Current Research:

The following projects are supported by Watson College of Education research grants:

1. Males in the Elementary Education Profession—Challenges and Rewards. The Watson College of Education is the 3rd largest teacher education program in North Carolina. Our elementary education department is the largest at the WCE. A small minority of our elementary education majors are male. What are the early indicators of the challenges and rewards of teaching specific to males in an elementary education program? What are the factors perceived by male interns that make the successful completion of the program more likely? How do female and male interns perceive these challenges differently (or alike)? Do these challenges persist into the first years of teaching? Do male and female elementary teachers reflect on the challenges and rewards of teaching differently?

2. Access to Culturally Relevant Children’s Literature. This study examines the accessibility of culturally relevant children’s literature in one elementary school, designated as Title 1 due to high poverty demographic population, using both the school and classroom libraries as access points. How do classroom teachers build their classroom libraries? What resources in the community influence their choices? How do classroom teachers and school libraries use these resources in serving the school population?