of Psychology, 30(1).

Hofer, B. K. (2002). Epistemological world views of teachers: From beliefs to practice. Issues In Education, 8(2), 167-173.

*Burr, J. E., & Hofer, B. K. (2002). Personal epistemology and theory of mind:   Deciphering young children’s beliefs about knowledge and knowing. New Ideas in Psychology, 20, 199-224.

Hofer, B. K. (2002). Motivation in the college classroom. In W. J. McKeachie (Ed.),  Teaching tips: Strategies, research and theory for college and university  teachers. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Hofer, B. K. (2002). Personal epistemology as a psychological and educational  construct: An introduction. In B. Hofer & P. Pintrich, Ed., Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 3-15). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Hofer, B. K. (2001). Personal epistemology research: Implications for learning and instruction. Educational Psychology Review, 13(4), 353-382.

Hofer, B. K. 2000). Dimensionality and disciplinary differences in personal epistemology. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 378-405.

Stevenson, H., Hofer, B., & Randel, B. (2000). Mathematics achievement and attitudes about math in China and the West. Journal of Psychology in Chinese Societies, 1, 1-16.

Stevenson, H., Hofer, B., & Randel, B. (2000). Middle childhood and schooling.  Encyclopedia of Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological  Association.

Hofer, B. K. (1999). Instructional context in the college mathematics classroom: Epistemological beliefs and student motivation. Journal of Staff, Program, & Organizational Development, 16(2), 73-82.

Stevenson, H. & Hofer, B. (1999). What we can learn from other countries: International perspectives on educational policy. In G. Cizek (Ed.). Handbook of Educational Policy. San Diego: Academic Press.

Hofer, B. K. (1999). Teacher preparation and teachers’ lives in the United States.  In: H. W. Stevenson, S.-Y. Lee, & R. Nerison-Low (Ed.). Contemporary research in the U.S., Germany, and Japan on Five Education Issues. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Hofer, B. K. (1999). The role of school in adolescents' lives. In: The educational system in the United States: Case study findings (pp.107-172). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Hofer, B., Yu, S., & Pintrich, P. (1998). Teaching college students to be    self-regulated learners. In D. Schunk & B. Zimmerman (Ed.), Self-regulated  learners: From teaching to self-reflective practice (pp. 57-85). New York:   Guilford.

Hofer, B. K. & Pintrich, P. R. (1997). The development of epistemological theories:  Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning. Review of Educational Research, 67, 88-140.

PRESENTATIONS (*indicates current or former Middlebury student collaborator)

*Kennedy, E., & Hofer, B. K. (April, 2006). The electronic tether: Frequent parental contact and the development of autonomy and self-regulation in emerging adulthood. Poster presented at the Council on Undergraduate Research Posters on the Hill conference, Washington, DC.

Hofer, B. K., *Lam, C. F., & Hopkinson, A. (April, 2006). Understanding evolutionary theory: Issues of epistemology, science education, and conceptual change. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.

Hofer, B. K. (April, 2006). Understanding learners’ epistemologies: Perspectives from educational and developmental psychology. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.

Hofer, B. K. & Karabenick, S. (November, 2005). Assessing the espoused and enacted beliefs of teachers: An interactive workshop on research in progress. Southwest Consortium on Innovations in Psychology in Education, Las Vegas.

Hofer, B. K. (April, 2005). Developing culturally inclusive models of epistemic beliefs. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.

Hofer, B. K. (April, 2005). Ontological issues in the measurement of personal epistemology: How the nature of the construct shapes methodological choices. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.

Hofer, B. K. (November, 2004). How students learn: A cross-cultural perspective. Invited talk at the annual meeting of the Foundation for Excellent Schools, Bolton Landing, NY.

Hofer, B. K. (August, 2004). Leadership and mentoring in educational psychology: Contributions of a past president. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu.

Hofer, B. K. (April, 2004). Epistemological understanding: The legacy of Paul Pintrich. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego.

Hofer, B. K. (April, 2004). Paul Pintrich: Teacher and mentor extraordinaire. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego.

Hofer, B. K. (November, 2003). Applying the research on learning to classrooms and schools: A cross-cultural perspective. Invited talk at the annual meeting of the Foundation for Excellent Schools, Bolton Landing, NY.

*Hamedani, M., & Hofer, B. (2003, August). Delineating the dialectic: A developmental perspective on culture and cognition. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto.

*Burr, J., & Hofer, B. (2003, April). Egocentric subjectivity: How children know the world prior to achieving a “Theory of Mind”. Presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development, Tampa.

