Dr. Allison Ryan

Biography

Dr. Ryan’s research interests involve the development of achievement beliefs and behavior, particularly during middle childhood and early adolescence. Her work focuses on the role of social settings, such as schools, classrooms, and peer groups, in explaining patterns of change over time regarding student outcomes. She studies variations in students’ academic and social goals, help-seeking behaviors, engagement, and achievement. In relation to social settings, Dr. Ryan is particularly interested in the classroom motivational climate, teacher-student relationships, and the quality of friendships among students as well as their peer group social networks. One of her projects, funded by the Spencer Foundation, investigates longitudinal data from a sample of students in K-8 schools to understand evolving developmental trends as students transition from elementary to middle school. Dr. Ryan is an accomplished scholar, having received the American Psychological Association's Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2000 and the Richard E. Snow Award for Early Contributions to Research in 2008. She served as an associate editor for the Journal of Educational Psychology from 2009 to 2013. Dr. Ryan earned her doctorate in the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan in 1998 and has been with the University of Michigan since 2011, returning after 13 years at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards

Courses