Professor Lisa Smith joined the University of Otago in 2005 following 15 years of tertiary teaching in New Jersey.
Lisa is interested in classroom assessment, pre-service teaching, and how people learn in cultural settings. Her research focuses on affective factors that influence test performance both on standardised tests and in the classroom, pre-service teaching and teaching efficacy, and the psychology of aesthetics.
She co-founded the APA peer-review journal, Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, and serves as a foundation member of the New Zealand Assessment Academy.
Lisa has received teaching awards both in the States and in New Zealand and two international career awards for her research.
Research Interests
- Affective factors that influence test performance, both on standardised tests and in the classroom
- Preservice teaching and teaching efficacy
- The psychology of aesthetics
Publications
Smith, L. F., Smith, J. K., & Tinio, P. P. L. (2017). Time spent viewing art and reading labels. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, & the Arts, 11(1), 77-85. doi: 10.1037/aca0000049
Smith, L. F., Smith, J. K., Arcand, K. K., Smith, R. K., & Bookbinder, J. A. (2015). Aesthetics and astronomy: How museum labels affect the understanding and appreciation of deep-space images. Curator, 58(3), 282-297. doi: 10.1111/cura.12114
Smith, L. F., Hill, M. F., Cowie, B., & Gilmore, A. (2014). Preparing teachers to use the enabling power of assessment. In C. Wyatt-Smith, V. Klenowski & P. Colbert (Eds.), Designing assessment for quality learning. (pp. 303-323). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer.
Smith, L. F., Corkery, G., Buckley, J., & Calvert, A. (2013). Changes in secondary school preservice teachers’ concerns about teaching in New Zealand. Journal of Teacher Education, 64(1), 60-74. doi: 10.1177/0022487112449019
Smith, L. F., Smith, J. K., Arcand, K. K., Smith, R. K., Bookbinder, J., & Keach, K. (2011). Aesthetics and astronomy: Studying the public’s perception and understanding of imagery from space. Science Communication, 33(2), 201-238. doi: 10.1177/1075547010379579