Articles in refereed journal

Andanen, E., Penney, L., Simpson, A., Anderson, A., & Maltese, A. (2026). Facilitating family engagement in STEM: Using video reflection to develop educator practice. Journal of Museum Education. 
> Advanced online publication: https://doi.org/10.1080/10598650.2025.2612402; Accepted version here

Simpson, A., Tan, J., Penney, L., Anderson, A., & Maltese, A. V. (2026). Rethinking failure as a site for epistemic empathy for educators. Learning, Culture and Social Interactions, 57, Article 100987. 
> Published version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2026.100987; Accepted version here

Simpson, A.,Paul, K., & Ruisi, J. (2025). Failing together: Interactive patterns of problem-solving between youth and educators in informal STEM environments. Thinking Skills & Creativity, 58, Article 101905.
> Published version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2025.101905; Accepted version here

Simpson, A., Anderson, A., Maltese, A. V., Penney, L., & Paul, K. (2025). Co-adapting a reflective video-based professional development in informal STEM education. Education Sciences, 15(3), Article 353.
> Published version: https://doi.org/10.3390/ educsci15030353

Perdew-Kenny, O., Wareham, J., Simpson, A., Penney, L., Anderson, A., & Maltese, A. V. (2025). Making the engineering design process visible: Effects of interventions on caregiver-child interactions. Journal of Museum Education.
> Published version: https://doi.org/10.1080/10598650.2025.2468042; Accepted version here

Simpson, A., Anderson, A., Goeke, M., Caruana, D., & Maltese, A. V. (2025). Identifying and shifting educators’ failure pedagogical mindsets through reflective practices. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(1), 26-40.
> Published version:http://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12658; Accepted version here

Simpson, A., Osterhout, A., Anderson, A., & Maltese, A. V. (2025). Museum educators’ perspective of failure: A collective frame analysis. Curator: The Museum Journal, 68(3), 473-483.
> Published version: https://doi.org/10.1111/cura.12662

Simpson, A., Osterhout, A., Anderson, A., Maltese, A. V., & Ruisi, J. (2024). Co-construction of iteration through failure moments: Interactions between museum educators and visitors. Visitor Studies, 27(2), 184-206.
> Published version:https://doi.org/10.1080/10645578.2024.2400031; Accepted version here
> Screven Award for best paper in Visitor Studies for year 2024

Conference proceedings

Penney, L., Anderson, A., Simpson, A.,Bijur, J., Garcia, D., Maltese, A.V. (2025). Co-constructing research questions with informal practitioners through a networked improvement community. In A. Rajala, A. Cortez, R. Hofmann, A. Jornet, H. Lotz-Sisitka, & L. Markauskaite (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Society of Learning Sciences (pp. 2819-2821), ICLS.
> Conference proceedings https://repository.isls.org/handle/1/11604 and poster

Ruisi, J., Simpson, A., & Paul, K. (2025). Educator-learner interactions in failure-based problem-solving during STEM activities: Patterns in solo and group contexts. In A. Rajala, A. Cortez, R. Hofmann, A. Jornet, H. Lotz-Sisitka, & L. Markauskaite (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Society of Learning Sciences (pp. 2907-2809), ICLS.
> Conference proceedings: https://repository.isls.org/handle/1/11600

Simpson, A., Maltese, A. V., Paul, K., & Penney, L. (2024). Failure in focus: Unpacking the impact of video-based reflections on museum educator practices. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education, Portland, OR.
> Conference proceedings: https://peer.asee.org/46853 and poster

Podcast

Powell, L. (Host). (2024, July 16). The impact of teacher failure mindsets: A conversation with Dr. Alice Anderson and Dr. Amber Simpson [Audio podcast episode]. In Psychology in the classroom. Changing States of Mind in partnership with The British Psychology Society.
> https://changingstatesofmind.libsyn.com/the-impact-of-teacher-failure-mindsets

Conference presentations

Penney, L., Anderson, A., Simpson, A., Bijur, J., Garcia, D., Maltese, A.V. (2025). Co-constructing research questions with informal practitioners through a networked improvement community. Poster presentation at International Society of Learning Sciences.
> Conference proceedings https://repository.isls.org/handle/1/11604 and poster 

Ruisi, J., Simpson, A.,& Paul, K. (2025). Educator-learner interactions in failure-based problem-solving during STEM activities: Patterns in solo and group contexts. Poster presentation at International Society of Learning Sciences. Helsinki, Finland.
> Conference proceedings: https://repository.isls.org/handle/1/11600

Penney, L., Simpson, A., Anderson, A., & Maltese, A. V. (2025). Noticing failure in maker activities: Insights from video reflection. Poster presentation in the poster section entitled Innovative Designs and Novel Lines of Inquiry in Formal and Informal Learning Environments at the annual research meeting of the American Educational Research Association: Denver, CO.

Simpson, A.,Maltese, A. V., Paul, K., & Penney, L. (2024). Failure in focus: Unpacking the impact of video-based reflections on museum educator practices. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education, Portland, OR.
> Poster

Penney, L., Schinasi, Z., Simpson, A., & Maltese, A. (2024). Understanding failure in family-based open-ended engineering design: An exploratory study. . Paper presentation at the annual research meeting of the American Educational Research Association: Philadelphia, PA.

Anderson, A., Todd, KT., Adisa, Z., & Simpson, A. (2023). Found poetry methodology. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Visitor Studies Association: Virtual.

Osterhout, A., Simpson, A., Anderson, A., & Maltese, A. V. (2023). The failure-learning process in informal museum education: A multiple case study. Paper presented at the annual research meeting of the American Educational Research Association: Chicago, IL.

Folwer, C., Daniels, K., De La Paz, D., Spencer, J., Phillips, A., Benedetti, M., & Price K. (2023). Empowering informal educators to support learners during moments of struggle in making and tinkering activities. Full day workshop at the annual meeting of the Association of Science and Technology Centers: Charlotte, NC.

Mayer, M., Simpson, A., Anderson, A., Maltese, A., & Penney, L. (2023). Failure in Making (FiM) – Supporting the professional development, reflection and learning of informal educators. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Science and Technology Centers: Charlotte, NC.
> Poster

Maltese, A. V., Anderson, A., Simpson, A., & Penney, L. (2023). Failure + making = learning? A workshop for researchers and evaluators. Half-day workshop at the Play Make Learn Conference: Madison, WI.
> Slides

Maltese, A. V., Anderson, A., Simpson, A., & Penney, L. (2023). Supporting learners through failure during making: A workshop for maker educators. Half-day workshop at the Play Make Learn Conference: Madison, WI.
> Slides

Mayer, M., Maltese, A., Waldrip, P., Martin, K., Cage, L., & Spencer, J. (2021). Finding the benefit in failure: Supporting professional development, reflection, and learning of informal educators. Presentation at the annual Association of Science and Technology Centers: Virtual.