Contact Information

Education

Ph.D. – University of Georgia, USA

MEd. – University of Georgia, USA

M.A. – Seoul National University, South Korea

B.A. – Seoul National University of Education, South Korea

Professional/Academic Experience

Dr. Sue Hyeon Paek, an Associate Professor at the University of Northern Colorado, received a Ph.D. in
Educational Psychology and an MEd in Quantitative Methodology. As an emerging scholar,
she received awards recognizing her contribution to research on creativity and gifted education such as the Barron Award
at the APA Division 10. She has served on the editorial board of Thinking Skills and Creativity
and the executive committee of the APA Division 10 as the secretary and the chair of the Microgrant Committee. She participated in several federal and local grant applications on a wide range of research topics,
such as STEM education, environmental education, and creative problem-solving.  

Other Experience

Throughout Dr. Paek’s 8-year of K-12 teaching experiences and 10-year of postsecondary
teaching, she has developed her teaching philosophy and skills in a wide variety of
face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses. She has taught undergraduate and graduate
classes, including creative education, advanced measurement topics, and introductory
and seminar courses in Educational Psychology at UNC. 

Her teaching philosophy is based on situated learning (e.g., Lave & Wenger, 1991).
In this perspective, the authentic situation, in which learning occurs, is emphasized.
Accordingly, she situates learning in various forms of real activities that students
encounter rather than only acquiring propositional knowledge in her courses. Simply
speaking, she designs her classes to allow students to learn in the same context in
which their knowledge is applied. Across levels, she emphasizes three principles:
(a) She gives them opportunities to apply their knowledge and skillsets in authentic
tasks. (b) She encourages them to reflect on their learning through interacting with
peers and build up meaning together as a group. (c) Lastly, she stresses rigor in
understanding knowledge required in the field.  

Research/Areas of Interest

Dr. Paek’s research interests are driven by inquiry into informing and improving evidence-based practices in creativity identification and development with an aim to promote the growth and education of individuals with diverse learning
needs. She has focused on assessing creativity and what environmental factors systematicallycontribute to shaping its optimal development. More specifically, she has examined: a) how to integrate multiple aspects of creativity in formal and informal assessment to accurately identify creative potential, b) how environmental factors, including how people believe about creativity (implicit theory),
affectcreativity identification, and c) how research improves informed decisions that contribute to reducing gaps in academic and creative success.These lines of research have resulted in peer-reviewed publications in field-leading journals, andnumerousconference presentations at local and national venues. 

Courses Taught

• PSY 347 Educational Psychology for Elementary Teachers 
• PSY 500 Educational Psychology for Teachers 
• PSY 562 Science of Creativity for Teaching
• PSY 575 Educational Assessment
• PSY 661 Trends and Issues in Educational Psychology
• PSY 674 Measurement I: Classical Test Theory
• PSY 675 Measurement II: Contemporary Test Theory
• PSY 710 Advanced Doctoral Seminar 

Publications/Creative Works

Paek, S. H., & Sumners, S. E. (2017, July) The Indirect Effect of Teachers’ Creative Mindsets
on Teaching Creativity. The Journal of Creative Behavior. Advance online publication. doi/10.1002/jocb.180.

Paek, S. H., & Runco, M. A. (2017). Dealing with the Criterion Problem by Measuring the Quality
and Quantity of Creative Activity and Accomplishment. Creativity Research Journal, 29 (2), 167-173.

Paek, S. H., Park, H., Runco, M. A., & Choe, H-. S. (2016). The contribution of ideational behavior
to creative extracurricular activities. Creativity Research Journal, 28(2), 144-148.

Runco, M. A., Abdulla, A., Paek, S. H., Al-Jasim, F., & Alsuwaidi, H. N. (2016). Which test of divergent thinking is best?
Creativity. Theories – Research – Applications. 3(1), 4-18.

Paek, S. H., Abdulla, A. & Cramond, B. (2016). A meta-analysis of the relationship between three
common psychopathologies – ADHD, anxiety, and depression – and indicators of little-c
creativity. Gifted Child Quarterly.60(2), 117-133.

Chand O’Neal, I., Paek, S. H., & Runco, M. A. (2015). Comparison of competing theories about ideation and creativity.
Creativity. Theories – Research – Applications.2(2), 145-165.

Runco, M. A., Paek, S. H., & Jaeger, G. (2015). Is creativity being supported? Further analyses of grants and
awards for creativity research. Creativity Research Journal. 27(1), 107-110.

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