Hongyang Zhao

Dr. Hongyang Zhao is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She will transition to an Assistant Professor role in Fall 2025. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Human Development and a graduate certificate in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an M.Ed. in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park
  • Graduate Certificate in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation, University of Maryland, College Park
  • M.Ed. in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Her research focuses on relational reasoning and attention as drivers of learning, particularly in STEM disciplines. She explores instructional strategies that leverage children’s cognitive resources to improve mathematics understanding, while also developing and validating educational measures and conducting research synthesis via meta-analysis. These interests intersect with broader themes in cognitive development, educational psychology, and cross-cultural learning assessment.

From 2025 to 2023, her publications emphasize meta-analytic methodologies, cognitive development in educational contexts, and interdisciplinary applications in psychology and therapy. Key subfields include relational reasoning, STEM education, autism intervention studies, and cross-cultural inventory development.

Scientific Awards: No specific awards mentioned in the text.

Dr. Zhao collaborates extensively in special education and cognitive psychology research but does not list direct advisees in the provided information. Her work involves grants and partnerships in educational research and therapy, though no explicit grant details are cited here.