Rate My Professor Erika Spray

Dr Erika Spray is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia, specializing in educational psychology. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Education from the University of Newcastle, along with Master of Educational Studies and Master of Applied Linguistics from the same university. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Exeter, UK. With over twenty years of experience across high school teaching in History, English as a Foreign Language, and Academic Literacies, Spray coordinates key courses including EDUC2102 Learners and the Learning Process (since 2020), EDUC6902 Emerging Technology (since 2025), and EDUC6903 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (since 2024). She receives consistently strong student feedback for her theoretically current and practically relevant teaching. Spray leads the implementation of simSchool simulation technology in preservice teacher education programs to enhance pedagogical knowledge and teaching efficacy prior to practicum placements.

Her research examines learners' individual differences, focusing on metacognitive and epistemic beliefs and their links to academic achievement, wellbeing, and anxiety in higher education. Additional interests include educational technology, simulation in initial teacher education, and data-driven interventions to foster adaptive learning dispositions. She has supervised doctoral theses, including principal supervisor for the 2024 PhD on the Epistemological Processing Model and co-supervisor for a 2026 PhD on teachers' preparedness for student mental health. Spray has obtained 17 research grants totaling $388,043, notably as lead investigator on the 2025 Fair, inclusive learning dashboards project ($221,080). Awards include the 2024 Newcastle University College Excellence Award for Teaching and Learning, 2024 ASCILITE Early Career Researcher Award Finalist, and 2015 AERA International Travel Award. Key publications feature "Personal epistemological and metacognitive awareness in first year preservice education students" (2013, Spray, Scevak, & Cantwell), "Navigating ethical challenges in generative AI-enhanced research: The ETHICAL framework" (2025), and "Integration of simulation technology with assessment in initial teacher education" (2024). Her work has been cited 84 times on Google Scholar, and she presents at conferences such as EARLI, AARE, and BPS Psychology of Education Section.