معرفی
Katrien De Cocker is a Professor at Ghent University (UGent) with an extensive publication record exceeding 150 scholarly works. Her research spans Medicine and Health Sciences (147 publications), Social Sciences (51 publications), and related interdisciplinary fields. She maintains active collaborations with prominent UGent researchers including Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij (59 co-publications), Greet Cardon (58), and Leen Haerens (37).
Her primary research interests focus on physical activity promotion, sedentary behavior reduction, and the application of Self-Determination Theory across educational and healthcare contexts. She investigates how teachers' and healthcare professionals' interaction styles influence motivation and outcomes, with particular attention to physical education settings. Her work also examines muscle-strengthening exercise epidemiology, public health communication strategies, and citizen science approaches to health promotion.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a clear trajectory toward refining observational methods for teaching styles using circumplex models, developing practical tools (like video annotation systems) for optimizing motivating styles, and examining cross-contextual relationships between interaction styles and behavioral outcomes. Her work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications in physical education, healthcare training, and public health interventions.
As an academic supervisor, Professor De Cocker has mentored PhD students including Arne Bouten (2025) and Nele Van Doren (2024), with whom she maintains ongoing research collaborations. Her work demonstrates significant interdisciplinary reach, connecting education, psychology, public health, and sports science through the unifying lens of motivation theory.
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