Research
The Bresnahan-Halstead Center is committed to work for the advancement of knowledge and quality services for people with disabilities through research, professional development, partnership/technical assistance, and scholarships. As part of this mission, the Center is committed to assisting faculty in the School of Special Education at the University of Northern Colorado with research projects aligned with the mission in the form of student stipends. Funding is available to support research of School faculty as well as members of the Bresnahan-Halstead Advisory Board and could include support for a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) for up to 8 hours of work per week. In addition, funding is available to doctoral students in the School to support their dissertation research project.
Instructions for Applying
Recent Research Awards
The Bresnahan-Halstead Center supported research activities of the following faculty members of the School of Special Education at UNC:
- John Luckner: Social-Emotional Interventions with Children and Youth who are Deaf: A Research Synthesis. Awarded GRA assistance (3 hr./wk.) to support project that synthesizes research on interventions on social and emotional learning with children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. This research synthesis allows identification of the interventions that have been effective and interventions that have promise as well as areas where additional research is needed.
- Todd Sundeen: Effects of Instructional Rubrics on the Writing Quality of Secondary Students with and without Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms. The study examines the effects of explicitly teaching an instructional rubric prior to initiation of secondary students’ compositional tasks.
- Robin Brewer: HoloLens Mixed-Reality Simulation: Implementing a Cost-effective Simulation for Preservice Teachers to Practice Supervising Paraprofessionals. The HoloLens system is a software and programming system being developed by UNC/CETL with which Brewer will create a system (using this mixed-reality simulation) specifically for use with teacher candidates in EDSE 443 (approximately 40 per academic year). The goal of this program is for the teacher candidate(s) to become a successful collaborator with paraprofessionals as well as possible expansion for use in other programs.
- Silvia Correa-Torres: Experiences of Students who are Blind/visually Impaired Receiving Services by Disabilities Support Services (DSS) Offices in Higher Education. This study included 15 students (18 years old or older) who are visually impaired, are currently attending institutions of higher education, and are receiving services from the DSS at their institution. After participants were interviewed regarding the services they received (accommodations, modifications, and adaptations) and the services they felt they needed in their educational community, the interviews were transcribed and analyzed to determine themes/categories in the quality of services they received.
- Tracy Mueller: In response to the first-year challenges associated with preparing and collaborating with parents of participants in the GOAL program and the success of an initial professional development session for the parents and staff, a second training was scheduled. Two of the three professionals who conducted the initial session were invited to Colorado to conduct the second session. The training was scheduled to be twofold: (1) GOAL staff would meet with the PD team to discuss the Joyzen training and ongoing parental support; and (2) the PD team would provide parent training along with the GOAL staff.
