Maria K. DiBenedetto University of North Carolina, Greensboro, USA
Dr. Maria K. DiBenedetto holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology with a specialization
in Learning, Development, and Instruction from the Graduate School and University Center
of the City University of New York. She has a rich history in working in various administrative
positions in higher education, including admissions, recruitment, advisement, student services,
assessment, and reaccreditation, as well as adjunct teaching of both undergraduate and graduate
students (courses include research methods, educational psychology, counseling psychology,
child and adolescent development, theories of learning in teaching, and management). She also
has several years’ experience teaching as a high school science teacher and Chair of the Science
Department, as well as experience as a second- and fourth-grade elementary school teacher.
Dr. DiBenedetto’s current position is at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, in
the Bryan School of Business and Economics where she is a member of the Dean’s Leadership
Team. In her position as Lecturer/Director of Assessment and Reporting, Dr. DiBenedetto
oversees assurance of learning for the business school’s reaccreditation by AACSB International
(Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), one of the most prestigious and internationally
recognized organizations that reviews business schools throughout the globe. In
addition, she ensures the business school is meeting the assurance of learning standards set by
SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) for all
graduate programs, undergraduate majors, minors, and certificate programs. She also serves on
various committees throughout the university and within the business school and is a senator on
the university-wide staff senate.
Dr. DiBenedetto’s research interests are focused on self-regulated learning, self-efficacy,
and motivation. She has published numerous chapters and articles on these topics and has collaborated
with world-renown scholars in the field of educational psychology. She is particularly
interested in research on self-regulated learning for college-bound high school students as well
as study strategies for undergraduate and graduate students and their impact on achievement.
Her research has been widely cited; for example, in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher
Education on first-generation college students’ study strategies, the authors cited one of her
xxx Essentials of Research Methods for Educators
studies in their discussion of study strategies for success (https://www.chronicle.com/article/Kn
Along with Dr. DiBenedetto’s empirical research, she has written several theoretical/conceptual
publications focused on assessment, standards-based instruction, self-efficacy within a
sociocultural lens, the mentoring of doctoral students, and two books, one edited and one coauthored.
In the edited book Connecting Self-Regulated Learning and Performance With Instruction
Across High School Content Areas (2018), each chapter is cowritten by outstanding content area
high school teachers throughout the United States and well-known educational psychologists on
applying self-regulated learning to classroom instruction. Self-Regulation and the Common Core:
Applications to ELA Standards (2015) was her earlier coauthored book that discusses how selfregulated
and the common core can be used to teach ELA standards to students in grades K–12.
Dr. DiBenedetto has served on several prestigious editorial boards: Journal of Experimental
Education; The International Journal of Educational and Psychological Assessment; and a special
issue of Theory Into Practice. She has served as a guest reviewer for several premier journals
including the Journal of Educational Psychology; Journal of Advanced Academics; Learning and
Individual Differences; and Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy, & Practice, among others.
DiBenedetto is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and served as
chair of Division 15’s (Educational Psychology) Committee on the Development of Early Career
Educational Psychologists. She served in several positions in the Studying and Self-Regulated
Learning Special Interest Group (SIG) for the American Educational Research Association
(AERA) including Chair, Program Chair, Secretary, and Editor of the SIG.
Dr. DiBenedetto has presented her research internationally and domestically and has conducted
professional development workshops for teachers in middle schools and high schools in
addition to guest lectures for doctoral students on student learning and assessment. In addition,
Dr. DiBenedetto serves on doctoral dissertation committees and has served and serves as a consultant
on many projects for organizations such as ACT (American College Testing), Pearson
Education, Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences (IES), and the Portuguese