InterestsAI in education · human–AI interaction · AI-assisted writing · proxy efficacy · agency, reliance & control · mixed-methods learning research
01 Education
Ph.D. in Education — University of Southern California, Rossier School of Education2024 – present
Advisors: Stephen J. Aguilar (primary), Erika A. Patall (secondary)
M.A. in Educational Studies — University of Michigan2022 – 2023
Advisor: Christopher Quintana
B.A. in Spanish — Shanghai International Studies University2016 – 2020
Study Abroad — Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid2019 – 2020
02 Honors & Awards
University of Michigan Graduate Fellowship2022 – 2024
China Scholarship Council (CSC) Scholarship · undergraduate2018 – 2019
03 Publications
Peer-reviewed
1Liu, X., Xing, Y., Chen, Y., Pei, W., Choi, J., & Xu, Y. (2025). Children’s narrative participation in story co-creation with AI vs. human partners: Response styles and narrative features. In Proceedings of the ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference (IDC 2025). ACM.
2Swartout, W. R., Nye, B. D., Shiel, A., & Xing, Y. (2026). Rethinking education in the age of AI. In Proceedings of the 39th International FLAIRS Conference (FLAIRS 2026). (Invited.)
3Xiu, R. L., Aguilar, S. J., Macías, A. J., Xing, Y., Al-Sulaiti, R., Junjunia, M., & Talha Jebril, S. (2026). An exploratory cross-national study of K–12 teachers’ generative AI literacy and classroom enactment. Education Sciences, 16(5), 811. doi.org/10.3390/educsci16050811
Reports & preprints
4Aguilar, S. J., Nye, B., Swartout, W. R., Macias, A., Xing, Y., & Xiu, R. L. (2025). How students and teachers worldwide are adapting to AI. USC Center for Generative AI and Society (EdArXiv preprint). doi.org/10.35542/osf.io/wr6n3_v2 — authored the ABE chapter, “Promoting Critical Thinking with an AI Coach for Argumentative Writing.”
Manuscripts under review
5Xing, Y., & Aguilar, S. J. (under review). Predicting students’ confidence in using generative AI.
04 Conference Presentations
1Xing, Y., Aguilar, S. J., Nye, B., Swartout, W., & Shiel, A. (2025, October). Early insights on promoting critical thinking with an AI coach for argumentative writing. Connected Learning Summit, Irvine, CA.
2Liu, X.*, Pan, E. Z.*, Xing, Y., Choi, J., Meng, H., Chen, Y., Pei, W., & Xu, Y. (2025, April). Exploring narrative structures and elements in children’s collaborative storytelling with AI and humans. Roundtable, AERA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO. (*co-first authors.)
05 Research Experience
Research Assistant — AI for Brainstorming & Editing (ABE)Nov 2024 – present
USC + ICT
Advisors: Benjamin Nye, Stephen J. Aguilar
- Built an inductive codebook and thematically coded college students’ experiences with an AI writing coach across writing-intensive courses.
- Ran multiple-regression models (Stata) linking UTAUT and writing-motivation constructs to students’ intent to adopt the tool.
Research Assistant — College Student Survey on Generative AIAug 2024 – present
USC
Advisor: Stephen J. Aguilar
- Designed survey instruments measuring academic proxy efficacy, self-efficacy, and emotional perception around generative AI.
- Planned and conducted analyses using multiple regression, ANOVA, and structural equation modeling (Stata).
Research Assistant — Children’s Story Co-Creation with Conversational AISep 2023 – present
University of Michigan
Advisor: Ying Xu
- Co-developed a narrative-analysis codebook; transcribed and coded children’s narrative responses.
- Conducted multilevel regression and ANOVA analyses (R) comparing AI and human story partners.
Research Assistant — Teaching & Course-Evaluation StudiesApr 2023 – Jun 2024
University of Michigan
Advisor: Matthew Ronfeldt
- Measures of Effective Teaching (MET): coded K–12 classroom videos to a standardized rubric; ran multiple-regression analyses (Stata) on teaching practices.
- Course Evaluation Project: analyzed student-evaluation-of-teaching (SET) data (Stata); surfaced patterns of gender and racial bias across instructor, course, and department characteristics.
06 Teaching Experience
Teaching Assistant — EDUC 599: AI and Learning Technologies · M.Ed. in Learning Design & Technology, USCFall 2025
Instructor: Stephen J. Aguilar
- Co-designed course materials and learning artifacts — lecture slides and in-class activities.
- Delivered class presentations and mentored students through AI-augmented learning-environment prototypes.
- Graded assignments and held weekly office hours.
07 Skills & Languages
- Quantitative
- Multiple regression · ANOVA · multilevel / hierarchical models · structural equation modeling (SEM) · survey & psychometric instrument design · machine learning. Tools: Stata, R, Python.
- Qualitative
- Inductive & deductive codebook development · thematic analysis · narrative analysis · interview / transcript coding · inter-rater reliability. Tools: Rayyan.
- Languages
- Chinese (native) · English (fluent) · Spanish (fluent)