I am a lecturer in the Department of Education at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. I am interested in the socio-emotional aspects of learning, such as: motivation, identity, agency, and face management. My research studies examine teacher and student learning processes in science and other domains. I have investigated factors related to student motivation for science learning (inside and outside the school) in democratic schools and in traditional schools. Other studies focus on science learning in informal settings, particularly in the family setting. In recent years, I have been a leading researcher in a design-based implementation research, which is being conducted in collaboration with the Israel Ministry of Education. The study aims to advance schools' professional learning culture and to cultivate pedagogical discourse and teacher leadership. Within this research project, I am focusing particularly on teacher motivation for collaborative professional learning as well as on other socio-emotional aspects of the cultural change we are leading. I am also studying these processes with regard to the unique opportunities and challenges in a research-practice partnership such as ours, aspiring to collaborate with practitioners also in research and publication (so far I have published two papers with practitioners). Prior to my entry into the academic world, I was a science teacher and curriculum developer.​