Seed Grant Recipients

The College of Education and Human Development invited research-active CEHD faculty to submit seed grant research proposals that addressed topics of current interest and consequence.

The seed grant initiative is intended to support new or emerging research projects. Preference is given to interdisciplinary proposals that engage two or more disciplines within (or beyond) the College, AND that will advance plans for scholarly publications and external funding.

SEED Grant Recipients for 2022-23

Baker, C. & Varier, D.
Advancing equitable and ambitious mathematics instruction: An exploration of the impact of mathematics specialists.
The goal of the proposal is to model the impact of K-12 math specialists as they enact district mathematics initiatives grounded in equitable practices in a challenging political landscape;

Brown, E. L., Parker, A., Brown, N., Galetta Horner and Mahatmya
Novice Teachers’ Experiences in Supporting Student Mental Health in Virginia PK-12 Classrooms.
The goal of the proposal is to study how novice (0-3 years) PK-12 teachers’ preparation, professional learning and school-based characteristics inform their knowledge and skills in supporting student mental health.

Green, C., Chalip, L., Liu S., &, McDowell, J.
Differential Impacts of Youth Out-of-School Time (OST) Program Contexts on Developmental Assets.

Goodman, R. D., Vesely, C., Stone, V., & Letiecq, B.
Community-Driven Support for Central American Immigrant Mothers during COVID-19 through the Lens of Intersectional Trauma and Resilience.
The goal of this proposal is to develop a community-driven intervention to “support wellness for undocumented Central American immigrant mothers… [focusing on] intersectional trauma and resilience perspective that attends to both historical stressors and the current context of COVID-19.”

Melchior, S., Talleyrand, R., & Thompson
Creating A Community of Healing for Black Women: Mental Health, Bibliotherapy and Black Feminist Therapy.
The goal of this proposal is to use group counseling sessions to understand the impact of Black Feminist Therapy and Bibliotherapy on the mental health of Black Women.

Park, J. Y. & Zhang, L.
The goal of this proposal is to deploy wearable sensors to detect cognitive states associated with learning during live and virtual classes and to provide an intervention to promote active learning and adaptive teaching.

Tullo, L., Park, K., Danquah-Brobby, P. and Evmenova, A.
Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of Behavior Analytic Interventions for Students in Grades PreK to 8 in Educational Settings.
The goal of this proposal is to conduct a meta-analysis to “explore: (a) what behavior analytic interventions are effective on what educational outcomes, (b) for whom, and (c) under what conditions for students in Grades Pre-K through 8 in educational settings … to address a lack of a common uniform standard of quality to measure the design efficacy of single case designs.”

Meagan Call-Cummings et al.
Advancing Anti-Racist Research at George Mason University: A participatory action research project.

Christan Coogle et al.
“Family-Centered Coaching to Engage Families from Diverse Racial, Cultural, Linguistic, and Socioeconomic Backgrounds Who Have a Child with a Disability”

Margaret Jones et al.
“The impact of COVID-19 upon physical performance and dietary behavior of collegiate student-athletes relative to gender and ethnicity”.

Joel Martin
“The Neuromuscular, Postural and Cognitive Effects of Wearing a Law Enforcement Duty Belt and Trunk-Worn Load”

Minyung Park et al.
“What can big data analytics tell us about undergraduate education experiential learning during pre-pandemic and the pandemic?”

Debra Stroiney et al.
“Exercise is Medicine at Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center, Pilot Program”

Regine Talleyrand et al.
“Promoting Health and Well Being in Marginalized Communities in Northern VA: Next Steps after COVID”

Colleen Vesely et al.
“Towards Equity in Education through Family Engagement: Understanding PK-6 Teachers’ Perspectives of Students and Families during the On-going COVID-19 Health Crisis”

