Emily Relkin, senior research associate, is interested in how educational media and technologies impact young children’s development. Her research sheds light on the effects of computers, robots, and other information technologies on children’s thinking and social-emotional skills. She has designed multi-center educational studies, assessments, curricula, professional development programs, and family-based learning initiatives for young children.
Relkin’s current research relates to the Ready To Learn project. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, this CPB-PBS initiative examines how digital media can promote learning and school readiness for children from families with low incomes.
Before joining EDC, Relkin worked with the DevTech Research Group at Tufts University and CRESST at UCLA, where she participated in studies involving coding, computational thinking, and early childhood. She also created TechCheck, an unplugged computational thinking assessment for 3–9-year-olds, which is now used in many educational and research settings around the world.
Relkin holds a PhD and an MA in Child Study and Human Development from Tufts University and a BA in Psychology from Muhlenberg College.