With a wide range of teaching, research, leading and professional practice experience for over 15 years, Dr. Maggie Zhao has actively engaged in the advancement and application of quantitative methods used in the education, social, behavioral and health sciences, and gained a substantive perspective in developing innovative solutions for assessment and evaluation. Her research interests lie broadly in the intersection of data science, learning sciences, and wellbeing science, and her scholarly work has appeared in refereed journals like Lancet Psychiatry, Journal of Positive Psychology, and Assessment. Maggie actively serves on advisory boards, professional committees, and professional consultations in student learning, wellbeing, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, program evaluation, and quality assurance.

Some of the highlights of honours and awards include the following:

• President, International Positive Psychology Association Education Division (2021-2023)
• Programme Advisory Council Member, Global Flourishing Conference (2023)
• Honorary Advisor, Hong Kong Policy College
• Research and Development Committee Member, Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (2017-2023)
• HKU Professional Services Individual Award Finalist (2017)

Selected Publications

• Zhao, Y., & Tay, L. (2023). Beyond the conventional view of bipolarity: Methodological considerations for examining the relationship between well-being and ill-being assessments. The Journal of Positive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2023.2257656 [link]
• Zhao, Y., Huen, J. M. Y., Leung, H. T., Chan, C. K. Y. (2023). Assessing students’ intercultural competence: Construction and psychometric evaluation of a brief measure. Studies in Educational Evaluation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2023.101288 [link]
• Zhao, Y., & Tay, L. (2022). From ill-being to well-being: Bipolar or Bivariate? The Journal of Positive Psychology. http://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2022.2109204 [link]
• Krause, K. R., Chung, S., Adewuya, A. O., Albano, A. M., Babins-Wagner, R., Brann, P., Birkinshaw, L., Creswell, C., Delaney, K., Falissard, B., Forrest, C. B., Hudson, J. L., Ishikawa, S., Khatwani, M., Kieling, C., Krause, J., Kumar, … Zhao, Y., Wolpert, M. (2020). International consensus on a standard set of outcome measures for child and youth anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Lancet Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30356-4 [link]
• Zhao, Y., Kuan, H. K., Chung, J. O. K., Chan, C. K. Y., & Li, W. H. C. (2018). Students’ approaches to learning in a clinical practicum: A psychometric evaluation based on item response theory. Nurse Education Today. https://doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2018.04.015 [link]
• Lo, B. C. Y., Zhao, Y., Ho, Y.-C., & Au, T. K. (2017). Psychometric properties of the Children’s Response Styles Questionnaire in a Hong Kong Chinese community sample. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes,15:198. https://doi: 10.1186/s12955-017-0774-x [link]
• Zhao, Y. (2017). Impact of IRT item misfit on score estimates and severity classifications: an examination of PROMIS depression and pain interference item banks. Quality of Life Research, 26(3), 555-564. https://doi: 10.1007/s11136-016-1467-3 [link]
• Zhao, Y., Chan, W., & Lo, B. C. Y. (2017). Comparing five depression measures in depressed Chinese patients using item response theory: an examination of item properties, measurement precision and score comparability. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes,15:60. https://doi: 10.1186/s12955-017-0631-y [link]
• Zhao, Y., & Hambleton, R.K. (2017). Practical consequences of item response theory model misfit in the context of test equating with mixed-format test data. Frontiers in Psychology, 8:484. https://doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00484 [link]
• Zhao, Y., Huen, J. M. Y., & Chan, Y. W. (2017). Measuring longitudinal gains in student learning: A comparison of Rasch scoring and summative scoring approaches. Research in Higher Education, 58(6), 605-616. https://doi: 10.1007/s11162-016-9441-z [link]
• Zhao, Y., Huen, J.M.Y., & Prosser, M. (2017). Comparing perceived learning experiences of two concurrent cohorts under curriculum reforms in Hong Kong: A multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach. Quality Assurance in Education, 25(3), 270-286. https://doi: 10.1108/QAE-11-2016-0070 [link]
• Lo, B. C. Y., Zhao, Y., Kwok, A. W. Y., Chan, W., & Chan, C. K.Y. (2015). Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Asian Adolescent Depression Scale and construction of a short form: An item response theory (IRT) analysis. Assessment. https://doi: 10.1177/1073191115614393 [link]
• Hsu, C.-L., Zhao, Y. & Wang, W.-C. (2013). Exploiting computerized adaptive testing for self-directed learning (pp. 257–280). In M. M. C. Mok (Ed.). Self-directed Learning Oriented Assessments in the Asia-Pacific. Netherlands: Springer. https://doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-4507-0 [link]
• Hambleton, R.K., & Zhao, Y. (2005). Item Response Theory models for dichotomous data (Vol. 2, pp. 982–990). In Encyclopedia of Statistics in Behavioral Science. Chicester, England: Wiley. https://doi: 10.1002/0470013192.bsa039 [link]

