Scientific thinking, reasoning and evaluations in classroom contexts
Critical thinking and collective agency in response to science denial and disinformation

Dr. Doug Lombardi is a Professor, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Graduate Studies, College of Education, University of Maryland, College Park. As associate dean, he facilitates the recruitment and advancement of faculty and graduate students as they seek to advance the public good through rigorous educational and human developmental research and practice that promotes societal justice, collaboration, and growth.

Dr. Lombardi heads the Science Learning Research Group in conducting research that investigates reasoning and critical thinking about knowledge claims. Much of this research is situated within the context of formal classroom settings and focuses on effective teaching tools and strategies to support deep learning, particularly about scientific topics that pose local, regional and global challenges, such as the causes of current climate change and the availability of freshwater resources.

Dr. Lombardi has received early career research awards from the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, the Society for Text and Discourse, and NARST: A Worldwide Organization for Improving Science Teaching and Learning Through Research. His research has been well supported by the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Education.

Dr. Lombardi is currently an associate editor for the Journal for Research in Science Teaching and the Journal of Educational Psychology. He also serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Science Education and the Educational and Developmental Psychologist. His research and theoretical positions have been published in journals such as Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Educational Psychology Review, the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Learning and Instruction and Research in Science Education.

Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Dr. Lombardi was an Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Temple University. Earlier in his career, he held various science education roles, including as project facilitator, program evaluator and regional science education trainer at the Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program; education and public outreach manager for the NASA Phoenix Mars Mission at the University of Arizona; and high school science teacher positions in Tennessee and Arizona.

Research Awards

Tom Trabasso Young Investigator Award, Society for Text & Discourse, 2020.

Honoree, Maryland Research Excellence Celebration, University of Maryland, College Park, 2020.

Richard E. Snow Award for Early Contributions, American Psychological Association, Division 15 (Educational Psychology), 2019.

Outstanding Early Career Scholar Award, Division C (Learning & Instruction), American Educational Research Association, 2018.

Early Career Research Award, NARST: A Worldwide Organization for Improving Science Teaching and Learning through Research, 2018.

Certificate for Highly Cited Research, Learning and Instruction, for the article “Plausibility reappraisals and shifts in middle school students' climate change conceptions,” awarded December 2016.

Routledge Behavioral Science Journals #3 most highly cited article in 2015 for the paper “The challenges of defining and measuring student engagement in science.”

The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses International Award for Excellence for the article “Leveraging higher-education instructors in the climate literacy effort: Factors related to university faculty’s propensity to teach climate change,” 2013.

Teaching Award

Temple University College of Education Undergraduate Teaching Award for Tenure-Track Faculty, 2014-2015.

Service Awards

Reviewer of Excellence, International Journal of Science Education, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2020.

Thomas B. Ervin Distinguished Service Award, National Earth Science Teachers Association, 2020.

Outstanding Reviewer, Review of Educational Research, American Educational Research Association, 2018.

Certificate of Appreciation, Office of the Governor, State of Nevada, and “Keys to the City” & status of Honorary Citizen of Carson City, NV, proclamation by Robert L. Cromwell, Mayor, for service rendered in writing Nevada’s Race to the Top grant application, 2011.

The following are selected publications. For a full list, please click here.

Lombardi, D., Sinatra, G. M., Bailey, J. M., & Butler, L. P. (2024). Seeking a comprehensive theory about the development of scientific thinking, Educational Psychology Review, 36(3), Article 72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09911-z

Lombardi, D. (2023). On the horizon: The promise and power of higher order, critical, and critical analytical thinking, Educational Psychology Review, 35, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09763-z

Lombardi, D., Matewos, M. M., Jaffe, J., Zohery, V., Mohan, S., Bock, K., & Jamani, S. (2022).  Discourse and agency during scaffolded middle school science instruction. Advance online publication. Discourse Processes. https://doi.org/10.1080/0163853X.2022.2068317

Lombardi, D. (2022). Climate crisis mitigation and adaptation: Educational and developmental psychology’s responsibility in helping face this threat. Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 39(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1080/20590776.2021.2012834

Lombardi, D., Shipley, T. F., Astronomy Team (Bailey, J. M, Bretones, P. S., Prather, E. E.), Biology Team (Ballen, C. J., Knight, J. K., Smith, M. K.), Chemistry Team (Stowe, R. L., Cooper, M. M.), Engineering Team (Prince, M.), Geography Team (Atit, K., Uttal, D. H.), Geoscience Team (LaDue, N. D., McNeal, P. M., Ryker, K., St. John, K., van der Hoeven Kraft, K. J.), & Physics Team (Docktor, J. L.) (2021). The curious construct of active learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 22(1), 8-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100620973974

Collaborative Research: Scaffolding Middle and High School Students’ Scientific Evaluations of Sources and Alternative Claims in Earth and Environmental Sciences, D. Lombardi (PI), S. McGrew (Co-PI). J. M. Bailey (Co-PI), D. Governor (Co-PI), C. McAuliffe (Co-PI), S. A. Buxner (Co-PI), G. M Sinatra (Co-PI), funded by the National Science Foundation, Discovery Research in K-12 Program, $2,851,490 total ($1,414,091 to the University of Maryland), September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2026.

Engaging Students in Scientific Practices: Evaluating Evidence and Explanation in Secondary Earth and Space Science, D. Lombardi (PI), J. M. Bailey (Co-PI), D. Governor (Co-PI), C. McAuliffe (Co-PI), S. A. Buxner (Co-PI), funded by the National Science Foundation, Discovery Research in K-12 Program, $2,362,662 total, funded September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2020. Project website at https://serc.carleton.edu/mel/index.html

Towards an Urban Geoscience Pedagogy that Promotes Student Interest, Critical Thinking, Academic Achievement, and Value Of Science Content—supplemental funding for a graduate student (S. Burrell) research project to the larger project titled, Developing Critical Evaluation as a Scientific Habit of Mind: Instructional Scaffolds for Secondary Earth Science, D. Lombardi (PI), J. M. Bailey (Co-PI), funded by the National Science Foundation, Discovery Research in K-12 Program, $34,999 supplemental, funded September 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.

Understanding and Promoting Spatial Learning Processes in the Geosciences, T. Shipley (PI), A. Devatzes, (Co-PI), D. Lombardi (Co-PI), N. LaDue (Co-PI), $749,711 total, National Science Foundation, Science of Learning: Collaborative Networks (SL-CN) Program, funded September 1, 2016 to August 31, 2019. Project website at http://serc.carleton.edu/getspatial/index.html.

Temple Teacher Residency Program, W. Brooks, (PI), J. Boyle (Co-PI), D. Lombardi (Co-PI), K. Newton (Co-PI), funded by the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Program, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, $2,241,597 total, funded October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2019. Project website at https://sites.temple.edu/templeteacherresidency/teachphiladelphiastem/team/.

Developing Critical Evaluation as a Scientific Habit of Mind: Instructional Scaffolds for Secondary Earth Science, D. Lombardi (PI), J. M. Bailey (Co-PI), funded by the National Science Foundation, Discovery Research in K-12 Program, $449,567 total, funded September 1, 2013 to June 30, 2017. Project website at http://sites.temple.edu/meldiagrams/.

The Nevada Mathematics and Science Leadership Cadre, J. M. Bailey (PI), E. C. Keppelmann (Co-I), C. Hardy (Co-I), D. Lombardi (Co-I), D. Hepworth (Co-I), & J. Hopkins (Co-I), Nevada Mathematics & Science Partnership Program, $461,929 total, funded March 1, 2008 to May 31, 2011.

Science Learning Research Group