Gregg Schraw passed away on September 15 at age 62 after a battle with cancer. Gregg was a Barrick Distinguished Professor of educational psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
Gregg published over 100 research articles, book chapters, and edited books in the areas of human learning and testing. His most recognizable work was in metacognition and text comprehension. He was primarily known as a top-notch quantitative researcher in the wider educational community; however, he was an exceptionally versatile methodologist, having also used mixed methods, and applied grounded theory and phenomenology to publish qualitative research in outlets such as the Journal of Educational Psychology.
He viewed service as an essential contribution to the profession as evidenced in his commitment to serving on editorial boards. He was an associate editor at the Journal of Educational Psychology and served on five additional editorial boards. He was recognized as a Fellow by the American Educational Research Association. Clearly, he was a valued member of the research community.
He taught courses in human cognition, statistics, human measurement, research methods, and evaluation at UNLV. He was the recipient of several teaching and research awards, as well as the American Psychological Association’s early career achievement award for Division 15. He served for many years on the Nevada Department of Education’s Technical Advisory Committee which provides technical support for the state assessment programs, several Institute of Educational Science evaluation panels, and on the Technical Working Group for an evaluation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Perhaps one of his most enduring contributions to the discipline was his ability to develop productive scholars. He used a blend of cognitive apprenticeship, a constructivist approach to learning, and deliberate practice to help his students maximize their knowledge and skills. Further, he welcomed students to become involved in his programs of research, but also created space for students to pursue their own areas of interest. It is a testament to his collegiality and mentorship that many former graduate students came to visit once word spread of his condition.
Gregg was an exceptionally hard worker, but he always had time for students and colleagues to stop by the office for a chat. Importantly, he was a devoted husband and father, demonstrating how to balance this with being a world class scholar. Although the last year of his life involved countless visits to the hospital as the cancer steadily advanced, he remained optimistic throughout. He was proud of his children’s success and able to see the arrival of his first grandchild.
Gregg touched the lives of many people in educational psychology. He will be remembered for what he truly was—a great scholar, mentor, colleague, and friend.
Matt McCrudden