Psychology & Neuroscience

Erin Hardin

Erin Hardin

Erin Hardin

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Phone

865-974-3296

Erin E. Hardin

Professor | Interim Department Head

Key words: Counseling Psychology, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), vocational psychology, self construal, self-discrepancies

Education

PhD, The Ohio State University (2002)

BA, Grinnell College (1994)

Research

Research Interests

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), vocational psychology, self construal, self-discrepancies, workplace climate.

Research Statement

I have two areas of research interest: one focused on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and the other focused on the role of the self in well-being, broadly defined, particularly in the area of work and career. I emphasize multicultural and social justice issues across both of these domains.

In the domain of SoTL, I am particularly interested in questions relating to the training of graduate student instructors and the teaching of Introductory Psychology. In the domain of the self and well-being, I am interested in questions about the effects of how individuals see themselves in relation to others (e.g., as separate individuals or connected group members), the level of congruence between individuals’ various selves (e.g., who they are and who they want to be), and individuals’ susceptibility to messages from significant others or society about their abilities (e.g., related to the persistence of women and underrepresented minorities in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medical science) fields. 

Most recently, my research and outreach work has focused on recruiting and retaining under-represented individuals in STEM, from high school to university faculty. Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, and Hackett, 1994), our interdisciplinary team is providing in-school career education interventions to ~1200 rural Appalachian high school students each year. For the past 11 years, this work has been funded by Science Education Partnership Awards (SEPA; R25 GM137365 / R25 GM129177; R25 GM158583) from the National Institutes of Health  My work has also explored the experiences of low-income rural Appalachian college students pursuing Arts & Sciences STEMM degrees and ways to support their success via mentoring and holistic support (NSF S-STEM Award 1643393).

Service Activity

Consistent with my research interests, I am active in service focused on student learning, well-being, and success and on workplace climate issues more broadly.  I was a member of the APA Introductory Psychology Initiative (teacher training working group) and serve on the organizing committee for the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology (NITOP). I also chaired a taskforce to redesign general education at UT and served as QEP Steering Committee Lead from 2023-2025.  In my role as co-PI on UTK’s NSF ADVANCE Adaptation award (Award 1760382), I helped develop workshops on bystander intervention to foster more inclusive and equitable workplace environments. I have also served as Faculty coordinator of General Psychology, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Department Head, and Interim Department Head.

Teaching

  • PSYC 110 General Psychology
  • PSYC 396N Internship in Psychology
  • PSYC 528 Seminar on College Teaching
  • PSYC 677 Work Psychology

Honors

  • Associate Editor, Journal of Career Assessment
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Counseling Psychology
  • Athletics Professor of Excellence, UT (2024)
  • Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service to the University, UT (2024)
  • L. R. Hesler Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service, UT (2024)
  • Faculty Academic Outreach Research and Creative Activity Award, College of Arts and Sciences, UT (2022)
  • Alexander Prize, UT (2020)
  • Chancellor’s Award for Success in Multidisciplinary Research, UT (2020)
  • Senior Excellence in Research/Creative Achievement Award, College of Arts & Sciences, UT (2018)
  • James R. and Nell W. Cunningham Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Arts & Sciences, UT (2018)
  • Outstanding Service Award, College of Arts & Sciences, UT (2016)
  • Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award, Society for the Teaching of Psychology (Division 2 of the American Psychological Association; 2016)
  • Senior Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Arts & Sciences, UT (2015)
  • Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Department of Psychology, UT (2015)
  • Graduate Education Award, Department of Psychology, UT (2013)
  • President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, Texas Tech University (2012)

Grants

Current Funding

  • National Institute of Health, Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA)
    R25 GM158583 Picturing Possibilities and Envisioning Selves: PiPES3 9/1/2025 – 8/31/2030, $1.3m, P

Publications

Select PiPES/ASPIRE related publications

  • Ault, H. R., Cook, K. D., Gibbons, M. M., Hardin, E. E., & Carneal, B. (in press).  Impacts of a STEM-focused summer camp on postsecondary aspirations for Rural Appalachian high school students. Journal of Career Development Doi: 10.1177/08948453261453002
  • Hardin, E. E., Murphy, S. M., & Gibbons, M. M. (2024).  The Assessment of Post-secondary Supports: A new measure of an understudied SCCT construct. Journal of Career Development. 51(5), 598-618. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453241280104
  • Gantt, H., Cain, L., Gibbons, M. M., Thomas, C. F., Wynn, M., Johnson, B., C., & Hardin, E. E. (2024).  “Knowing I had someone to turn to was a great feeling”: Mentoring rural-Appalachian STEM students. Behavioral Sciences, 14 (75). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010075
  • Gibbons, M. M., Taylor, A. L., Brown, E., Daniels, S. K., Hardin, E. E., & Manring, S. (2019). Assessing postsecondary barriers for rural Appalachian high school students. Journal of Career Assessment. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1177/1069072719845329
  • Gibbons, M. M., Brown, E. B., Daniels, S., Rosecrance, P., Hardin, E. E., & Farrell, I. (2019). Building on strengths while addressing barriers: Career interventions in rural Appalachian communities. Journal of Career Development, 46, 637 – 650. DOI:10.1177/0894845319827652
  • Gibbons, M. M., Hardin, E. E., Taylor, A. L., Brown, E. B., & Graham, D. L. (2019).  Evaluation of an SCCT-based intervention to increase postsecondary awareness in rural Appalachian youth. Journal of Career Development. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1177/0894845319832972
  • Sexton, K. S., Gibbons, M. M., Hardin, E. E., Cook, K. D., Hoch, J., & Ault, H. R. (2025).  Historically underrepresented students: Influences of rurality, parent education level and family income on graduate school intentions.  Frontiers in Education, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1569432
  • Thomas, C. G., Hardin, E. E., & Gibbons, M. M. (2026). Stories of the future: Possible selves of rural South Central Appalachian students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 73(2), 235 – 245. Doi: 10.1037/cou0000837  

