Yi Song is a senior research scientist in the ETS Research Institute. She received her Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on durable skills, including critical thinking, argumentation, self-regulated learning, and collaboration, across assessment, intervention design, and theoretical frameworks. Since joining ETS in 2012, Yi has been leading a variety of research projects on scientific argumentation, collaborative learning, and scenario- and conversation-based assessments that capture complex cognitive and social processes. In her recent research, Yi strategically leverages emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to support learning, provide feedback, and develop innovative assessment approaches for skills such as argumentation, perspective-taking, and self-regulation.
Yi has also led a completed Institute of Education Sciences (IES)-funded project as principal investigator focused on assessing and supporting the development of middle school students’ argumentation skills (R305A190242), and currently serves as co-principal investigator on another IES-funded project designing AI tools to support students’ scientific argumentation skills (R305A240356).
Yi has rich experiences collaborating with researchers, assessment specialists, technology developers, teachers, and students across secondary and postsecondary contexts. Her research draws a range of methodologies, such as interviews, cognitive labs, pilot studies across multiple classrooms, and large-scale studies involving hundreds of students. She has a productive record of designing innovative assessments and learning activities and disseminating her research through peer-reviewed publications and professional presentations.
Last updated: 1/23/2026