Rate My Professor Erika Spray

Her research examines learners' individual differences, focusing on metacognitive and epistemic beliefs and their links to academic achievement, wellbeing, and anxiety in higher education. Additional interests include educational technology, simulation in initial teacher education, and data-driven interventions to foster adaptive learning dispositions. She has supervised doctoral theses, including principal supervisor for the 2024 PhD on the Epistemological Processing Model and co-supervisor for a 2026 PhD on teachers' preparedness for student mental health. Spray has obtained 17 research grants totaling $388,043, notably as lead investigator on the 2025 Fair, inclusive learning dashboards project ($221,080). Awards include the 2024 Newcastle University College Excellence Award for Teaching and Learning, 2024 ASCILITE Early Career Researcher Award Finalist, and 2015 AERA International Travel Award. Key publications feature "Personal epistemological and metacognitive awareness in first year preservice education students" (2013, Spray, Scevak, & Cantwell), "Navigating ethical challenges in generative AI-enhanced research: The ETHICAL framework" (2025), and "Integration of simulation technology with assessment in initial teacher education" (2024). Her work has been cited 84 times on Google Scholar, and she presents at conferences such as EARLI, AARE, and BPS Psychology of Education Section.