REsearch Experience

Dr. Lemley’s research examines how children learn from media in both formal and informal contexts, with a particular focus on STEM and computational thinking. She also conducts large-scale evaluations of professional learning programs for educators, generating evidence that directly informs teaching practices, education policy, and product development. Across projects, her approach blends rigorous mixed-methods research with a commitment to accessibility and impact. For a complete list of publications, presentations, and professional activities, download/view her CV.

Selected Research Highlights

Menlo Education Research

As an Education Researcher, I lead evaluations of professional learning models and equity-centered studies of teachers’ classroom experiences post-COVID. Findings translate into applied insights that inform pedagogy, program design, and education strategy for diverse stakeholders.

Northwestern University – Center on Media and Human Development

Led NSF-funded research on how children and parents engage with STEM and computational thinking in media, including a dissertation on culturally inclusive television. Produced actionable recommendations for media producers and educators, and directed studies on podcasts, digital play, and inclusion cues.

SRI International – Education Division

Applied mixed-methods research—including randomized controlled trials, diary studies, and surveys—to evaluate national education initiatives funded by IES, NSF, PBS, and the Gates Foundation. Findings shaped early STEM learning interventions and the Ready To Learn Initiative, guiding funders and practitioners in program and product design.

Breniel Lemley, PhD & Naomi Polinsky, PhD presenting “Building Your Dream House Versus Sorting Shapes: How spatial abilities relate to how children play digital games” at the SRCD Special Topics Meeting: Learning through Play and Imagination.

Breniel Lemley, PhD & Alex Adair, PhD presenting “PBS KIDS ScratchJr Family Creative Learning Workshops: Implementation of a Family Engagement Model in 16 Communities” at the 2019 American Educational Research Association conference.

PUBLICATIONS

Lemley, B., & Aladé, F. (2024). Exploring parents' perceptions of computational thinking and its role in children's television. Future in Educational Research, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/fer3.66

Diouf, F., Lemley, B., Barth, C., Goldbarg, J., Helgenberger, S., Grimm, B., ... & Bonnevie, E. (2022). Mental Health Stigma Reduction in the Midwestern United States: Evidence from a Digital Campaign Using a Collective Impact Model. Journal of Community Health, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-022-01130-3

Polinsky, N., Lemley, B., Flynn, R., Wartella, E., and Uttal, D. (2022), Children’s Spatial Play with a Block Building Touchscreen Application. Frontiers in Educational Psychology. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feduc.2022.871895

Lowental, A., Lemley B., Kipps, A., Brook, M., Moon-Grady, A. J. (2013), Prenatal tricuspid valve size as a predictor of postnatal outcome in patients with severe pulmonary stenosis or pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum. Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy. doi: 10.1159/000357429

Moon-Grady, A. J., Rand, L., Lemley, B., Gosnell, K., Hornberger, L. K. and Lee, H. (2011), Effect of selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation therapy for twin–twin transfusion syndrome on pulmonary valve pathology in recipient twins. Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 37: 27–33. doi: 10.1002/uog.7748

Conference Presentations (Selected)

Lemley, B., Aladé, F., Mesyn, T.J, & Aparício, C. (2025). Parent-child Dyads Respond to Culture and Inclusion cues in a Preschool STEM Television Program. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Denver, CO.

Lemley, B., Aladé, F., Mesyn, T.J, Eddie, A., & Aparício, C. (2024). Exploring Parents’ Perceptions of Computational Thinking and its Role in Children’s TV. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.

Lemley, B., Vogelman-Natan, K., & Wartella, E. (2024). Tuning in to Kidcasts: A Content Analysis of Children’s Podcasts. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.

Aladé, F., Mesyn, T.J., Aparício, C., Lemley, B. (2024). Mistakes Required: A Two-Wave Phenomenological Case Study on Creating Authentically Inclusive STEM TV for Preschoolers. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.

Aladé, F., Lemley, B., Mesyn, T.J., & Aparício, C. (2024) Can Children’s Educational Television Meet the Call for Culturally Responsive Pedagogy? A Dyadic Interview Study. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.

Aladé, F., Lemley, B., & Aparicio, C. S. (2024). Young Children’s Understanding of Culture and Inclusion Cues in STEM Television. Paper presented at preconference entitled “Why Basic Cognitive Developmental Science Needs Diversity: Theoretical Value and Practical Considerations” at the biennial meeting of the Cognitive Development Society, Pasadena, CA.

Vogelman-Natan, K., Lemley, B., & Wartella, E. (2023). We’ll Return After These Messages: A Content Analysis of Advertising in Children’s Podcasts. Presented at the Association of Internet Research Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Mesyn, T.J., Alade, F., & Lemley, B. (2023). “Shaking things up” / “Fear of F***ing Up”: Creating Culturally Inclusive Preschool STEM Television. In Alade, F. (Chair) Designing Media to Support Diverse Children's Learning. [Paper Session] International Communication Association Conference, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Vogelman-Natan, K. & Lemley, B. (2023). Tuning into Kidcasts: A Content Analysis of Children’s Podcasts and Podcast Advertisements. Presented at the 20 Years of Podcasting: Mapping the Contours of Podcast Studies, International Communication Association Pre-conference, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Lemley, B., Aladé, F., Eddie, A., & Mesyn, T.J. (2023). Exploring Black and Latine Parents’ Perceptions of Computational Thinking and its Role in Children’s TV. In Beltran-Grimm, S. (Chair), Children’s Media and Technology: What Context and Content Reveal about children’s development and learning. [Symposium] 2023 Society for Research in Child Development Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.

Aladé, F., Mesyn, T.J., Lemley, B. (2022). Creating with Intention: A Phenomenological Case Study of Crafting Children’s Media with Intentional Inclusivity. In Jennings, N. (Chair), Race, Representation, and Impact: Honoring Children’s PLACE in Media [Symposium] National Communication Association Conference, New Orleans, LA.

Polinsky, N., Lemley, B. Flynn, R., Uttal, D., Wartella, E. (2022). Building Your Dream House Versus Sorting Shapes: How spatial abilities relate to how children play digital games. Presented at the SRCD Special Topics Meeting: Learning through Play and Imagination, St. Louis, MO.

Lemley, B., Christensen, C., Adair, A., Gerard, G. (2019). PBS KIDS ScratchJr Family Creative Learning Workshops: Implementation of a Family Engagement Model in 16 Communities. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, ON.

Christensen, C., Garcia, E., Adair, A., Gerard, G., Lemley, B., Hupert, N. (2018). PBS KIDS ScratchJr Family Creative Learning Workshops: Implementation of a Family Engagement Model in 16 Communities. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Evaluation Association, Cleveland, OH.

Hupert, N., Christensen, C., Lemley, B., Pasnik, S., Vahey, P. (2018). The Role of Mediation in Ready To Learn Children’s Media Research: 2008-2017. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.

Gutierrez, J., Hightower, B., Bookser, B. & Lemley, B. (2015). Preschool-centered design: Creating and selecting websites to suit the cognitive development of preschoolers. In D. Slykhuis & G. Marks (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2015 (pp. 1632-1636). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

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