RESEARCH: DISCOVERIES FOR TRANSFORMATION
The College of Education is a statewide leader in research that informs teaching, counseling and higher education while promoting a more equitable future for all students and clients. Our scientific, cutting-edge techniques help to inform educational policy throughout Oregon and the United States.
AREAS OF FOCUS
CURRENT RESEARCH
Working to Enhance Emotional Wellness of College Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Dr. Olivia Lewis and colleagues are working to increase counselor competency and understanding of students working in IPSE (inclusive post-secondary education) programs. An IPSE is a college or university program that assists those with an intellectual or developmental disability so they can attend college with their peers. Dr. Lewis's research team is adding to the literature on counseling best practices and identifying areas where more work is needed to enhance student well-being while enrolled in an IPSE program.
New Research on Identity-Based Bullying Interventions
With a focus on action research and collaboration in K-12 schools, Dr. Molly Moran has spearheaded initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for historically marginalized students. Working with graduate students, educators, and colleagues, Dr. Moran has published research on identity-based bullying interventions and strengths-based culturally responsive approaches to improve student well-being. Her recent publication highlights the importance of understanding the key developmental processes of adolescents and the role of protective factors in fostering resilience.
In-Person vs. Telemental Health Examines the Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Dr. Kok-Mun Ng's research focus is on post-modern counseling approaches, such as solution-focused brief therapy and narrative therapy. The publication Therapeutic Working Alliance in Brief Therapy with College Students: In-Person vs. Telemental Health originated from a collaborative project with Dr. Jocelyn Novella, Dr. Ng's doctoral advisee. This research article, one of two publications stemming from Jocelyn’s dissertation, examines the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy in addressing college students' mental health needs within the context of online counseling.
A New Book Offers Lesson to Help Teachers Design Equity-Focused Discussions for Multilingual Learners
Critical Dialogic TESOL Teacher Education: Preparing Future Advocates and Supporters of Multilingual Learners is a new book edited by Dr. Amanda K. Kibler (pictured left) and Dr. Fares J. Karam, a faculty member with the University of Nevada, Reno (pictured below). The book offers lessons for university faculty to help them prepare teachers to design and facilitate rich, challenging, and equity-focused classroom discussions for multilingual learners.
This edited volume showcases how teacher educators around the world engage with critical and dialogic approaches to prepare TESOL professionals. Language teachers are at the forefront of supporting the academic and social needs of increasingly ethnically and linguistically diverse student populations around the globe, and preparing critical and dialogic TESOL teachers with social justice orientations is essential to helping language learners fulfil their academic and linguistic potential. Although more experienced TESOL teachers may be able to agentively implement critical and dialogic approaches to instruction, we know little about what TESOL teacher educators do to help train and prepare language teachers who can do exactly that.
In this volume, TESOL educators from various contexts share their experiences on how they engage with critical and dialogic approaches to reimagine TESOL teacher education.
Chapter authors engage with different aspects of critical and dialogic approaches to present their visions for reimagining curricula, pedagogies, online spaces, and the roles of students, teachers, and teacher educators.
The authors build upon the idea of critical dialogic education (CDE: Kibler et al., 2020) which emphasizes the need for dialogic and discourse-rich classroom practices that are also embedded in a critical perspective that foregrounds equity as a primary goal.
Studio as a Catalyst for Incremental and Ambitious Teacher Learning
Dr. Rebekah Elliott (OSU) and Dr. Sara A. Roberts (University of California, Santa Barbara), have authored Studio as a Catalyst for Incremental and Ambitious Teacher Learning. This article challenges the notion of dichotomous professional learning that either supports ambitious or incremental teacher learning. The authors discuss how Studio, a professional learning model used in their research supporting detracked and multilingual mathematics departments, offers critical structures and practices for teachers’ incremental learning of ambitious and equitable instruction. Their paper was selected for an Educational Sciences (ES) special issue.
A New Study Supports the Development of Teacher Candidates' Teaching Practice
As institutions grapple with preparing educators for the complexities of today’s classrooms, Embedded Mediated Field Experiences (e-MFEs) offer a promising approach. e-MFEs represent a shift toward integrating university methods coursework with authentic classroom practice. This model provides teacher candidates with immediate opportunities to apply their learning in classroom settings. A study entitled Supporting the Development of Teacher Candidates’ Teaching Practice through Embedded Mediated Field Experiences was conducted by Dr. Melinda Knapp and colleagues and demonstrated that teacher candidates gained a deepened understanding of core teaching practices though the use of e-MFEs.
New Approach Helps School Counselors Assess Suicide Risks in K-12 Students
Preparing School Counselors for Culturally Informed Suicide Response, a special journal issue on school counselor training, was published to coincide with National Suicide Prevention Month (September). Authors Dr. Lucy Purgason (OSU) and Drs. Emily C. Brown and Mary Edwin (both of University of Missouri - St. Louis) draw on two theoretical models to offer practical approaches for building self-awareness, teaching culturally responsive practices, and enhancing suicide assessment skill development. Their research aims to improve mental health support for youth in K-12 schools, a key aim of Dr. Purgason's research agenda.