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Research in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Research is an important part of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Students and faculty work together to conduct research on a wide variety of topics in laboratories and classrooms. Faculty in CEBS use a variety of methods to investigate questions relevant to counseling, education, leadership, and psychology.

WKU Department of Psychology - Motivation Lab Video Preview

Student Research

Best Practices in Undergraduate Research

Faculty Research Areas & Collaborative Opportunities

Funding Opportunities

Student Research

All CEBS departments have opportunities for student involvement in research, and some offer course credit for research activities. With the help of faculty, students who conduct research in CEBS:

Help design and plan research studies
Collect data from adult and child research participants
Analyze data and test hypotheses
Present research findings at local, national, and international conferences
Publish research findings in peer-reviewed academic journals

WKU students can apply for a $3000 Faculty Undergraduate Student Engagement (FUSE) grant to support their research! See the FUSE website for more information. Visit WKU Student Research for additional information on student funding opportunities.

Video: Psychology graduate student Carrie French discusses the exercise and cognition research she’s conducting in Dr. Steve Wininger’s lab

Best Practices in Undergraduate Research

These resources can guide faculty in their mentorship of undergraduate researchers:

How to Engage Undergraduates in Research

Salient Practices of Undergraduate Resources

Engaging Undergraduates in Publishable Research: Best Practices

Undergraduate Research Teams that Build Bridges, Produce Publishable Research, and Strengthen Grant Proposals

Authorship Guidelines for Collaborative Scholarly Products with Students

Interested in joining the Council on Undergraduate Research? Membership is FREE for WKU faculty and students. Click here for instructions on how to join.

Additional resources to support undergraduate research are available through the WKU Office of Research and Creative Activity.

Funding Opportunities

Student Funding Opportunities

WKU has funding available to support students who are conducting and presenting research, including the Faculty Student Undergraduate Engagement (FUSE) program. FUSE grants provide funding for undergraduate students to conduct research and present their findings at a national conference. FUSE funds can also be used to support faculty travel to accompany FUSE students to their national conference presentations.

Funding opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students are available through various university and departmental mechanisms. For more information, visit WKU Student Research and The Office of Sponsored Programs.

Faculty Funding Opportunities

WKU’s Research and Creative Activities Program (RCAP) is an internal mechanism for funding faculty research. Two levels of funding ($8,000 and $16,000) are available. See the RCAP website for important due dates and seminar schedules. Contact Jenni Redifer or The Office of Sponsored Programs for more information.

CEBS Quick Turn Around Grant (QTAG) funds are awards of up to $3000 to support critical and immediate research needs. Full-time faculty and instructors are eligible for QTAG funds, which must be spent within 90 days of the award date. See the QTAG FAQ or contact Jenni Redifer for more information.

The Office of Sponsored Programs can help faculty find external funding opportunities! Sign up to be notified of opportunities relevant to your interests here.

