EDUCATION
| Ph.D. | Educational Psychology | The University of Iowa |
| B.S. | Applied Psychology | Georgia Institute of Technology |
AWARDS AND HONORS
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2019 | NAGC GCQ Paper of the Year Award for Making the cut in gifted selection: Selection decisions and their impact on program diversity. National Association for Gifted Children |
| 2014 | Outstanding Publication in Assessment and Accountability in Schools for Evaluating growth for ELL students: Implications for accountability policies. American Educational Research Association, Research, Evaluation, & Assessment in Schools (Div. H) |
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Educational measurement, test fairness, and validity
Individual differences in cognitive and academic development
Program evaluation in science and engineering education
HIGHLIGHTED PUBLICATIONS
- Lead author of theĀ Cognitive Abilities TestĀ® (Form 8)Ā with Dr. David Lohman, Professor Emeritus, The University of Iowa.
- Additional research and publications can be found on Dr. Lakin’s website.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Affiliate of:
- Gifted Education and Talent Development Office (GETDO)
- Office of Interdisciplinary STEM Education Research (ISER)Ā
- Alabama Water Institute
- Alabama Transportation Institute
- Alabama Life Research Institute
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Joni Lakin received her Ph.D. from The University of Iowa where she studied with Dr. David Lohman in the Educational Psychology program. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Educational Testing Service (ETS) and served for nine years on the faculty at Auburn University before joining The University of Alabama.
Dr. Lakin’s mission as an academic is to help all students have their academic talents recognized and developed fully, especially through the public school system. Aligned with that mission, her main research interests relate to the equitable use of test data, including establishing test validity and fairness evidence for a variety of purposes. One particular focus is the design of equitable talent identification processes. Another is the assessment of spatial abilities. She is also interested in broadening participation in STEM careers and interventions that promote STEM retention along the academic pipeline.