• Learning and Teaching

• Ph.D. Columbia University
• M.A. Columbia University
• M.Ed. Harvard University
• B.S. Osaka University

Noriyuki Inoue, Ph.D. specializes in educational psychology and cognitive-developmental approaches to learning and professional development. At the University of San Diego, he teaches psychological foundation of education, cognition and learning, human development, psychology of mathematical thinking, and research method courses to undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr. Inoue began his career in Japan as a mathematics teacher where he developed a variety of interests in human cognition and learning. During these years, his initial interests in mathematics education evolved into an interest in advancing foundational knowledge of how students think, learn and become motivated to learn, which he increasingly became convinced were the most fundamental issues in education.

In 1991, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the U.S., and received an M.Ed. from Harvard University, and continued this graduate studies that resulted in receiving an M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. In this process, he loved the openness and richness of intellectual dialogues that took place in research meetings, seminars, and courses in the graduate programs. This made him stay in the U.S. and continue working on advancing scholarship in the area of human cognition and development in university settings.

His recent research focuses on the use of non-Western epistemology for professional development, Japanese lesson study, action research, intrinsic motivation, inquiry-based teaching, and real world problem solving. His journal articles have appeared in Learning and Instruction, Individual Differences and Learning, Journal of Education for Teaching, Mathematical Thinking and Learning, Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, among other sources. He has served as a reviewer for several journals in learning sciences as well as a consultant for schools and universities. He is now actively involved in advancing scholarship in the areas of action research and lesson study, and is known for cross-cultural research incorporating Japanese cultural concepts and epistemology for overcoming “gridlock” situations that could arise in professional practices in the increasing complex society.

Outside his work, he loves playing tennis as a USTA tournament player, and exhibits (or shows off) a number of trophies from local tennis tournaments in his office. He and his colleagues are often seen in the university bar O'Toole's, chatting with his students and alumni about action research, world cultures, cognitive science, and anything that's funny over drinks.

Recent Publications:

Inoue, N. (in press). Achievement motivation, assimilation, decenter, locus of control, schema, Yin and Yang. In K. D. Keith (Ed.), Encyclopedia of cross-cultural psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley/Blackwell.

Inoue, N. (2012). Mirrors of the mind: An introduction of mindful ways of thinking. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Inoue, N. (2011). Omoi vs. thinking in action research. The California School Counselor, Fall, 14.

Inoue, N. & Buczynski, S. (2011). You asked open-ended questions, and now what?: Understanding the nature of stumbling blocks in mathematical inquiry lessons. Mathematics Educator, 20, 10-23.