Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
Fostering Academic Motivation in Romania
Dr. Margareta M. Thomson, an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology in the College of Education at NC State University and currently a Fulbright Scholar at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, started her outreach and research engagements with education faculty, K-12 teachers and educators in Romania.
Dr. Thomson has recently presented her research project at the 4th International Nonformal Education Conference (INEC) held on October 6-7, 2018 in Sancraiu de Mures, Romania. Additionally, she was one of the key-note speakers and a scientific board member for INEC.
Along with education faculty, researchers, and K-12 teachers from across Romania, Dr. Thomson participated in workshops and seminars as part of the two days conference, focused on developing new avenues for K-12 teachers in Romania to enhance nonformal education.
Currently, she is collaborating with faculty from Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania to organize the 19th Biennial Conference of International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT), being one of the scientific board member and a conference reviewer. The ISATT conference theme “Education beyond the crisis: new skills, children’s rights and teaching contexts” aims at drawing a wide range of researchers and practitioners from different countries to “debate, challenge and re-appraise long held beliefs, attitudes and ways of educating children”.
Also, Dr. Thomson recently presented her Fulbright project entitled “Fostering Academic Motivation and a STEM Growth Mindset in High Poverty Schools through Authentic Research Experiences” to researchers and educators at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE), Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Dr. Thomson received her PhD in Educational Psychology and Learning Systems from Florida State University in 2008 and has been appointed as a faculty member at NC State University in the same year. Her research focuses on investigating teachers’ and students’ motivations and beliefs, teacher development, and STEM learning. Work from her research has been published in major peer-review journals, and is currently funded by prestigious funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).