Psychology Professor Caio Miguel was recently appointed as an associate editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA). As the premier journal for the field of behavior analysis, JABA publishes research about applications of the experimental analysis of behavior to problems of social importance.
The popularity of behavior analysis as a field and the demand for board-certified behavior analysts have increased dramatically over the past several years, given the effectiveness of this form of intervention with individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, especially since the enactment of the California Autism Insurance Law covering this treatment. Miguel teaches in the very popular Applied Behavior Analysis undergraduate and graduate programs in the Psychology Department. These programs are approved by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board.
Jana Noel, Graduate and Professional Studies in Education and Office of Research Affairs, served as Featured Speaker at the Ball State University Summer Institute on Culturally Responsive, Community-Engaged Teacher Education. Her presentation was titled "Community Engaged Teacher Education: Becoming Part of the Fabric of a Community."
Emeritus Professor Theresa Roberts, Child Development, in collaboration with Dr. Patricia Vadasy, has been awarded a $1.5 million dollar research grant from the United States Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. The grant was awarded to determine the most effective methods for teaching the alphabet to English learner and English first language preschoolers from low socioeconomic families. Letter name and letter sound knowledge at the beginning of kindergarten is one of the two best predictors of beginning reading success. Learning the alphabet is challenging for beginners. Many children from at-risk social conditions enter kindergarten with limited alphabet knowledge and science has not determined the best way to teach it. The research will be of benefit to preschool teachers and children. The studies will be conducted in the Twin Rivers Unified School District, located in the Sacramento region.
Head reference librarian Joe Zhou's manuscript based on his previous presentation in a 2014 education conference was accepted on May 4, 2015. The citation reads: Zhou, Jian-zhong. “Introducing Representation Disparity Ratios for Achievement Gap Studies: Asian American's Perspectives.” Occasional Paper Series (Accepted in May 2015)