Kimberly T. Nesbitt, Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Studies

Kimberly Nesbitt

Primary Investigator, Early Childhood Initiative
Associate Professor
Phone: (603) 862-2159
Office: Human Development & Family Studies, Pettee Hall, Durham, NH 03824
Websites:
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Kimberly Nesbitt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of New Hampshire. Her research focuses on the development of cognition in early childhood, with a focus on identifying instructional practices that enable young children from diverse backgrounds to learn and achieve in early education environments.
 
Dr. Nesbitt has a rich background in multidisciplinary and research-practice partnership and has led large-scale, longitudinal, federal and foundation-funded grants examining issues related to the development and education of young children. She has extensive training in advanced quantitative statistics and field-based and experimental methodologies. 
 
Dr. Nesbitt’s teaching and outreach aim to support early childhood educators through preservice and in-service professional learning. She is dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education through collaborations with schools, community organizations, and state agencies.

Courses Taught

  • HDFS 635: Tch&Lrn Early Childhd Settings
  • HDFS 695: Independent Study
  • HDFS 785: Seminar for Student Teachers
  • HDFS 786: Seminar for Student Teachers
  • HDFS 788: Student Teachng Young Children
  • HDFS 911: Graduate Internship

Education

  • Ph.D., Lifespan Developmental Psychology, North Carolina State University
  • M.S., Lifespan Developmental Psychology, North Carolina State University
  • B.A., Psychology & Human Development and Family Life, University of Kansas

Research Interests

  • Academic Achievement
  • Applied Research
  • At-Risk Children/Youth
  • Child Psychology/Development
  • Cognition
  • Early Childhood Development
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Effectiveness Research
  • Statistics
  • Teacher Education
  • Teacher Effectiveness

Selected Publications

  • Nesbitt, K. T., Blinkoff, E., Gunersel, A. B., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2025). Feasibility and Acceptability of an Active Playful Learning Intervention for Kindergarten Teachers Using Instructional Coaching. Early Education and Development, 36(4), 818-838. doi:10.1080/10409289.2025.2449688

  • Blinkoff, E., Nesbitt, K. T., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2024). Observation of Student and Teacher Behaviors during a Preliminary Active Playful Learning Intervention in Kindergarten Classrooms. Education Sciences, 14(6), 648. doi:10.3390/educsci14060648

  • Nesbitt, K. T., Blinkoff, E., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2023). Making schools work: An equation for active playful learning. Theory Into Practice, 62(2), 141-154. doi:10.1080/00405841.2023.2202136

  • Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., Nesbitt, K., Lautenbach, C., Blinkoff, E., & Fifer, G. (2022). Making Schools Work Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice.

  • Nesbitt, K. T., & Farran, D. C. (2021). Effects of Prekindergarten Curricula: Tools of the Mind as a Case Study. MONOGRAPHS OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 86(1), 7-133. doi:10.1111/mono.12425

  • Coelho, V., Åström, F., Nesbitt, K., Sjöman, M., Farran, D., Björck-Åkesson, E., . . . Pinto, A. I. (2021). Preschool practices in Sweden, Portugal, and the United States. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 55, 79-96. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.11.004

  • Dickinson, D. K., Collins, M. F., Nesbitt, K., Toub, T. S., Hassinger-Das, B., Hadley, E. B., . . . Golinkoff, R. M. (2019). Effects of Teacher-Delivered Book Reading and Play on Vocabulary Learning and Self-Regulation among Low-Income Preschool Children. Journal of Cognition and Development, 20(2), 136-164. doi:10.1080/15248372.2018.1483373

  • Dickinson, D. K., Nesbitt, K. T., & Hofer, K. G. (2019). Effects of language on initial reading: Direct and indirect associations between code and language from preschool to first grade. EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY, 49, 122-137. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.04.005

  • Dickinson, D. K., Nesbitt, K. T., Collins, M. F., Hadley, E. B., Newman, K., Rivera, B. L., . . . Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2019). Teaching for breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge: Learning from explicit and implicit instruction and the storybook texts. EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY, 47, 341-356. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.07.012

  • Toub, T. S., Hassinger-Das, B., Nesbitt, K. T., Ilgaz, H., Weisberg, D. S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., . . . Dickinson, D. K. (2018). The language of play: Developing preschool vocabulary through play following shared book-reading. EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY, 45, 1-17. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.01.010

  • Nesbitt, K. T., Fuhs, M. W., & Farran, D. C. (2018). Stability and instability in the co-development of mathematics, executive function skills, and visual-motor integration from prekindergarten to first grade. EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY, 46, 262-274. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.02.003

  • Lipsey, M. W., Nesbitt, K. T., Farran, D. C., Dong, N., Fuhs, M. W., & Wilson, S. J. (2017). Learning-Related Cognitive Self-Regulation Measures for Prekindergarten Children: A Comparative Evaluation of the Educational Relevance of Selected Measures. JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, 109(8), 1084-1102. doi:10.1037/edu0000203

  • Farran, D. C., Meador, D., Christopher, C., Nesbitt, K. T., & Bilbrey, L. E. (2017). Data-Driven Improvement in Prekindergarten Classrooms: Report From a Partnership in an Urban District. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 88(5), 1466-1479. doi:10.1111/cdev.12906

  • Nesbitt, K. T., Farran, D. C., & Fuhs, M. W. (2015). Executive Function Skills and Academic Achievement Gains in Prekindergarten: Contributions of Learning-Related Behaviors. DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, 51(7), 865-878. doi:10.1037/dev0000021

  • Fuhs, M. W., Nesbitt, K. T., Farran, D. C., & Dong, N. (2014). Longitudinal associations between executive functioning and academic skills across content areas.. Dev Psychol, 50(6), 1698-1709. doi:10.1037/a0036633

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