Rachel Berthiaume

Rachel Berthiaume is a Full Professor and Department Director in the Department of Didactics at the Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Montreal. She has been a faculty member since June 1, 2008, and holds a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from UQAM (2008), an M.A. in Didactics (2002), and a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics (2000), all from UQAM.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics, UQAM (2008)
• M.A. in Didactics, UQAM (2002)
• Bachelor's degree in Linguistics, UQAM (2000)

Dr. Berthiaume's research focuses on morphological processing in reading acquisition, particularly among students with learning difficulties and deaf students. She investigates how morphological awareness contributes to reading development and develops educational interventions to support literacy. Her work has led to validated frameworks for evaluating morphological knowledge in primary students (grades 1-6) and practical educational resources like the co-edited manual La morphologie pour mieux lire et écrire for French-speaking primary students.

Her research program has been consistently funded by major Canadian research councils including SSHRC and FRQSC, examining morphological knowledge development, reading comprehension strategies, and effective teaching approaches for students with learning difficulties. These projects have resulted in numerous scientific publications, conference presentations, and professional development activities.

Dr. Berthiaume has supervised 10 completed master's theses and 4 doctoral dissertations, with several students currently working under her supervision. Her mentoring extends to postdoctoral researchers, including Marie-Pier Godin (2018-2020).

She actively bridges research and practice through her association with CTREQ (Centre de transfert pour la réussite scolaire au Québec) and as a member of the scientific committee of the Quebec Literacy Research and Transfer Network. Her co-edited volume Morphological Processing and Literacy Development: Current Issues and Research (Routledge, 2018) represents a significant scholarly contribution to understanding how morphology influences reading, spelling, and vocabulary development across diverse learner populations.