Price Doctoral Fellow Begins Research at the CLC
by Nicole Davis

I am very fortunate to have received the Pauline Price doctoral fellowship. It not only gives me the opportunity to perform research in my area of interest, early identification of learning disabilities, but also supports my developing a deeper understanding early education practices. As a researcher, I am the lucky recipient of a unique opportunity to move from behind my computer and into the field to work among talented professionals with similar interests in preschool-age children. Working alongside them has allowed me the opportunity to play a variety of roles this past year that I never imagined I would have the chance to explore. Each task I perform in the Child Learning Center (CLC) contributes to my growth as a researcher. I would like to acknowledge the Early Childhood (EC) team with whom I work, who have provided support and feedback that has contributed greatly to my growth as a researcher.

Nicole Davis, left, with CLC teacher Amy Thrasher and CLC OT Jennifer Maybee at the 4th annual Price Institute.

Two objectives inform my choice of responsibilities in the CLC. The first is to provide documentation of the practices and achievements of the Pauline Price Program. The second is to establish the CLC as a viable research environment where data can be generated to document practices and achievements. In the fall of 2003, Dr. Lynn Snyder, and I talked about the research that would achieve these goals. Together we decided that I should work on two different research topics for the remainder of the fellowship. I will be investigating how the Storybook Journey training affects facilitators’ beliefs about classroom practices and literacy acquisition in preschool-age children. I will also develop a tool to use with preschool-age children to identify those who may struggle with reading in the later school years.

The CU Human Research Committee has approved the first research project, entitled “Preschool Facilitators’ Beliefs about Classroom Practices”. The purpose of this study is to evaluate change in philosophy of teaching that occurs after Storybook Journey (SBJ) training. In particular, how the training affects the trainees’ beliefs about acquisition of literacy in children. An additional objective is to ascertain the elements of SBJ that are integrated successfully by the trainees into the preschool curriculum. Three groups participate in this project, 97 participants in all. The first group is current masters students registered for the CLC practicum from spring 2004 to spring 2005. The second group is alumni of the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Department at CU-Boulder. Of the 271 surveys I mailed, 88 have been returned with only eight individuals declining participation. The final group of participants is from a training performed by Amy Thrasher and Sue McCord in Missouri on the Storybook Journey in February of 2004. Thirteen individuals from that group agreed to participate in the study. I hope to present the data next year.

The second project I am working on is in the beginning stages. The research goal is to develop a tool that can be used for early identification of reading problems. I will accomplish this goal by developing a measure of receptive and expressive phonological sensitivity to be used with children aged 4 and 5. This project will be used for my doctoral dissertation. The CLC is an ideal environment for the development of the phonological sensitivity measure due to the relationship I have with the CLC preschoolers. In order for the assessment to be a valid and reliable measure of phonological sensitivity, it is important that the test items be recognizable to children between the ages of 4 and 5 years old. Because the children in the preschool are comfortable with my presence in the classroom, I am able to receive honest feedback from them about the items. This open communication would be very difficult if I were working with strangers.

In addition to conducting research, an additional role of mine in the CLC is to work with the team to educate the masters level students about emergent literacy and appropriate developmental practices. This has been a valuable experience for me; through discussing the different elements of literacy with them I have deepened my own knowledge. Their actions, questions and comments trigger my own evaluation of my beliefs and have helped me on my path to become a well-educated and self-reflective researcher.

In addition to everything I discussed above, my plans for the future include working on fundraising for the CLC and giving more research-related talks to the public about the CLC and literacy. Because grantwriting was foreign to me, I attended an ASHA grant writing conference during the spring of 2003. This conference provided me with valuable information, and I am happy to say that several letters will be submitted over the next six months. This summer, Amy Thrasher, Jenny Maybee, and I presented at the Price Alumni Institute on Emergent Literacy research and best practices. Also, Amy Thrasher and I gave a workshop on Interactive Storybook Reading to parents and teachers. In November, I will be speaking about dyslexia at the International Dyslexia Association Conference in Philadelphia.

In conclusion, many opportunities have been given to me by virtue of being the Pauline Price doctoral fellow. This experience will support me in my path to becoming a researcher and an educator. For example, I am learning how to be a contributing member of a transdisciplinary team. This skill will be useful to me throughout my entire career as I work with individuals from different disciplines. In addition, I am gaining important knowledge on research topics in my field that are useful to the parents and children with whom I work. I can honestly say that I better understand how my knowledge can be useful to families of children with needs. It isn’t enough to just do the research; advocacy and support are also needed. I am learning how to offer both of those things. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

Price Welcomes Doctoral Fellow Nicole Davis

Nikki Davis is a third year doctoral student in the departments of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Nikki graduated from Texas A&M University in 1998 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Spanish. After graduating, she moved to Boulder to work as a research assistant in the Reading Orthographic Speech Segmentation (ROSS) lab, run by Dr. Barbara Wise and Dr. Richard Olson. This experience strengthened her knowledge of research methodology and design in the area of reading, and reinforced her interest in pursuing a career in research.

Personal experience drove Nikki to focus her research on learning disabilities, with an emphasis on early identification of these disabilities: her brother has dyslexia, and she has worked with many students who have reading disabilities. These connections have given her the determination to do everything she can to educate people about learning disabilities. Nikki, in collaboration with her advisor, Dr. Lynn Snyder, coordinates the San Marcos Dyslexia Series on the CU campus, which brings in recognized experts each semester to educate the students, faculty and interested public about dyslexia. She is also on the board of the Rocky Mountain International Dyslexia Association, a non-profit, scientific, and educational organization dedicated to the study and treatment of learning disabilities and dyslexia.

Nikki is the recipient of the Pauline Price Fellowship and works in the Child Learning Center (CLC) in the Speech Language Clinic at CU-Boulder. Her role in the CLC is to support graduate students and faculty in the identification, documentation, and development of effective components of the CLC for future dissemination and replication.