Amanda Cardarelli, an EDC senior research associate, co-leads and contributes to studies that examine how media and digital educational resources support learners and educators. Her research interests include early childhood education and educational media, specifically how educational media can improve school readiness and STEM learning outcomes.

Cardarelli is a researcher on the Ready To Learn project. She also works on the LEGO Foundation-funded initiative, Scaling Learning through Play with Technology Research Collaborative.

Before joining EDC, Cardarelli worked at New York University in a cognitive developmental lab where she co-led a research initiative that investigated how the language used to teach science affects children’s engagement with science. Her findings from the initiative support the benefits of using action-focused to introduce children to science, which increases persistence and interest in science over time.

Cardarelli has co-authored articles published in Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Science, and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Cardarelli holds an EdM in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology and a BA in Early Childhood Education and Human Development from Boston College.