Select vocational/multicultural psychology research

  • Cook, K. D., Hardin, E. E., Gibbons, M. M., King, B. C., & Sexton, K. S. (2025).  Development of a career intervention for women in a transitional housing program. The Career Development Quarterly, 73 (4), 307 – 323. Doi: 10.1002/cdq.70006
  • Hardin, E. E., & Donaldson, J. R., III (2014). Predicting job satisfaction: A new perspective on person-environment fit. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 61, 634 – 640. doi: 10.1037/cou0000039
  • Hardin, E. E., & Longhurst, M. (2016). Understanding the gender gap: Social cognitive changes during an introductory STEM course. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63, 233-239. Doi: 10.1037/cou0000119.
  • Hardin, E. E., Robitschek, C., Flores, L. Y., Navarro, R. L., & Ashton, M. W.  (2014). The cultural lens approach to evaluating cultural validity of psychological theory. American Psychologist, 69, 656-668. Doi: 10.1037/a0036532
  • Hardin, E. E., Leong, F. T. L., & Osipow, S. H. (2001). Cultural relativity in the conceptualization of career maturity.  Journal of Vocational Behavior, 58, 36 – 52. Doi: 10.1006/jvbe.2000.1762
  • Robitschek, C., & Hardin, E. E. (2017). The future of counseling psychology research viewed through the Cultural Lens Approach. Journal of Counseling Psychology, Special Issue: The Scientific Future of Counseling Psychology, 64, 359 – 368. Doi: 10.1037/cou0000207

Select self-construal/self-discrepancies related research

  • Hardin, E. E. & Larsen, J. T. (2014). Distinct sources of self-discrepancies: Effects of being who you want to be and wanting to be who you are on well-being. Emotion, 14, 214 – 226. Doi: 10.1037/a0033893
  • Cross, S. E., Hardin, E. E., & Gercek-Swing, B. (2011). The what, how, why, and where of self-construal. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15, 142 – 179. Doi: 10.1177/1088868310373752
  • Hardin, E. E. & Lakin, J. (2009).  The Integrated Self-discrepancy Index: A reliable and valid measure of self-discrepancies.  Journal of Personality Assessment, 91, 245 – 253. Doi: 10.1080/00223890902794291
  • Hardin, E. E. & Leong, F. T. L.  (2005). Optimism and pessimism as mediators of the relations between self-discrepancies and distress among Asian and European Americans.  Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 25 – 35. Doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.52.1.25
  • Hardin, E. E., Leong, F. T. L., & Bhagwat, A. (2004).  Factor structure of the Self-Construal Scale revisited:  Implications for the multi-dimensionality of self-construal. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35, 327 – 345. Doi: 10.1177/0022022104264125

Select SoTL publications

  • Beers, M. J., Altman, W. S., Hammer, E. Y., Hardin, E. E., & Troisi, J. D., (2021). Changing the paradigm: Support and development for teachers of introductory psychology. In R. A. R. Gurung & G. Neufeld (Eds.) Transforming introductory psychology: Expert advice on teacher training, course design, and student success (pp. 171-202). American Psychological Association.
  • Hardin, E. E., Eschman, B., Spengler, E. S., Grizzell, J. A., Moody, A. T., Ross-Sheehy, S., & Fry, K. M. (2019). What happens when trained graduate student instructors switch to an open textbook? A controlled study of the impact on student learning outcomes. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 18, 48 – 64. Doi: 10.1177/1475725718810909
  • Seraphin, S. B., Grizzell, J. A., Kerr-German, A. N., Perkins, M. A., Grzanka, P. R., & Hardin, E. E. (2019). A conceptual framework for non-disposable assignments: Inspiring implementation, innovation, and research. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 18, 84 – 97. Doi: 10.1177/1475725718811711
  • Hermann, A. D., Foster, D. A., & Hardin, E. E. (2010). Does the first week of class matter? A quasi-experimental investigation of student satisfaction. Teaching of Psychology, 37, 79 – 84. Doi: 10.1080/00986281003609314
  • Hardin, E. E. (2007). Presentation software in the college classroom: Don’t forget the instructor.  Teaching of Psychology, 34, 53 – 57. Doi: 10.1080/00986280709336652