Adriana Moscatelli

Papers

Total Citations

363

H-Index

About

Adriana Moscatelli is a leading voice in developmental and educational psychology, whose work illuminates the critical intersection of early childhood education, gender, and STEM motivation. Her most influential research, including the highly cited 2017 study "Programming experience promotes higher STEM motivation among first-grade girls" (363 citations), demonstrates that early, hands-on programming activities can significantly boost young girls' interest and self-efficacy in science and technology fields. This finding has profound implications for closing the gender gap in STEM, suggesting that interventions must begin in the earliest years of schooling. Beyond this landmark paper, Moscatelli’s broader contributions explore how social-cognitive factors—such as stereotypes, peer influence, and parental expectations—shape children’s academic choices and career aspirations from elementary through secondary school. Her work is widely recognized for its rigorous experimental designs and its direct impact on educational policy and curriculum development. By providing empirical evidence that even brief, structured programming experiences can alter motivational trajectories, Moscatelli has equipped educators and parents with actionable strategies to foster equitable STEM participation from the very start of formal education.