Selected Presentations

• Zhao, Y. (2023, July). IPPA positive education president’s symposium: Positive education across cultures. Presented at the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) 8th World Congress 2023, Vancouver, Canada.
• Zhao, Y. (2023, July). WeThrive: Nourishing university students to flourish using a strength-based approach. Presented at the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) 8th World Congress 2023, Vancouver, Canada.
• Zhao, Y. (2022, November). From surviving to flourishing: An integrative perspective and new measurement evidence. Abstract prize-winning poster presented at the Global Scientific Conference on Human Flourishing.
• Zhao, Y. (2021, August). How first year experience relates to university students’ cognitive, social and value developments. Presented at the 19th Biennial European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) Conference.
• Zhao, Y. (2019, July). Effects of anchoring vignettes on the validity of student self-assessment. Paper presented at the International Meeting of the Psychometric Society, Santiago, Chile.
• Zhao, Y. (2018, September). Evidence-based learning assessment: Using “big data” for informing education practice and enhancing student learning. Paper presented at the 44th International Association for Educational Assessment Annual Conference, Oxford, United Kingdom.
• Zhao, Y. (2018, July). Measuring intercultural competence: Methodological issues and challenges. Paper presented at the European Congress of Methodology 2018, Jena, Germany.
• Zhao, Y. (2017, December). Learning experience of the first cohort under the reform of undergraduate education in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the WERA Focal Meeting and HKERA International Conference 2017, Hong Kong SAR.
• Zhao, Y., Chung, J. O. K., Chan, C. K. Y., & Li, W. H. C. (2016, November). Assessment in workplace: Investigating a multi-source and multi-method approach to enhance student learning in clinical practicum. Paper presented at the 2016 Frontiers in Medical and Health Sciences Education Conference, Hong Kong SAR. (best oral presentation award)
• Zhao, Y., Cham, T., Chan, Y.W., & Cheng, M. (2016, August). Students’ voices on university residential experience at The University of Hong Kong. Paper presented at International Conference – Beyond the Formal Curriculum in Universities, Hong Kong SAR.
• Zhao, Y. (2015, November). Advancing measurement in health sciences education and health outcomes research using item response theory. Paper presented at the 2015 Frontiers in Medical and Health Sciences Education Conference, Hong Kong SAR.

Selected Invited Presentations

• Zhao, Y. (2023, January). Positive Education for flourishing. Invited keynote presented at the World Education Frontiers Summit.
• Zhao, Y. (2022, December). Education for flourishing: Perspective and practice in well-being assessment. Invited presentation at the annual meeting of UNESCO’s Network on Education Quality Monitoring in the Asia-Pacific 2022.
• Zhao, Y. (2019, June). Evidence-based learning assessment in the era of big data. Invited speaker presented at Higher Education Summer Institute, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.
• Zhao, Y., & Huo, S. (2019, March). Education for children from ethnolinguistic minorities from an assessment perspective. Invited speaker presented at Regional Expert Meeting on Inclusion and Equity in Education, UNESCO Bangkok, Thailand.
• Zhao, Y. (2019, March). Reimagining next generation assessment for teaching and learning. Invited speaker presented at the Teaching and Learning Development and Enhancement in Higher Education Workshop, National University of Mongolia, Mongolia.
• Zhao, Y. (2017, June). Data speaks: Institutional assessment of student learning. Invited speaker presented at Higher Education Summer Institute, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.

Selected Projects

• Principal Investigator, “WeThrive: A positive education informed interdisciplinary programme and a strengths-based pedagogical approach”, The University of Hong Kong, Teaching Development Grant, 2022-2023.
• Co-Investigator, “The student learning experience in Hong Kong universities: A deep dive into institutional data”, Inter-institutional collaborative activities funded by teaching development and language enhancement grant, 2023-Present.
• Co-Investigator, “Diversity of university engagement across Greater China”, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, General Research Fund, 2019-2021.
• Principal Investigator, “Intercultural Learning Experience Questionnaire: Developing an institution-wide assessment instrument of global and intercultural competence”, The University of Hong Kong, Teaching Development Grant, 2017-2018.
• Co-Investigator, “Learning and assessment for digital citizenship”, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, Theme-based Research Scheme, 2016-2021.
• Principal Investigator, “Advancing the assessment of clinical experiential learning in medical and health sciences education”, The University of Hong Kong, Teaching Development Grant, 2016-2017.

Selected Professional Community Services