Tracy Robinson-Wood, professor of counseling and applied educational psychology, discusses her research regarding mothers' experiences raising children who are racially different from themselves, particularly how mothers talk about race and race related topics with their children.
Deb Franko, a professor of counseling and applied educational psychology, has developed a web application called BodiMojo that helps youth improve their body image and live healthier lives.
Dr. Y. Barry Chung, Professor and Department Chair, was elected
Congratulations to Dr. Chung for being elected President of the Society of Counseling Psychology (American Psychological Association Division 17). He will serve as President in 2011-12.
Dr. Amy Briesch Receives Grant
Congratulations to Dr. Amy Briesch for being awarded $11,655 by the Society for the Study of School Psychology for her research project, "Extending Student Involvement in Self-Managed Intervention."
Dr. Hoffman Receives Summer Grant
Congratulations to Jessica A. Hoffman, Ph.D. for receiving the 2010 Bouvé College Summer Grant Program Award for the entitled grant: "Assessing Preschool Children's Lunchtime Eating Following Food Service Changes at Head Start" amount funded: $5,000.00
Dr. Kruger, the Statesman
Congratulations to Louis Kruger, Ph.D. for his triumph as appointed Chairman of the Senate Agenda Committee
Northeastern Professors Win $1.6 M Grant to Study the Development of Play in Early Childhood and to Produce a Tool to Assess Developmental Delays
The lens of play offers a fuller understanding of learning and development.
The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences recently awarded three Northeastern professors a four-year $1.6 million grant to perform a rigorous assessment of how young children play. The goal of the study is the comprehensive analysis and improvement of the Developmental Play Assessment (DPA), originally constructed by Karin Lifter, into an assessment that serves as a basis for education practice and policy. The research will result in a tool for educators and practitioners to use when assessing children's play skills within the context of determining their broader development.
The three professors who received the award are Karin Lifter, Emanuel Mason, and Takuya Minami of the Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology at Bouvé. Their research shows that the way children play can provide critical insight into the development of a child's unique method of learning.
"Our view is that play provides a window into a child's thoughts and mental capabilities in sequences that we can observe and code through play behaviors,. These analyses are useful for designing effective instructional strategies. We think that play is a 6th domain that should be used to round out the traditional five assessment domains specified in federal law for serving children with delays and disabilities," says Lifter.
Lifter explains that delays and limitations in play often correspond with lags in other learning behavior. For example, the ability of a young child to create relationships between toys in a meaningful way, such as reassembling a simple puzzle, directly corresponds to transitions in language, such as the emergence of first words. Children who don't yet speak tend to display play activities that are limited to activities of taking the puzzle apart. As children develop, more sophisticated play corresponds with a higher level of language and learning skills, she says.
As part of the study, researchers will observe approximately 820 children (with and without identified developmental delays) ranging in age from 8 months to 60 months playing with groups of toys in 30-minute sessions that will be recorded and analyzed. Researchers and practitioners participating in the project will place four groups of toys in front of each child to observe, record, and code the play behaviors. The data will be organized into developmental sequences. Delays, emerging skills, and patterns of play will be identified. A checklist will be generated for each child's progress that will act as an instructional guide for future play sessions.
"This is not about teaching children how to play with toys, but rather using children's play with toys to show us what children know and what they are thinking about in their development," Lifter says. The research will expand and enhance knowledge and instructional interventions for young children who are experiencing delays by providing a cutting edge assessment instrument in a playful but mindful manner.
Dr. Chieh Li Awarded Kenerson Faculty Scholarship
In September 2009, Dr. Chieh Li was awarded the 2009-2010 Kenerson Faculty Scholarship from the Bouvé College of Health Sciences. This scholarship provides Dr. Li an opportunity to expand her current work on improving the mental health of immigrant children in the urban community through interdisciplinary research and teaching activities.
Five Bouvé graduate students from three specialties (school psychology, school counseling, and counseling psychology) volunteered in Dr. Li's community outreach programs in Chinatown during 2008-09. One taught kindergarten English weekly. Another volunteered in family services weekly. The third assisted with Dr. Li's surveys. The rest helped with questions and answers for parents in Dr. Li's workshops. All of the student volunteers reported a tremendous gain in knowledge of and interest in serving culturally and linguistically diverse urban populations. Such faculty-student joint commitment and contributions to urban health are much appreciated by the local communities who wish to establish a long-term collaborative relationship with Northeastern.
Look-out for Children Left Behind by Dr. Louis Kruger!!
Congratulations to Associate Professor and Director of School Psychology, Dr. Louis Kruger, for the media coverage of his documentary Children Left Behind. Dr. Kruger had the honor of discussing the issue of high stakes testing with the Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, at the Governor's Town Hall Meeting this year.
Welcome New Faculty Member
Dr. Amy Briesch will be joining the department this Fall as Assistant Professor in School Psychology. An official Welcome Party will be held on September 13th at 1:00pm.
Congratulations Dr. Hortensia Amaro!
Dr. Hortensia Amaro, Distinguished Professor, Associate Dean, and Director of the Institute for Urban Health Research, will be presented with the James Jones Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Psychological Association at the APA Convention in August, 2009.
