Research
I hold a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology as well as a teaching degree in Geography and Education from the Universities of Münster and Landau (Germany). In my doctoral research, I investigated teacher judgment accuracy in classroom contexts and the factors that foster or hinder accurate judgments. This work builds on extensive evidence highlighting the crucial role of accurate teacher judgments for adapting instruction to students’ individual learning needs and prior knowledge.
At Karlstad University, I extend this line of research by examining how curricula and teacher education need to evolve to better address students’ individual needs, prior conceptions, and emotional responses in the face of current societal and environmental challenges, particularly climate change. I argue that educational adaptation processes must systematically consider the wide range of emotional dimensions connected to the Anthropocene and perceptions of an uncertain future. This requires both interdisciplinary perspectives and subject-specific reflection. I am especially interested in the role Geography as a school subject can and should play in this context.
In my postdoctoral project, I explore the potential of future visioning approaches in Geography education to foster students’ sense of agency. This includes investigating how systemic knowledge, hope, and self-efficacy can be developed as key prerequisites for shaping sustainable and flourishing futures in times of profound transformation.
Core research areas:
- Geography education and its potential to address central challenges of the Anthropocene (e.g., climate change)
- Cognitive and psychological dimensions of teaching and learning, particularly in the context of societal and environmental transformation
- Education and Bildung in the Anthropocene
Ongoing research project:
Climate Game Changers - Gamification for the empowerment to adapt to climate change (2025-2026), funded by the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) and the Swedish-Japanese research collaboration network MIRAI.
Collaboration
Selected publications
Bhowmik, C.V. (2026, forthcoming). Through the Emotional Lens: Connecting Students, Teachers and Content in the Face of a Planetary Emergency. In Bhowmik, C. V., & Popa, N. (Eds.), Re-Framing Bildung in Light of the Anthropocene: Educational Perspectives Within, Across and Beyond School Subjects. Springer.
Bhowmik, C.V. & Gren, M. (2026, forthcoming). Toward Planetary Geo-Bildung for Habitability: Rethinking Geography in the Anthropocene. In Bhowmik, C. V., & Popa, N. (Eds.), Re-Framing Bildung in Light of the Anthropocene: Educational Perspectives Within, Across and Beyond School Subjects. Springer.
Popa, N. & Bhowmik, C.V. (2026, forthcoming). Education in a Time of Planetary Crisis: Rethinking Bildung, School Subjects, and Human Flourishing — An Introduction. In Bhowmik, C. V., & Popa, N. (Eds.), Re-Framing Bildung in Light of the Anthropocene: Educational Perspectives Within, Across and Beyond School Subjects. Springer.
Bhowmik, C.V., Back, M.D., Schrader, F.-W. & Nestler, S. (2025). Towards a Better Understanding of Teacher Perceptual Processes in the Classroom: A Lens Model Approach. In: Adaryukov, J., Collsiöö, A., Hamm, R. M., Kaufmann, E., Molinaro, K.A., & Salmen, K. (Eds.) The Brunswik Society Newsletter, 40. 24-27.
Bhowmik, C.V., Nestler, S., Schrader, F.-W., & Back, M.D. (2024). Appearing smart, confident and motivated: A lens model approach to judgment accuracy in an educational setting. Social Psychology of Education, 28(1), 1-34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-025-10057-1
Bhowmik, C.V. (2024). Towards a better understanding of teacher accuracy: An integrative approach. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany].
https://doi.org/10.26204/KLUEDO/8521
Bhowmik, C.V., Nestler, S., Schrader, F.-W., Praetorius, A.-K., Biesanz, J., & Back, M.D. (2021). Teacher judgment accuracy at zero-acquaintance: A social accuracy analysis. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 65, 101965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.101965
Bhowmik, C.V., Schrader, F.-W., Back, M. D., & Nestler, S. (2021). An application of the lens model to the educational context. In: Adaryukov, J., Collsiöö, A., Hamm, R. M., Kaufmann, E., Molinaro, K.A., & Salmen, K. (Eds.) The Brunswik Society Newsletter, 36. 24-27.
Santos P.B., Bhowmik C.V., & Gurevych I. (2020) Avoiding Bias in Students’ Intrinsic Motivation Detection. In: Kumar V., Troussas C. (Eds.) Intelligent Tutoring Systems. ITS 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 12149, (pp. 89-94). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49663-0_12