Doug Hacker
Department Chair / Professor
doug.hacker@utah.edu
I received my Ph. D. in educational psychology from the University of Washington, and from 1994 to 1999 was an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research at The University of Memphis. My current research interests include literacy, metacognition, and school/program evaluation.
My primary research area concerns writing and reading processes. More specifically, I am interested in the cognitive and metacognitive processes involved in the acquisition, retention, and enhancement of reading and writing skills. A focus of my research has been on the synergistic effects of combining reading and writing instruction.
I also have been pursuing research concerned with the metacognitive aspects of test preparedness and studying. Some of my investigations focus on whether students can accurately predict their test performance, accurately assess their performance once the test has been completed, and whether students change study strategies in response to their self-assessments. The ultimate goal of this research is to help students develop metacognitive skills that will enable them to make more accurate predictions of test preparedness, and from those predictions, direct future study strategies and study times.
I also conduct research in school evaluation and reform. The purpose of this research is to improve program effectiveness by providing feedback to schools and other educational programs. Currently, I am involved in a three-year evaluation of Salt Lake City School District.