Kristy A. Robinson

Dr. Kristy A. Robinson is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education, McGill University, specializing in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology. Her research bridges achievement motivation, developmental trajectories, and STEM education to address equity in academic engagement.

• PhD, Educational Psychology and Educational Technology, USA
• BS, Psychology, USA

Dr. Robinson’s work examines:

• Developmental patterns of identity, interest, and competence beliefs during adolescence and early adulthood, using variable- and person-oriented approaches.
• Emotional complexity in classrooms, analyzing co-occurring emotions and their relations to motivation through structural equation modeling.
• Classroom interventions that support motivation and identity in introductory STEM courses, combining student- and teacher-focused strategies.

Key trends in her publications include:

• Quantitative analysis of motivational climate disparities in STEM learning environments.
• Development of control-value theory through studies on emotional and motivational predictors.
• Design of contextualized interventions for equitable student outcomes.

Scientific recognition:

• 2024 President’s New Researcher Award, Canadian Psychological Association
• 2024 Outstanding Early Career Scholar Award, AERA Division C
• 2024 Wilbert C. McKeachie Early Career Award, AERA Motivation SIG

She leads the MILES Lab (Motivation, Identity, Learning, and Education in STEM), mentoring graduate students and advancing research on motivationally supportive instruction.