research Archives - College of Education News

College of Education News

Dr. Tammi Davis featured in Mind’s Eye

by

Congratulations to Dr. Tammi Davis for her recent feature in Mind’s Eye magazine. Davis is associate professor in the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences at Missouri State University.

As an educator with over 20 years of experience — including 10 years as a teacher educator — Davis has prioritized her research to study the experiences of new teachers.

Congratulations Dr. Davis!

The full story is now available online.

Excerpt:

During the course of her research, Dr. Tammi Davis has found there is a lack of guidance and support for teachers in the early years of their careers.

“The first few years are a crucial time in the development of novice teachers,” said Davis, associate professor in the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences at Missouri State University. “They need mentorship and support to help guide them so they’re not navigating it all alone.” 

Evidence shows formal mentorship provides teachers with the support they need for their professional development. But there is little research on the implementation and effectiveness of formal mentorship programs, and it is not standardized across the U.S. 

“Many states that require teachers to have mentors don’t have high quality mentorship programs,” Davis said. “Some states don’t require mentors at all.”  

Read the full story

Dr. Jennice McCafferty-Wright selected for a Fullbright-Hays summer fellowship abroad

by

Join us in congratulating Missouri State University’s Dr. Jennice McCafferty-Wright on being selected for a summer 2024 fellowship to Tanzania-Zanzibar hosted by the School of International Training.  

“Tuko Pamoja: Tanzanian Creativity and Perspectives in an Era of Climate Change,” is funded by a Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad grant from the Department of Education. Only six U.S. professors were selected for this incredible opportunity. 

“I’m so grateful my colleague Dr. Sarah Nixon forwarded the application to me,” said McCafferty-Wright, assistant professor in the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences. “Schools, communities, coral reefs, Kilimanjaro, nature reserves, an introduction to Swahili — this promises to be an incredibly memorable journey!” 

The five-week fellowship will focus on providing ways for educators to bring African perspectives into their classrooms when discussing climate change. This connects to the work she has begun as an MSU sustainability fellow. 

“I’m most excited about the opportunity to learn from and with educators and researchers in Tanzania-Zanzibar,” McCafferty-Wright said. 

In this fellowship, she will hear from a wide variety of voices, ranging from Tanzanian policymakers to smallholder farmers in the Maasai community.  

“International relationships and experiences can help us think about our work in a more complex way,” McCafferty-Wright said. “The work I’m doing will also help me establish collaborative relationships for projects that will ultimately benefit our students.” 

Discover more about Education Programs

Dr. Nicole West featured in Mind’s Eye

by

Join us in congratulating Dr. Nicole West on her feature story in the 2024 issue of Mind’s Eye magazine. West is associate professor and assistant director for the School of Special Education, Leadership and Professional Studies at Missouri State University.  

Her research focuses on studying and creating safe spaces for women on college campuses, a term she coined as “professional counterspaces.” 

Congratulations Dr. West!

The full story is now available online. 

Excerpt:

Universities should be a safe place where students, faculty and staff feel comfortable. Black women, however, often face isolation, underrepresentation and marginalization.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in fall 2020, Black women comprised less than 5% of faculty, 10% of student affairs administrators and 9% of students at degree-granting institutions in the U.S.  

West is one of only seven tenured Black women professors at Missouri State.

A job shift (from a university administrator to faculty) left West searching for a new community of colleagues. She was inspired to keep studying and creating safe spaces for women on college campuses, a term she coined as “professional counterspaces.” 

A cross between a professional development program and a support group, professional counterspaces benefit marginalized individuals, like Black women in higher education, academically, professionally and personally. 

READ THE FULL STORY

Congratulations, Dr. Lewis

by

The research of Dr. Kayla Lewis has been selected for the 2023 issue of Mind’s Eye, a Missouri State University research publication. Lewis is an associate professor of literacy. 

Her research delves into how children’s books can help combat misinformation and educate the youth about Native American heritage.   

The following is an excerpt from the story:   

The lack of proper education about native heritage contributes to racism and reinforces stereotypes.   

“Children’s books can help combat these issues by providing an outlet for teachers to honor, support and teach native heritage,” Lewis said.   

“They can also help preserve endangered indigenous languages.”   

She partnered with her former professor and longtime friend, Dr. Sarah Nixon, another MSU literacy professor. Together, they curated a collection of books for teachers to use in their curriculum.   

The duo evaluated 95 children’s books from their personal and local libraries. The books were fiction or non-fiction written by or about Native Americans.   

Read the full article online 

Dr. Kewman Lee featured in Mind’s Eye magazine

by

Dr. Kewman Lee studies modern communication to understand language development. His most recent research into spontaneous language creation in global online spaces is featured in the 2022 issue of Mind’s Eye.   

The full story is available on the site now.  

Here is an excerpt:  

In his research, Lee observed a website called Asianfanfics.com. Here, Korean pop music (K-pop) fans write and share stories about K-pop icons and celebrities. 

“Contributors create their own social language spontaneously. There is intrinsic motivation to learn the language to become an insider of the group,” Lee said. “It is quite similar to the history of the development of language thousands of years ago.” 

The conditions for this modern, spontaneous social language creation are unique. 

“English speakers use the translanguaging of English and Korean or the K-pop social language. Some Spanish speakers or Japanese speakers also mix their language using Japanese and Spanish words,” Lee said. “They’ve created their own standard of reading and writing.” 

Read the full story 

Congratulations, Dr. Lee!