A new grant project launched by the Graduate Student Interdisciplinary Research Initiative awarded inaugural funding to 27 graduate students, their faculty and postdoctoral researcher mentors.
Student group launches new research funding opportunity
Doctoral students Sahra Ahmed, Busra Ceviren, Eric McChesney and Marcos Rivera wanted to encourage their peers to discover new solutions to problems.
At the same time, they saw the opportunity for fellow graduate students in the college to gain valuable research experience. With support and funding from Dean Don Pope-Davis, the four founded the Graduate Student Interdisciplinary Research Initiative.
They created an annual grant competition to fund interdisciplinary approaches to research across the college’s five community pillars: early childhood; urban and rural education; health, wellness and economic vitality; science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics; and global engagement.
The first round of grants funded six projects that will engage 27 graduate students with their faculty and postdoctoral researcher mentors.
(Where and) Why Scripted Curriculum? Probing the Geographic Distribution and Rationale for Adoption of Scripted Curricula in Franklin County Schools
Team Members: Julie A. Fitz, Alexandros C. Nikolaidis, Chris Yaluma, Joshua Peri, Amy Keyser
Faculty Mentor: Bryan Warnick, professor of philosophy and history of education
This study will identify elementary and middle schools within Franklin County that use scripted curricula, or prepackaged education materials. They will explore factors related to scripted curricula adoption, particularly student demographics, teacher experience and retention, and school charter or district status. They will conduct in-depth interviewing to determine the rationale for adoption.
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Mapping Linguistic Landscapes in Education
Team Members: Bethany Martens, Xinyue Lu, Mario Martinez Garcia, Joshua Peri, Zac Patterson, Julie Parrott
Faculty Mentor: Peter M. Sayer, associate professor of foreign, second and multilingual language education
This project will use innovative mapping technology to provide a visual representation of multilingual signage in Columbus, Ohio. This map will be used to create an interdisciplinary, pedagogical unit that engages communication among teachers, students and the community in an effort to foster higher-order thinking skills across the K-12 curriculum.
Documenting the Intersectionality of Students with Disabilities from Low-Socioeconomic Status Backgrounds in Higher Education
Team Members: Paul Gregor, Tyler Hallmark, Gretchen Turner, Ishtiaq Ahmed
Faculty Mentor: Laurie Katz, professor of language, education and society
The objective of this project is to better understand the lives of students from low-socioeconomic status backgrounds with disabilities in higher education. This study aims to document the barriers that these students have experienced during the transition to college and during their academic studies. Interviews will be conducted with qualifying students at Ohio State to understand these stories.
Enhancing the Functionality of an Effect-Size Calculator to Account for More Statistical Analyses
Team Members: James Ohisei Uanhoro, Johana Chaparro Moreno, Micah Gerhardt, Chris B.Yaluma
Faculty Mentor: Ann A. O’Connell, professor of quantitative research, evaluation and measurement
Experts in quantitative research methods recommend that researchers report effect sizes to quantify the direction and magnitude of the relations under study. However, popular statistical packages do not return several commonplace effect sizes. This study aims to improve an existing effect-size calculator to make it more relevant to the work of researchers.
Estimating the Impact of Expulsions, Suspensions and Arrests on School Proficiency Rates in Ohio
Team Members: Christopher Yaluma, Michael B. Leonard, Alexis Patrice Little, Racquel L.Armstrong
Faculty Mentor: Karen Stansberry Beard, assistant professor of educational administration
Student removal became a popular form of discipline in K-12 schools during the implementation of zero-tolerance policies in the 1990s. In schools where the practice continues, most cases are for minor and nonviolent offenses. Teachers’ biases and cultural misreadings widen racial disparities in school
discipline and academic performance. This study uses a mixed methods approach to analyze the effects of school discipline policies on proficiency outcomes.
Academic Socialization and Support of Black Graduate Womxn in EHE
Team Members: e alexander, Kristyn Goodwin, Jessica Jorge, Tiffany Steele
Mentors: Lori Patton Davis, professor of higher education and student affairs and chair, Department of Educational Studies; and postdoctoral researchers Kristen J. Mills, Rhodesia McMillian
More research is needed to explore the challenges in navigating predominately white institutions for black graduate womxn. The research team is interested in the holistic support of this population. Through preliminary fact finding, this study aims to investigate the navigation, socialization and needs of black graduate womxn in the College of Education and Human Ecology.
