Bio

Pei Pei Liu is an Assistant Professor of Education at Colby College. She holds an Ed.D. (Human Development and Education) and Ed.M. (Prevention Science & Practice) from Harvard University, an M.A. (Language, Literacy, & Culture) from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. (Education and English Literature) from Swarthmore College.

Dr. Liu’s research focuses on secondary and postsecondary classrooms as social contexts for motivation, supporting students’ postsecondary transitions, teacher training and development at the secondary and postsecondary levels, and the translation of motivation research to practice through collaborative partnerships. Prior to Colby, she coordinated the M-PLANS project at Michigan State University, where she collaborated with middle school science educators to design teacher professional learning focused on supporting student motivation and engagement in the context of instruction aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Her dissertation examined secondary and postsecondary educators’ understanding of psychosocial factors of learning and their efforts to translate these understandings into positive learning conditions that support students’ postsecondary readiness and thriving. Guided by a desire to better understand and portray the rich complexity of learning environments and instruction, her research is informed by theories of developmental systems; adolescent, emerging adult, and adult development; prevention science; motivation and achievement; and teacher cognition, knowledge, and learning.

Prior to earning her doctorate, Dr. Liu taught English for five years at Charlestown High School in the Boston Public Schools and two at the American College of Sofia in Bulgaria. She went on to become the inaugural Faculty Development Coordinator at ACS, supporting in-service teacher professional development and evaluation. Dr. Liu also served as a mentor teacher for the Boston Teacher Residency and a field advisor, Teaching Fellow, and guest lecturer for Harvard’s Teacher Education Program. She has developed content for Instructional Moves and numerous other projects in faculty development through Harvard GSE’s Teaching and Learning Lab, and is a certified Data Wise Coach.