Hisham J Petry MPES Cohort 4, Multidisciplinary Program in Education Sciences

Hisham Petry came to Northwestern’s Department of Learning Sciences (LS) by way of Computer Science and Physics.  He has worked as a software programmer and taught math part time at Roosevelt University. While teaching algebra and pre-algebra to adults he came to appreciate that the challenges in teaching math (and other subjects) go far beyond the content. He entered the LS program with an interest in student motivation and more specifically student identity. For example, students that perceive themselves as being good at math might persist at a challenging math task longer. He believes that identity evolves through dynamic feedback processes occurring between the individual and environmental influences (peer, parent
and teacher interactions). He would like to gain a deeper understanding of this development through different methodological techniques including computer simulations. Petry is married and has two full-time dogs (and the occasional foster dog). He likes to be outdoors, and tries to never turn down an invitation for a walk or a bike ride.

View Microsoft Word DOC file of Hisham Petry's biography.

Year		Degree		Institution
1997		MSc Computer Science		McGill University
1995		BSc Physics		McGill University

Methods survey: Please take 15 minutes to help me with my research.
New research interest

I spend a lot of time thinking about peer networks and the influence peers have on academic engagement. I believe that students choose their friends based on similar meaning systems around school. For example, I believe that some students view school as a means to an end such as getting a good job, while other students view school as a necessary evil that must be endured. I think that these different interpretations around the role and meaning of school have a significant impact on the performance and engagement of students. Further, I believe that students select friends with a similar view of school which serves to reinforce that view of school.

I am researching these hypotheses using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to first identify student peer groups and then interview them about social norms and meaning systems.

2008

On par with peers Submitted to AERA this paper discusses work on peer social networks and correlations with achievement