Soonhye Park

Soonhye Park is a Professor of Science Education and Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of STEM Education at NC State University. She holds the Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professorship and is a University Faculty Scholar. Her research focuses on teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), professional development, and reform-oriented instructional practices like NGSS science practices and computational thinking integration. She leads federally funded grants such as the NSF-funded MetaDash project and SIMIRS initiative, aiming to enhance science teacher decision-making and rural school instruction. Park has authored over 60 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals and received awards including the NARST Outstanding Paper Award and the David P. Butts Award. Her work bridges theory and practice, emphasizing teacher knowledge development and curriculum innovation.

Education:

• Ph.D. Science Education, University of Georgia
• M.Ed. & B.S. Biology Education, Seoul National University

Research Interests: Park investigates how teachers’ PCK influences classroom practices, particularly in implementing evidence-based instructional strategies. She explores barriers to integrating computational thinking and NGSS practices, with a focus on rural and international contexts. Her work also examines epistemic orientations shaping science teaching and the role of teacher professional development in sustaining pedagogical innovation.

Grants & Projects:

• NSF EHR-Core Grant ($1.4M): MetaDash dashboard for real-time student data analysis
• NSF DRK-12 Grant ($2.6M): SIMIRS project for rural science modeling instruction

Awards:

• 2024 NC State Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professorship
• 2017-18 NC State University Faculty Scholar
• 2014 NARST Outstanding Paper Award

Advising & Mentorship: Park has advised numerous graduate students (e.g., G. Carroll, V. Kite) and collaborates on projects like the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment. Her lab focuses on teacher knowledge frameworks and innovative assessment tools like the ISE-PCK for informal educators.