Name of Investigators (Bold indicates PI)	Title of Proposal/Abstract or Summary of Aims
Courtney Baker, Mathematics Education, CEHD Margret Hjalmarson, Mathematics Education, CEHD Nancy Holincheck, Science Education, CEHD Jill Nelson, Electrical and Computer Engineering, VSE	Model-Eliciting Activity Design Considerations to Achieve STEM Integration The aim is to examine the potential for Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) to be designed for STEM integration. The project will bring together national experts in teacher leadership, model- eliciting activities, science and mathematics education to develop a research agenda and plan for future projects for MEAs as part of K-6 STEM learning.
Brenda Bannan, Instructional Technology/Learning Technologies Design, CEHD	Smart City Learning Solutions - Advancing Research and Development This project aims to advance research and development in smart city learning solutions related to moving a complex, initial interdisciplinary research project forward to seek larger amounts of external funding. Two workshops across to support travel of experts to GMU to codify current learning and next generation funding/research directions.
Elizabeth Levine Brown, Human Development and Family Science/Elementary Education, CEHD Linda H. Mason, Ph.D. Special Education, CEHD Tracy Sweet, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland Michael Valenti, Pressley Ridge Schools (Pittsburgh, PA)	Collaborative Communities in Special Education: Exploring How Social Networks and Special Education Teachers’ Social and Emotional Competence Inform Positive Outcomes for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders This project investigates how special education teachers’ social emotional competence is associated with the quality of formal and informal collaborations in self-contained classrooms in schools serving students with EBD. This work informs the movement to establish more inclusive classrooms by identifying the critical competencies educators need to implement effective practices.
Grace L. Francis, Special Education, CEHD Jodi Duke, Special Education, CEHD Mark Thurston, School of Integrative Studies, CHSS & Center for the Advancement of Well-Being Michael Wolf-Branigin, Social Work, CHHS	Developing the “Be Ready, Be Well” Program Prototype: Proof of Concept This proposal aims to (a) develop a prototype of the “Be Ready, Be Well” program, (b) mentor student researchers, (c) foster local and national partnerships, (d) result in peer-reviewed manuscripts and presentations, and (e) establish a proof of concept for the program to secure grant funding to pilot the prototype.
Margaret T. Jones, Health and Human Performance, Kinesiology, CEHD Sina Gallo, Nutrition and Food Studies, CHHS Robyn Mehlenbeck, Psychology, CHSS	Biomarkers of early metabolic disease among young, overweight/obese Latino children: an underserved population Specific Aim 1: Explore novel physiological biomarkers indicative of early metabolic disease (cardiovascular, diabetes, dyslipidemia, liver disease) in young Latino (primarily Central American) children who are overweight/obese. Specific Aim 2: Evaluate anthropometrics (BMI, % body fat) and cardio-metabolic functioning (blood pressure, blood lipids, glucose) in Latino children who are overweight/obese.
Angela Miller, Research Methods, CEHD Michelle Buehl, Educational Psychology, CEHD Dr. Melissa Broeckelman-Post, Communication, CHSS	Context Matters: An Exploration of Epistemic Climate and Motivation in an Undergraduate Communication Course Seeking support for the expansion of a project examining epistemic climate and motivation; next steps are measure refinement and conceptual model building in the spring 2018 semester. Our goal is to pilot an instructor intervention in the fall of 2018 focused on helping instructors to support student motivation, engagement, and epistemic competencies.
Sarah Nagro, Special Education, CEHD Christan Coogle, Early Childhood Education, CEHD Kelley Regan, Special Education, CEHD Kristen O’Brien, Special Education, CEHD	eCoaching Plus Video Analysis: A Comprehensive Approach to Field-Based Special Education Teacher Preparation Leverage interdisciplinary expertise to investigate an innovative, comprehensive teacher preparation approach across both early childhood and schoolage settings in order to use findings from this project to propel a timely and relevant line of research allowing for dissemination through publication, presentation, and securing of external funds.
Anastasia P. Samaras, Elementary, Literacy, and Secondary Education, CEHD Lynne Scott Constantine, School of Art, CVPA Lesley Smith, School of Integrative Studies, CHSS Paula Cristina Azevedo, Secondary Education, CEHD Anya Evmenova, Special Education, CEHD Margret Hjalmarson, Mathematics Education, CEHD Arvinder Johri, Secondary Education, CEHD Allison Ward-Parsons, Literacy and Reading, CEHD	Adjunct Faculty Self-Study Collaborative at Mason: Building a Professional Community with Adjuncts as Faculty Associate Compeers A one-year transdisciplinary self-study professional community for supporting the professional development and teaching of Adjunct Faculty as Associates across Colleges. Addresses immediate and urgent need at Mason. Its transdisciplinary design of both investigators and participants holds great potential for improved student learning and opportunities for large scale research and funding.
Jenice L. View, Transformative Teaching, CEHD Abena A. Aidoo, Tourism and Events Management, CEHD Wendi Manuel-Scott, School of Integrative Studies, CHSS	Learning Historic Places with Diverse Populations: Youth Participatory Action Research to Reinterpret Virginia Historic Sites The specific goals for this project are to examine what happens when select undergraduate students, and rising 7th 8th and 9th grade students who are African American, engage in youth participatory action research (YPAR) to reinterpret historic sites in Virginia and Washington DC. We will explore how YPAR transforms students’ understanding of the past and their perceptions of the present.