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Deborah McCutchen Professor, Educational Psychology College of Education Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Support 312B Miller Hall, Phone 206-616-6307 mccutch@u.washington.edu

Education Publications Courses Curriculum Vitae

My research focuses on cognitive processes underlying reading and writing ability. Shaping much of my writing research is a central question: How are complex systems of knowledge used during reading and writing? That question has played out in several ways as I have studied the influence of content knowledge and the constraints of working memory on writing. My reading research has ranged from basic research on the role of phonology in comprehension to more recent work on the subject-matter knowledge of reading teachers and the role of morphological processes in reading.

The ultimate goal of my research is two-fold -- to further theoretical understanding of reading and writing processes and to improve educational practice. It was my experience as a teacher of writing that sparked my interest in writing as a cognitive process.

My recent research has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. We are examining processes that enable children to expand their vocabulary through reading and expand their reading and writing skills.

Deborah McCutchen (University of Pittsburgh, 1985) teaches graduate courses in the psychology of reading and writing, as well as human learning.

Education

Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 1985

Publications

Graham, S., Bollinger, A., Booth Olson, C., D’Aoust, C., MacArthur, C., McCutchen, D., Olinghouse, N. (2012). Teaching writing in elementary school: A practice guide (NCEE 2012-4058). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sci­ences, U.S. Department of Education.

McCutchen, D., & Logan, B. (2011). Inside incidental word learning: Children’s strategic use of morphological information to infer word meanings. Reading Research Quarterly, 46(4), 334-349. 

McCutchen, D. (2011). From novice to expert: Implications of language skills and writing-relevant knowledge for memory in the development of writing skill. Journal of Writing Research, 3(1), 51-68.

De La Paz, S., & McCutchen, D. (2011). Learning to write. In R. E. Mayer and P. A. Alexander (Eds.) Handbook of research on learning and instruction (pp. 32-54). Routledge Press/Taylor & Francis.

McCutchen, D., Logan, B., & Biangardi-Orpe, U. (2009). Making meaning: Children’s sensitivity to morphological information during word reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 44(4), 360-376.

McCutchen, D., Green, L., Abbott, R. D., & Sanders, E. (2009). Further evidence for teacher knowledge: Supporting struggling readers in grades three through five. Reading & Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 22, 401-423.

Courses

Recent Course Syllabus:

EDPSY 520 - Psychology of Reading 2011

Click here for a slide show orientation (in PowerPoint) prepared for the Psychology of Reading course.