Researcher in the Spotlight: Dr Astrid Schmied, Science of Learning in Education Centre, Office of Education Research

Educational Neuroscience is a transdisciplinary field that intersects education, psychology, and neuroscience, and seeks to better understand teaching and learning across the lifespan and translate research findings to educational practice and policy. Educational Neuroscientist Dr Astrid Schmied from the Science of Learning in Education Centre (SoLEC), Office of Education Research (OER), shared with us more about her research journey, recent project, as well as thoughts on the outlook of research on Educational Neuroscience. 

Q: What sparked your interest in Educational Neuroscience?  

Born and raised in Chile, South America, my interest in Educational Neuroscience (EN) started when I was studying for my Master’s degree in Neuroscience at the Universidad de Chile about 14 years ago. During that time, I spent most of my time in the department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at a hospital for my studies, and I was also part of the “Inquiry-Based Pedagogy in Science” programme. My role in the programme was to collaborate with different schools' staff and teachers to bring high quality Science education to students with vulnerable backgrounds. In some of the schools I was attached to, several students have at least one parent in prison.  

Nelson Mandela said that “Education is one of the most powerful weapons—it can change people, communities, entire nations and the future of humanity”, and his quote resonated with me deeply.  The commute to these schools was quite lengthy, which gave me plenty of time to reflect on my experiences. I started to wonder what else I could do to help them improve their learning trajectories and overcome challenges in life, by using what I knew and what I was learning at that time. This sparked my interest in connecting education with neuroscience, the discipline that studies the center of learning—the brain. However, EN was in its infancy stage at that point of time.  

I knew that there would be somewhat better options to accomplish my goals if I went overseas. Hence, I applied for the Fulbright doctoral scholarship programme and was awarded accordingly. In search of an appropriate PhD programme, I realised that at that time, there was only one university in the United States that had just launched a new doctorate in EN which only accepted two students. Naturally, I applied but was not admitted unfortunately. I ended up pursuing my Doctorate in Educational Psychology with a focus on Cognition and Learning at the University of Minnesota. It was there that I started to incorporate a third field of research in my studies, psychology, and I was finally equipped to practice EN. 

Q: How has Educational Neuroscience developed over the past few years? 

Compared to my experience 14 years ago, there have been a lot of improvements and advancements in this field of research. Today, there are at least four to five international PhD programmes, four scientific societies, and three scientific journals dedicated to EN, with the most renowned society and journal called “Mind, Brain, and Education”. Technology has been a game-changer for the development of EN. The advancements in technology have allowed us to monitor brain activities comfortably through non-invasive or minimally invasive techniques. Now, with these advancements, we can better understand students’ development in cognitive and academic skills, how they acquire knowledge, and what pedagogies are most effective for them.  

Q: Tell us more about your current research project on Educational Neuroscience (PG 09/21 AS). 

The project “Educational Neuroscience, the International and Local State-of-the-Art", adopts a two-pronged research approach to gain a sense of the current state of EN, both internationally and locally. The first approach focuses on documenting the development and evolution of EN in the last 30 years through a systematic literature review, which involves the search of scholarly scientific production to indirectly assess EN trends (e.g., number of published articles by year, journal, language, country, and type of investigation). The second approach involves a survey to better understand the research of EN interest groups directly, complementing the review analyses.  

Recently, I presented my preliminary findings at the 2022 International Mind, Brain and Educations Society/EARLI SIG22 Conference organised by the International Mind, Brain and Education Society. As I undertook the review, I discovered that about 60% of the scientific production is concentrated in three countries: the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. However, there is only less than 1% of EN research that came from Singapore. There is an urgent need for a better geographical balance in EN. A second observation is that the topic of EN only started to gain more recognition in 2008, and there were few articles before that. It is important to bring awareness about EN, and I can tell that there is a lot of room to explore.  

Q: Can you share some of the work that you are doing locally? 

In Singapore, I work on the promotion of EN in terms of research and community engagement. I enjoy conducting research and the community has always been a source of inspiration. I consider translating EN research as part of my responsibilities and as a way to serve and give back to the general public. As there are few experts in EN globally, I also focus on empowering the next generation with the knowledge and the skills that will serve them to drive the field in the future. I love teaching! A classroom is just the perfect setting to be humble and remember that I am just another lifelong student. 

Besides my research interest in the progress of EN, I additionally focus on the acquisition of cognitive and academic skills across the lifespan, and the development of specific learning disorders such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia. Lastly, I conduct research on the teaching and learning processes of neuropsychological content, which means how educators can deliver the content more effectively to empower the learners’ experience. I have targeted different populations, including students, teachers, and older adults.  

Q: In your opinion, what is the value of Educational Neuroscience research in Singapore?  

I believe that there is a lot of potential to develop EN in Singapore. With the launch of the Science of Learning in Education Centre (SoLEC) in March last year, my colleagues and I are building capacity in terms of research, teaching, and community engagement to propel the science of learning, including EN. I strongly believe in the potential that EN has to inform education policy and system in Singapore. I hope to see more collaborations and partnerships among different education stakeholders, the Ministry of Education, educators, and researchers, for instance, to position EN. Eventually, we will embrace changes in the way we approach the process of teaching and learning based on scientific evidence emerging from EN. It will be beneficial for Singapore to move from a system that has a heavy emphasis on testing, to one where it acknowledges individual differences in learning and focuses on students’ well-being in a holistic manner.  

You can find out more about Astrid here, and more information on SoLEC is available here.