Collaborative Explorations

Supporting Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Sharing a love of research is essential for our University. We need to attract the best talent while helping future generations learn the intracies of our work.

Undergraduate Research

Students will always find doing research so much more rewarding than simply reading research. As a member of the School of Education I have made a strong commitment to undergraduate researchers.

I have advised three students on their undergraduate honors research theory. Jennifer Rocherfort recently published and defended her thesis in May. Jennifer examined the integration of SMS text messaging program with Gear Up. Using thematic network analysis Jennifer found that parents, guardians, and a students perceived daily messages and tips to be helpful in supporting student academic achievement.

We are currently revising the manuscript for publication. I will be presenting Jennifer’s results at the next annual Gear Up conference. In fact Jennifer was awarded an undergraduate research award grant for her project.

I am also working with Marissa Lenti. She is a special education major interested in the portrayal of children with disabilities in literature. She is currently conducting a content analysis of popular children’s literature titles using a revised matrix analysis technique.

A third student began his thesis but has chosen a different path to completing his graduation requirements.

I also served as an outside reader for Cynthis Federoko who published and presented her research, “Giving a voice to students in urban schools through Rain of Hope, Inc.’s Music Matters” at the Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ.

Graduate Research

I have also worked on the committees of graduate students perusing their doctorate degrees in our Educational Leadership program. The student was working on a dissertation about perceived technology integration in elementary schools. He chose not to finish his degree.

Collaborating with Students

We need to create further opportunities for graduate and undergraduate researchers. Our department is currently exploring the option of creating an educational research class for our Honor’s students.

I will also continue to apply for research grants that will allow for the addition of graduate research assistants.