Sebahat Gok

As of Spring 2026, I am a Postdoctoral Fellow in Learning Sciences at Northwestern University's Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling. I received my Ph.D. with dual majors in Cognitive Science and Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University in 2024.

My research focuses on the basic science of learning and reasoning, and on the design of instructional conditions that support flexible, transferable thinking in science. Specifically:

(1) At the basic cognitive level, I ask these questions: 

• What are the influences of visual and dynamic representations on students' learning of scientific concepts?

• How do cognitive and emotional processes influence whether people learn or tune away from instructional feedback? 

• National educational policy documents (such as NGSS and NRC reports) highlight crosscutting concepts as organizational frameworks for connecting knowledge across sciences. Do crosscutting concepts (e.g., dynamic equilibrium) actually underlie how practicing scientists make sense of the phenomena in their field?

(2) At the instructional level, I ask: 

• What are the promising design aspects of computational models (computer simulations) and pedagogies surrounding them for fostering a robust and mechanistic understanding of scientific concepts? 

(3) Most recently, I have been working on building a scalable research ecosystem focused on integrating computational modeling into K-12 science education through teacher professional development, in collaboration with the NetLogo Center at Northwestern. 

Our ultimate goal is to conduct causal, systematic, and sustainable studies of learning sciences interventions at scale, with a commitment to remaining sensitive to contextual variation and teacher agency.

My research has appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, Journal of Educational Psychology, Education & Science, and the Journal of Applied Instructional Design, as well as in the proceedings of the Cognitive Science Society and the International Society of the Learning Sciences.