Hofer, B. (2003, April). Mapping the trajectory of epistemological understanding: The interaction of domain-general and discipline-specific beliefs. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.

Hofer, B. (2003, April). Culture, cognition, and learning: Education in the U.S. and Japan. Invited keynote speaker, American Association of University Women, Vermont state meeting.

Hofer, B. (2002, November). Cultural and universal issues in learning and education: U.S. and Japan. Invited talk for Culture and Cognition Laboratory, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Hofer, B. (2002, October). Japanese and U.S. education: A comparative view. Invited talk at Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan.

Hofer, B. (2002, June). Cultural and universal dimensions of learning. Invited talk at the Freeman Symposium, “East Asia and the U.S.: A search for common values.” Salzburg Seminars, Salzburg, Austria.

Hofer, B., LeTendre, G., & Shimizu, H. (2002, April). On the right track? Cultural expectations about tracking in the U.S., Germany, and Japan. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.

Hofer, B., Baxter Magolda, M., Bendixen, L., Hammer, D., King, P., & Schommer-Aikins, M. (2002, April). Personal epistemology: Conflicts and consensus in an emerging area of inquiry. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.

Hofer, B. “Navigating the job market: What to expect and how to prepare” (April, 2002). Invited talk to the Graduate Seminar of American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.

Hofer, B., & *Burr, J. (2001, August). The development of personal epistemology: The evolving coordination of the subjective and objective. Paper presented at symposium on “Personal epistemology: A search for conceptual clarification” at the biennial meeting of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction, Freiburg, Switzerland.

Hofer, B. (2001, April). “How do I know what to believe?” Learning online: Epistemological awareness and Internet searching. Paper presented at invited symposium on “The epistemological beliefs of students and teachers: Current themes and future directions” at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle.

Hofer, B. (2001, April). Personal epistemology research: Implications for learning and instruction. Paper presented at symposium on “Epistemological beliefs and learning: What do we know and how do we know it?” at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle.

Hofer, B., & Yu, S. (1999, August). “Learning to Learn”: The development of self-regulated learning. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston.

Hofer, B. (1999, August). The benefits of mixed methods research. Invited address to American Psychological Association Graduate Students, Division 15. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston.

Hofer, B. & Pintrich, P. (1999, April). Knowing and believing: Personal epistemology and classroom context. Paper presented at symposium on “Knowing and believing: Epistemological influences on teaching and learning” at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal.

Hofer, B. & Pintrich, P. (1998, August). The interaction of personal epistemology, learning strategies, and instructional practice: An ethnographic study. Paper presented at symposium on “Issues in Strategic Learning in Higher Education” at the 24th International Congress of Applied Psychology, San Francisco.

Hofer, B., LeTendre, G., & Shimizu, H. (1998, June). Cultural responses to individual differences: A cross-national study of educational tracking. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Ann Arbor.

Hofer, B. (1998, April). Personal epistemology in context: Student interpretations of instructional practice. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego.

Hofer, B., LeTendre, G., & Shimizu, H. (1998, February). Schools in three countries: Adolescents lives. Invited talk at the TIMSS invitational conference, “A study of three cultures: Japan Germany and the United States,” Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Hofer, B., Yu, S., & Pintrich, P. (1997, August). Teaching college students to be self-regulated learners. Paper presented at the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI), Athens, Greece.

Hofer, B., & Pintrich, P. (1997, April). Disciplinary ways of knowing: Epistemological beliefs in science and psychology. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.

Hofer, B. (1997, April). The role of school in adolescents’ lives in the U.S.: Results from the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMMS) case study project. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.

Hofer, B., VanderStoep, S., & Pintrich, P. (1996, August). Disciplinary differences in epistemological beliefs. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto.

Hofer, B., Carlson, D., & Stevenson, H. (1996, April). Cross-cultural comparison of attitudes and beliefs about mathematics: Correlates of achievement in six countries. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York.

Hofer, B., Carlson, D., & Stevenson, H. (1996, March). Gender differences in attitudes and beliefs about mathematics: Correlates of achievement in six countries. Presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Boston.

Pintrich, P., Hofer, B., & Yu, S. (1995, August). Goal orientation and self-regulation in differing instructional contexts. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York.

Pintrich, P., McKeachie, W., Hofer, B., & Yu, S. (1995, August). The role of motivation and self-regulated learning in math and science classrooms. Paper presented in an invited symposium on teaching and learning in higher education, at the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI), Nijmegan, The Netherlands.

Hofer, B. (1994, August). Epistemological beliefs and first-year college students: Motivation and cognition in different instructional contexts. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles.