Jere Brophy (Deceased)
Jere Brophy (deceased), a University Distinguished Professor of teacher education and educational psychology at MSU’s College of Education, has been honored with a lifetime achievement award by the
Jere Brophy (deceased) educational psychology division of the American Psychological Association.
Brophy, a Chicago native who joined the MSU faculty in 1976, will receive the APA’s 2007 Thorndike Award at a ceremony held during the association’s annual convention in San Francisco in August. The award is given to distinguished APA members from the group’s Division 15 for outstanding career achievement and significant accomplishments in research in educational psychology.
Brophy, who received a dual Ph. D. in clinical psychology and human development from the University of Chicago, said he was surprised to learn he would receive this honor.
“This kind of award is special,” said Brophy. “It’s peer recognition from the leaders in the field.”
A clinical and developmental psychologist by training, Brophy has conducted research on teachers’ achievement expectations and related self-fulfilling prophecy effects, teachers’ attitudes toward individual students and the dynamics of teacher-student relationships, students’ personal characteristics and their effects on teachers, relationships between classroom processes and student achievement, teachers’ strategies for managing classrooms and coping with problem students and teachers’ strategies for motivating students to learn. He has also focused on curricular content and instructional method issues involved in teaching social studies for understanding, appreciation and life application.
Mary Lundeberg, chairperson of the department of teacher education, lauded Brophy’s outstanding work.
“This distinguished award recognizes career achievements in educational psychology and honors researchers who have contributed significantly to knowledge, theory or practice in educational psychology,” she said. “Jere Brophy (deceased)’s outstanding tradition of research in motivation has contributed to all these areas.”