Involvement

We have undergraduate research assistants (RAs) and interns who work closely with the research coordinator and principal investigator to support all aspects of the research process. Our RAs and interns attend project meetings and work with the team on tasks including preparing surveys for data collection, transcribing interview data, processing collected data, conducting literature reviews, translating empirical papers to PowerPoint, and more. We are looking for students who are organized, responsible, and interested in our area of research. We aim to help our RA’s and interns develop the core competencies to prepare them for graduate school and research-oriented careers including: scientific knowledge, research skills, communication, leadership and management, professionalism, responsible conduct of research, and career development. Experience in scientific writing and publications is preferred but not required.

Time commitment and Responsibilities

1. RA’s are required to work 6hrs/wk. in the lab and will assist with a variety of research tasks.
2. Interns are required to work 25hrs/wk. in the lab and must be intending to pursue a PhD program. Interns will work alongside RAs with similar tasks but will work more closely with grad students, principal investigators, and the research coordinator to assist in writing at least 1 manuscript for publication in a high-impact journal.

Brief Description of our Research Projects

Available opportunities are constantly changing as new projects are funded and we collaborate with other peers. Here is a list of the current ongoing projects:

Institute of Education Science (IES) Second Step: Evaluation of the K-5 Second Step Social-Emotional Learning Program & Bully Prevention Unit: Impact on Youth with and At-Risk for Disability Identification
This project evaluates the effectiveness of the K-5 Second Step Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program, along with its Bully Prevention Unit, focusing on students with or at risk for disability identification. The research aims to measure the program’s impact on students’ behavioral and academic outcomes, particularly among vulnerable groups, and assess how well the program fosters social-emotional development and reduces bullying incidents.

Potential tasks: Data collection from participating schools; Prepare graphs and spreadsheets to portray results; Create presentation slides and posters to help researchers present findings; Conduct literature reviews; Check citations, proofread, and edit research documents to ensure accuracy.

Institute of Education Science (IES) Initial Efficacy Trial of Disability Anti-Bullying Training for Elementary, Special, and General Education Teachers (PROJECT DIAL)
This trial investigates the impact of specialized anti-bullying training for teachers in elementary, special, and general education. The training aims to raise teacher awareness of bullying targeted at students with disabilities, improve their confidence (self-efficacy) in intervening, and positively influence student outcomes. The project examines both teacher and student-level outcomes to determine the efficacy of the training

Potential Tasks: Developing, distributing, and analyzing teacher surveys to assess bullying awareness and efficacy post-training; Assisting in coordinating and organizing teacher training sessions; Conducting qualitative interviews or focus groups with teachers and assisting in transcription and coding of data.
School Environment as a Social Driver of Youth Mental Health Trajectories in Mwanza, Tanzania: This research focuses on how school environments in Mwanza, Tanzania, influence youth mental health trajectories. The study examines the social dynamics within schools, such as peer relationships and teacher-student interactions, and how these factors contribute to students’ long-term mental health. The project aims to inform interventions that support youth mental health in low-resource settings.

HUMANA Participatory Social Network Analysis to Examine Social Connections and Identify Peer Leaders to Prevent Suicide in School-Aged Children
This study uses participatory social network analysis (SNA) to map the social relationships of school-aged children to identify peer leaders. The goal is to leverage these peer leaders to prevent suicide by increasing mental health awareness and support within the school community.

American Institute of Research (AIR) SEL Meta-Analysis Project
An AIR-funded project in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®), the Methods of Synthesis and Integration Center (MOSAIC) at AIR and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) to inform debates pertaining to social and emotional learning (SEL) policymaking and create practical technical assistance (TA) products concerning nondominant cultures and backgrounds. The project conducts a race-and-place-centered participatory evidence synthesis by engaging 18 SEL stakeholders representing the viewpoints of district leaders, teachers, university researchers, program developers, and youth who participated in SEL programs.

Potential tasks: Conduct meta-analysis research tasks, create transformative SEL curriculum, work study positions for current undergraduate students to collaborate on SEL curriculum building.

Department of Education TQP DREAM Grant
A 5-year grant awarded by the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) Program for the “Diverse and Resilient Educators Advised through Mentorship” (DREAM) project which seeks to recruit, educate and place 40 diverse teachers into high-needs schools in Durham and provide them with a unique set of mentoring and other supports to help them thrive during their first years and then persist in the profession. This grant was awarded to several members of the UNC School of Education, who we are partnering with to develop the social-emotional learning curriculum MAT students will receive in the DREAM project.

If you’re interested in joining the lab, please contact Dr. Dorothy Espelage at espelage@ad.unc.edu or Lab Coordinator (anahi@ad.unc.edu). Applications for Fall 2024 are currently closed, thanks for your interest and email with any questions!