Faculty Research Areas & Collaborative Opportunities

Faculty Member	Department	Research Area(s)	Methodologies used
Derryberry, Pitt	Psychology	Socio-cognitive development during adolescence and the college years Development of moral judgment and self-understanding	Experimental design Survey research
Duffin, Lisa Research webpage: wku.edu/psychology/research/taq	Psychology	Factors that impact academic quality at the K-16 levels, especially within STEM education The power of beliefs within teaching and learning, with an emphasis on impacting change through intervention	Case studies Experimental design Field studies Mixed methods Qualitative studies Survey research
Dye, Lacretia	Counseling & Student Affairs	Multicultural studies/diversity issues Impact of mindfulness on students (K-12, college) Usefulness of yoga/meditation/mindfulness with varied disorders	Grounded theory Mixed methods Phenomenology Qualitative studies
Evans, Sam	Teacher Education	Affective characteristics of effective teachers Transformative educator preparation Student success Leadership Teacher candidate impact on P-12 student learning	Quasi-experimental designs Survey research Document analysis
Galloway Burke, Monica	Counseling & Student Affairs	Diversity in higher education Career preparation for graduate students Impact of social issues on society Helping skills for working with college students	Experimental design Focus groups Mixed methods Survey research
Grieve, Rick	Psychology	Male body image Sport fan behavior	Experimental design Field studies Focus groups Qualitative studies
Houchens, Gary Research webpages: schoolleader.typepad.com works.bepress.com/gary-houchens	Educational Administration, Leadership, & Research	School leadership School improvement Education policy How teacher perceptions of academic conditions in their schools can be used to predict student achievement outcomes and help shape school improvement efforts	Case studies Qualitative studies Survey research
Huang, Xiaoxia	Teacher Education	Instructional design and technology Designing and evaluating technology-supported learning environments in various settings to facilitate cognitive, affective, and motivational processes in learning.	Experimental studies Survey research Case studies Focus groups Mixed methods
Keesey, Sue	Teacher Education	Literacy instruction for struggling/diverse learners Culturally relevant pedagogy/instruction Behavioral strategies for promoting student learning Phonemic awareness	Single case design
Lockwood, Adam	Psychology	Evidence-based assessment in special education and school psychology The impact of educators’ perceptions on practice Strategies for increasing inclusion for students with disabilities Psychometrics	Survey research Mixed methods Instrument development
Myers, Carl	Psychology	Assessment of autism Validity of behavior rating scale assessments	Experimental design Single case design Survey research
Noel, Christina	Teacher Education	Positive behavior supports Students with autism spectrum disorders International education experiences	Single case design
Norman, Tony	Educational Leadership Doctoral Program Psychology	Program Evaluation Accreditation and Assessment Educational Leadership	Focus groups Mixed methods Qualitative studies Survey research
Ochs, Sarah	Psychology	Identifying youth at risk for academic, behavioral, and mental health concerns Using technology to improve screening and assessment systems for youth Exploring how assessment systems function differently across diverse populations
Paganelli, Andrea Research webpage: andreapaganelli.com	Teacher Education	Innovative Library Practices Technology in the Teacher Education Technology in the Classroom Digital Storytelling eBooks Makerspaces Coding for Kids	Case studies Discourse analysis Qualitative studies
Paquin, Tony	Psychology	Cross-cultural issues related to improving effectiveness in organizations Cross cultural issues related to date rape Inter-rater agreement	Experimental design Field studies Focus groups Mixed methods Survey research
Redifer, Jenni Research webpage: wku.edu/psychology/research/aml	Psychology	Cognitive strategy instruction Working memory capacity and strategy use Impact of cognitive load on performance Creative problem-solving	Experimental design Mixed methods Survey research
Sauerheber, Jill	Counseling & Student Affairs	Self-efficacy of counseling trainees Marital satisfaction Relationships among marital satisfaction, political ideology and religious strength	Survey research
Smith, Kandy	Teacher Education	Response to Intervention (K-12) Adolescent literacy	Case studies Focus groups Qualitative studies
Stobaugh, Rebecca	Teacher Education	Integration of technology into P-12 education Critical thinking in P-12 classrooms Teaching strategies High-impact teaching strategies Assessment of learning in P-12 classrooms	Mixed methods Survey research
Szymanski, Antonia	Teacher Education	Teacher professional development Gifted education K-12 student motivation Differentiation Mathematics Mindfulness	Case studies Focus groups Mixed methods Phenomenology Qualitative studies Survey research
Tassell, Janet Research webpage: researchgate.net/profile/Janet_Tassell	Teacher Education	Math Mindfulness Math Anxiety Productive Struggle Gifted Math Children and Strategies Real World Learning Framework Video Gaming Impact on Math Achievement Math Comic books	Case studies Experimental design
Thornberry, Tim	Psychology	Evidence-based practice of psychology with children and families Analog behavior observations of children and families in clinical settings Factors influencing public health, rural health, and behavioral health initiatives (e.g., smoking cessation, pediatric obesity, substance misuse)	Case studies Experimental design Focus groups Mixed methods Survey research
Wininger, Steve Research webpage: wku.edu/psychology/research/motivation	Psychology	Motivation and performance psychology within the contexts of exercise, sport, and performance (e.g., music or teaching). Attention/mindfulness (esp. technology, music, physiological symptomology, silence, and multi-tasking) Arousal/stress/anxiety Goal setting (esp. within the larger process of self-regulation) Common myths in psychology, specifically relating to cognition (e.g., learning styles or multi-tasking), motivation (e.g., praise or rewards), and stress.	Experimental design Mixed methods Survey research Instrument development
Wolf, Cheryl	Counseling & Student Affairs	Career development College & career readiness Wellness and self-care Diversity and multicultural spirituality Applied research with community members, schools, business leaders, to improve processes and training	Focus groups Grounded theory Mixed methods Survey research
Zhao, Qin	Psychology	Impact of metacognitive and motivational processes on performance and psychological well-being Cultural differences in metacognitive beliefs and performance outcomes of such differences.	Experimental design Survey research Field studies

For additional information about our research, see the faculty profiles in Counseling & Student Affairs, Educational Administration, Leadership, & Research, the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program, Psychology, and Teacher Education. To learn more about research collaboration opportunities in the College of Education & Behavioral Sciences, contact Jenni Redifer, Assistant to the Dean for Research.

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Research in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences