Profile for

Kristan Nicole Pearce, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Dr. Kristan Nicole Pearce began her higher education career in 2015 after earning her doctorate in instructional leadership and academic curriculum from the University of Oklahoma. Her public-school teaching experiences include pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. She credits her experience teaching in a Reggio-inspired school for enhancing her emphasis on whole-child learning and development for optimal student outcomes.

A Conversation with Dr. Pearce

What draws you to your discipline?

My goal as a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction includes supporting current and future teachers in their efforts to help students reach whole-child optimal outcomes. This includes integrating social-emotional learning with academic content in the classroom. Executive function skills, humane education and social justice awareness encompass examples that integrate social-emotional learning into an integrated subject-area curriculum.

What has been your favorite course to teach?

My favorite course to teach is ECE 460: Teaching STEAM in Early Childhood! I enjoy spending a wonderful semester engaging in active learning experiences with my students. Through inquiry-based learning, students explore integrating STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) into pre-kindergarten through 6th-grade classrooms.

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, University of Oklahoma, 2015
• M.Ed., Reading, Northeastern State University, 2009
• M.A., Teaching Elementary Education, University of Arkansas, 1999
• B.S., Childhood Education, University of Arkansas, 1998

Awards and Honors

• Professional Excellence in Teaching-Technology, Texas A&M University-Commerce(now East Texas A&M University) Faculty Senate, 2022

Research Interests

• Teacher-student interactions
• Social-emotional learning
• Whole-child executive functions, social justice and humane education

Professional Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
• Texas Association for the Education of Young Children

Selected Publications

• Pearce, N. & Davis, J. (2022 ). Cultivating social justice during interactive read-alouds focusing on multiple perspectives. The Oklahoma Reader, 58(1), 43-51.
• Thompson, J. & Pearce, N. (Special Issue 2022). A Toolbox for Engaging Children in Play and Creativity for Learning Across the Domains. Dimensions, 50(1), 37-43.
• Pearce, N. & Davis. J. (Special Issue 2021). Fostering resilience through executive function. Dimensions, 49(1), 14-23.
• Davis, J. M., Pearce, N., & Mullins, M. (2021). Missing boys: The Limited Representation of Black Males in Caldecott Books. Journal of Children’s Literature, 47(1), 10-20.