Dr. Morris investigates basic research in cognitive development and its application in designing effective PreK-12 STEM instruction. His research focuses on the development of scientific and mathematical reasoning, informal learning, and motivation. The goal of his research program is to identify mechanisms underlying children's reasoning (e.g., strategy acquisition) and motivation (e.g., praise type) using a variety of experimental methods (e.g., eye tracking) and modeling techniques (e.g., mathematical and computational) and to apply these findings to improve instruction and learning.