Caitlin M.

Araldi
Student ID: 1326576
University of Washington
Autumn 2015 Learning Sciences Ph.D. Direct Admission Request
February 15, 2015
With great enthusiasm, I submit my petition for direct admission from the M.Ed. program
to the Ph.D. program in the Learning Sciences at the University of Washington. My desire to
pursue doctoral work resonates with the promise of becoming an active champion for
educational change; my belief in the Learning Sciences program to effect this change, and my
demonstrated abilities to collaborate and follow through on my commitments to education.
I have always been compelled by inquisitiveness about how people learn, and developed
a special interest in educational psychology after working as a volunteer teacher of elementary
bilingual students through the Junior Achievement organization. As the student of a second
language myself, I uncovered a multi-faceted perspective that motivated me to publish research
at the undergraduate level. I dedicated my work to showing the positive results that the many
courageous students and teachers under the immense pressure of often conflicting educational
directives already demonstrate, without overlooking the call for advancement of their own
meaningful goals. The process of conducting and recording an investigation without experience
within the formal disciplines of psychology or of education was made easier by the gracious
involvement of a committee, whose members included Dr. Martha Garca, Dr. Florin Mihai and
Dr. Charles Negy of the University of Central Florida. I was able to not only graduate with a
degree in Spanish, but also with published research through the Honors in the Major program.
When I submitted my application to the M.Ed. program at the University of Washington
in early 2013, I lacked sustained, direct contact with education beyond the context of my degree
and volunteer work, but since becoming a student here, have found the opportunity to
meaningfully integrate my own passion for socially impactful research with considerable time
spent teaching at early learning centers. The study of language has transformed before my eyes
from a personal passion to a professional vision laden with potential for research, and while
graduation with my M.Ed. is on the horizon in June 2015, I cant yet imagine being finished with
the work I have begun so soon.
I seek to be a part of pioneering a cohesive vision of how education can best be
understood and implemented from a strong foundation of development, beginning in the earliest
cognitive phases. In this, I particularly look to the pursuits of Dr. Nancy Hertzog, and her
continued support as my advisor. Specifically, I would like to produce new research on the nature
of engagement in early learning experiences, specifically how choice shapes identity and
motivation in young children. As a doctoral student, I hope to build on the research and
collaboration that my studies have now inculcated in the M.Ed. program, while remaining
actively engaged in nurturing a mutually informative relationship between research and practice.
I am confident my interests, combined with the intellectual resources of the Educational
Psychology department and my current professional experience, will continue to empower me as
a lifelong student and committed research professional. I am now, more than ever, honored to be
part of the incredible network and intellectual vibrancy that characterizes the University of
Washington, and receiving a Ph.D. from a top-tier research university such as this would afford
me the opportunity to apply interactions of theory and practice to serve the community and my
institution to the best of my ability. Through the completion of doctoral work, I aspire to answer

research questions that address the following concerns: how might the power of choice affect the
construction of childrens identities and their conceptions of self-agency? What constitutes
effective early learning environments, and according to whose perspective?
My interests are well reflected in a term project I am currently completing this quarter for
EDPSY 528: Achievement Motivation with Dr. Susan Nolen, in which I am writing a research
proposal that specifically explores the following research question through qualitative
methodology: how does the language used by teachers when offering choices impact the intrinsic
motivation of young children? I intend to use this project to ground the work of my Masters
thesis, which will be completed next quarter, and see a strong future for myself as a qualitative
researcher.
As evidenced in my transcripts, I have honored the incredible opportunities offered by the
M.Ed. program by deepening my theoretical understanding, and I have held to a promise I made
to maintain a high GPA while gaining as much professional experience as possible in addition to
my studies. I believe that I will not find a better place to continue to accomplish my goals in a
well-supported and challenging environment than through doctoral work in the Learning
Sciences program at the University of Washington, and I thank you for your consideration.