Research Interests:

My research interests include examining social and emotional developmental processes within the context of the classroom. Specifically, my research focuses on understanding how classroom relationships relationships (i.e. with teachers, peers) help students to regulate their emotions and academic behaviors and to feel motivated to learn. My primary line of inquiry explores how children understand teacher closeness and influence and how teachers express warmth and demand in the classroom. My secondary line of research concerns how teachers understand 'closeness' and 'influence' and how their beliefs about themselves and their students guide their social and pedagogical decision-making.

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Current Projects:

Examining the developmental significance of teacher relationships for underrepresented students in math.
Math and science literacy represents the “new civil rights battleground” (Ladson-Billings, 1997 p.698). A growing body of literature points to the critical role teachers serve as sources of students’ expectations and valuing of math. In this new line of inquiry, I designed sevearal projects (e.g. cross-sectional, longitudinal) to explore the nature of perceived teacher ‘warmth’ and ‘demand’ in mathematics classrooms.

Exploring Teachers' Identities, Beliefs, and Decision-Making.
Collaborative project exploring the ways in which teachers use classroom problems to construct their identities and make decisions based on their beliefs about themselves and their students in collaboration with Drs. Carey E. Andrzejewski, University of Auburn and Dr. Sarah K. Silverman, See Forever Foundation.

Emotion and emotion regulation during test-taking.
Collaborative project to describe high school and college students' experiences of test-taking,test-anxiety, and emotion regulation in collaboration with Drs. Paul Schutz, University of Texas - San Antonio and Christine DiStefano, University of South Carolina.

Examining the transition to high school: Impact of Smaller Learning Communities on students' behavioral, relational, and cognitive engagement.
The purpose of this project was to examine changes in 8th grade students' motivation, sense of academic press, sense of belonging to school, cognitive strategy use, self-handicapping, and procrastination as a function of 1) the transition to high school, 2) teacher strategy use, and 3) participation in smaller learning community structures. In collaboration with Dr. Carey E. Andrzejewski, University of Auburn, Dr. Mei-Lin Chang, Emory University, and Dr. Ryan R. Poirier, Strayer University - Columbus, OH.

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Recent Publications: (listed in reverse chronological order)

Davis, H. A., Chang, M., Andrzejewski, C. E., & Poirier, R. (in press). Examining Smaller Learning Community reform (SLC) from the perspective of the Learner-Centered Psychological Principles. Journal of Educational Change.

Chang, M., & Davis, H. A. (in press, 2009). Understanding the role of teacher appraisals in shaping the dynamics of their relationships with students: Deconstructing teachers' judgments of disruptive behavior/students. In P. A. Schutz & M. Zemblyas (Eds.) Advances in teacher emotion research: The impact on teachers’ lives. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.

Hoy, A. W., Hoy, W. K., & Davis, H. A. (in press, 2009). Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. In K. R. Wentzel and A. Wigfield (Eds.) Handbook of Motivation. New York: Routledge Press.

Davis, H. A. (in press, 2009). Caring Teachers. In E. Anderman & L. Anderman (Eds.), Psychology of classroom learning: An encyclopedia (PCL). Thompson Press.

Davis, H. A., & Andrzejewski, C. E. (in press, 2009). Teacher Beliefs. In E. Anderman & L. Anderman (Eds.), Psychology of classroom learning: An encyclopedia (PCL). Thompson Press.

Davis, H. A., & Kozel, S. (in press, 2009). Teacher Efficacy. In E. Anderman & L. Anderman (Eds.), Psychology of classroom learning: An encyclopedia (PCL). Thompson Press.

Davis, H. A. (2008). Development: 3-5. In T. Good (Ed.), 21st century education: A reference handbook, Volume 1 (pp. 82-92). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Davis, H. A., DiStefano, C., & Schutz, P. A. (2008). College students’ patterns of appraisal and emotion regulation during test taking. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 942-960.

Newberry, M., & Davis, H. A. (2008). The role of elementary teachers’ conceptions of closeness to students on their differential behavior in the classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1965–1985.

Andrzejewski, C. A., & Davis, H. A. (2008). Human contact in the classroom: Negotiation of context in teachers’ touch decision-making. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 779-294.

Davis, H. A. & Lease, A. M. (2007). Perceived organizational structure for teacher liking: The role of peers’ perceptions of teacher liking in teacher-student relationship quality, motivation, and achievement. Social Psychology in Education: An International Journal, 10, 403-427.

Parault, S., Davis, H. A., & Pellegrini, A. (2007). Exploring the social contexts of bullying and victimization. Journal of Early Adolescence, 27, 1-30.

Davis, H. A. (2006). Exploring the contexts of relationship quality between middle school students and teachers. The Elementary School Journal: Special Issue on the Interpersonal Contexts of Motivation and Learning, 106, 193 - 223.

Summers, J. E., & Davis, H. A. (2006). Introduction: The interpersonal contexts of teaching, motivation, and learning. The Elementary School Journal: Special Issue on the Interpersonal Contexts of Motivation and Learning, 106, 189-192

Hoy, A. W., & Davis, H. A. (2006). Teacher self-efficacy and its influence on the achievement of adolescents. In T. Urdan & M. F. Pajares (Eds.) Adolescence and education: Volume V: Self-efficacy beliefs of adolescence (pp. 117-137). Information Age Publishing. In Greenwich, CT.

Hoy, A. W., Davis, H. A., & Pape, S. J. (2006). Teacher knowledge and beliefs. In P. A. Alexander & P. H. Winne (Eds.) Handbook of Educational Psychology, 2nd Edition (pp. 715-737). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

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Recent Conference Presentations: (listed in reverse chronological order)

Davis, H. A., Andrzejewski, C. E., & Gregory, B. (August 2009). Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of risk, appropriateness and comfort with touch. Paper presented at the Annual conference of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.

Davis. H. A., & Bischoff (April 2009). Exploring the nature of teacher warmth and demand for high achieving, low-income urban students on science motivation. Paper presented at the Symposium on “How Control and Care Work Together in Classroom Management” at the Annual Conference of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.

Schutz, P. A. & Davis, H. A. (April 2009). Emotional regulation during testing-taking. Paper presented at the Symposium on “New Perspectives on Individual Differences in Achievement” at the Annual Conference of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.

Silverman, S. K., & Davis, H. A. (April 2009). Exploring pre-service teachers’ sense of responsibility for working with diverse students. Paper presented at the Symposium on “Looking and Listening in Classrooms” at the Annual Conference of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.

Davis, H. A. & Chang, M. (April 2008). Crossing the research-practice divide: Breaking barriers, building bridges. Participant in an interactive symposium presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.

Davis, H. A., & Li, J. (April, 2008). The role of cognitive appraisals during tests in shaping emotion regulation in high school. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.

Davis, H. A., & Shalter-Bruening, P., & Andrzejewski, C. E., (April, 2008). Examining the efficacy of strategy intervention for ninth grade students: Are self-regulated learning strategies a form of social capital? Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.

Holbert, R. Davis, H. A., & Andrzejewski, C. E. (April, 2008). Examining novice teacher educators’ approach to field experience: Toward a model of quality supervision. Paper to be presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.

Davis, H. A., Poirier, R. P., Andrzejewski, C. E., & Chang, M. (April, 2007). Role of teaming in easing the transition to high school. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.

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