Dr. Laura Sterponi

Biography

Laura Sterponi is a developmental psychologist and applied linguist focusing on the role of language and literacy practices in children's development and education. She has a PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles in Applied Linguistics and another from the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' in Psychology. Sterponi's research program is dedicated to understanding the sociocultural factors influencing learning processes and cognitive capabilities that enable social interactions. Her work explores the interface of culture, cognition, language, and literacy practices, studying children's socialization, moral reasoning in discourse, and language practices related to autism. Her methodologies include ethnographic and discourse analytic methods, particularly examining spontaneous interactions within social contexts through systematic video recording. Sterponi aims to discern the interplay between sociocultural determinants and individual agency in developmental education contexts.

Research Interests