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Faculty Member

Dr. Melissa Mendenhall

Biography

Melissa is an Assistant Professor in Elementary Education at Utah Valley University. She received a Master of Arts in Teacher Education-Integrated STEM emphasis from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Science Education from Utah State University. She has developed and facilitated professional development for preservice and in-service teachers in science, engineering, technology, disciplinary literacy, English as a second language, and language arts. Helping build the capacity of future and current educators to deepen student learning is her passion.

Education

PhD, Utah State University, 2023

Major: Curriculum and Instruction

MA, Brigham Young University, 2018

Major: Teacher Education

BS, Utah Valley University, 2005

Major: Elementary Education

AA/AS, Utah Valley University, 2002

Major: Integrated Studies

Teaching

EDEL 4980

Elementary Education Capstone Seminar, Spring 2026

EDEL 4240

Elementary Learning Environments IV, Spring 2026

EDEL 2200

Introduction to Educational Technology, Spring 2026

EDEL 2200

Introduction to Educational Technology, Spring 2026

EDUC 5783

Matter and Energy in Science, Spring 2026

EDEL 4990

Teacher Assessment Project, Spring 2026

Presentations

Mendenhall, Melissa (Presenter & Author), NARST Annual Conference 26, "Coaching Coaches_ An Autoethnographic Reflection", NARST, Seattle, WA. (April 21, 2026)
Mendenhall, Melissa (Co-Chair), NARST Annual Conference 26, "Research Social Hour", NARST, Seattle, WA. (April 21, 2026)
Mendenhall, Melissa (Co-Chair), NARST-NSTA Research Worth Reading Award Session, "Advancing Connections Between Research and Practice", NARST-NSTA, Seattle, WA. (April 20, 2026)
Mendenhall, Melissa (Author Only), 2026 AERA Annual Meeting, "(Counter)Mapping in Science Education_ Bridging Physical and Cultural Geographies Through Youth Ethnography", American Educational Research Association (AERA), Los Angeles, CA. (April 12, 2026)
Mendenhall, Melissa , Recharge and Reset Professional Learning!, "Argumentation in Science", Utah Science Teaching Association (mini-conference), Washington, UT. (January 24, 2026)
Mendenhall, Melissa , ASTE Annual Conference 26, "Locally Relevant Science Learning Grounded in Spatial Contexts", Association of Science Teacher Educators (ASTE), Chicago, IL. (January 16, 2026)

Scholarly/Creative Works

Mendenhall, Melissa P, "Teachers' Conceptions of Disciplinary Literacy in Elementary Science Instruction" . Journal of Science Teacher Education.
Melville, Wayne , Verma, Geeta , Campbell, Todd , Park, Byung-Yeol , Tofel-Grehl, Colby , Borowczak, Andrea C., Dare, Emily , Mendenhall, Melissa , (2024) "Passing the torch_ Handing over the editorial reins" (Issue: 1, vol. 35). Journal of Science Teacher Education (JSTE). https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560x.2023.2293369
Mendenhall, Melissa P, (2022) "Rural teacher attitudes and engagement with computing and technology" (Issue: 2, vol. 12). Theory & Practice in Rural Education. https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2022.v12n2p179-196
Mendenhall, Melissa , (2022) "Rural teachers' computing attitudes in their classrooms" . International Society of the Learning Sciences.
Array, Array , Array, Array , Array, Array , Mendenhall, Melissa P, (2022) "Clinical faculty associates serving as hybrid teacher educators_ Personal and professional impacts" (vol. 7). Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.1046698
Mendenhall, Melissa , (2022) "Using science investigation to motivate students to read and write" . Ogden, Utah: Elm Tree Publishing.

Awards

Marv Tolman Award 2024

Utah Science Teaching Association (UtSTA) - October 11, 2024

Award for lifetime contributions to science education in Utah. One given per year.