Western Kentucky University: CEBS Faculty Spotlight: Qin Zhao

Press release from Western Kentucky University:

October 28, 2021

Name: Qin Zhao

Department: Psychology

Job Title: Full Professor

Courses Taught:

PSY 210 (Research Methods in Psychology)

PSY 310 (Educational Psychology)

PSY 331 (Psychology of Learning)

PSY 481 (History of Psychology)

PSY 510 (Advanced Educational Psychology)

PSY 290/490 (Supervised Research in Psychology)

Hometown: Fuzhou, P. R. China

What is your professional and educational background?

I have a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Florida. I have been a faculty of

psychology at WKU since 2008.

Why did you choose this field of study?

I chose Educational Psychology because of my interest in topics such as human learning,

motivation, and psychological well-being. I wanted to study these topics in depth and to apply

the knowledge to help people improve learning, motivation, and mental health.

What do you love most about WKU?

WKU is a great place to work. It is an environment where full attention is focused on student

success and where supportive conditions are provided for faculty’s professional growth and

work-life balance. I also appreciate the beauty of our campus!

What is your favorite part about teaching?

I enjoy being able to continuously learn new things as I prepare, update, or teach a course. I

also like the challenging and creative process of transforming complex or abstract content into

information that students can make sense of, relate to, or apply.

Some of the courses that I teach (e.g., Research Methods in Psychology, History of Psychology)

are perceived by some as boring or difficult. Knowing that I have changed students’ minds

about these subjects, broadened their perspectives, and helped them learn new skills is very

gratifying to me.

What research projects are you working on or have recently completed?

My lab is studying (a) how metacognitive beliefs impact individuals’ academic and mental

health resilience to various challenges from within or outside; and (b) how absolute versus

relative standing impact individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

For example, I have recently completed two projects, one of which examines the impact of

growth mindset and concern with performance on resilience to self-doubt in American and

Chinese students; and the other compares the effects of absolute vs. relative standing feedback

on student’s self-evaluation, satisfaction with performance, and affective responses.

What is a fun fact about yourself?

I enjoy old, classic movies. I feel like my mental age is 60. Also, this year (2021) marks the point

in my life where the number of years I have lived here in America has reached exact

equivalence to the number of years I had lived in China.

This press release was produced by Western Kentucky University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.