Doctoral students in the NC State College of Education had a unique opportunity to work alongside faculty and researchers in the college, including the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research and Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, through the Summer Research Experience program. The program was led by Associate Professor of Mathematics Education Erin Krupa with support from Associate Dean for Research and Innovation Karen Hollebrands and Assistant Dean for Student Success Allison Mitchall.

The opportunity provided 14 graduate students with up to $3,000 in funding to engage from 10 to 20 hours per week in hands-on research activities — including data collection, analysis and writing — that supplement their graduate education and prepare them for the process of conducting independent research in the future. 

One of these students, Majid Komasi, who is earning a Ph.D. in the Teaching Education and Learning Sciences educational equity concentration, spent the summer working with Assistant Professor of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis Lam Pham on a project that examines the Advanced Teaching Roles (ATR) program. 

In his role, Komasi took on responsibilities that included reviewing and coding district applications, analyzing interview and observation data, and assisting in the development of an evaluation framework for the project. 

“This experience has provided me with a deeper understanding of how to conduct rigorous and relevant educational research,” Komasi said. “I have gained new experiences in how to move from raw qualitative and quantitative data to meaningful patterns that inform both theory and practice. Being involved in a large-scale evaluation has helped me think critically about research design.”

Komasi said he has appreciated the opportunity throughout his Summer Research Experience to contribute insights and perspectives based on his academic background and career experiences working in contexts outside the United States with other members of the project team. He has also appreciated the mentorship he’s received from Pham throughout their time working together.

“His guidance has helped me enhance my understanding of how to approach research with academic rigor while remaining mindful of its practical relevance for educators, leaders and policymakers,” Komasi said of Pham. 

Laurie Short, who is earning a Ph.D. in the Learning and Teaching in STEM mathematics and statistics education concentration, also appreciates the mentorship she’s received from more experienced researchers through the Summer Research program. 

“Everyone on the project has been so welcoming and helpful, and I have felt really supported through every step of the process and have learned so much from getting to work alongside experts in the field,” she said. “This mentorship has helped grow my repertoire of research methods and has made me much more confident in applying these research methods in my own work.”

Short spent the summer working with Dean Paola Sztajn on Project AIM-NEXT (All Included in Mathematics New Extensions), a professional development program designed to enhance math discourse in K-2 classrooms. In her role, Short has been rating videos of mathematics lessons using the project’s TRUMath rubric and helping gather observational data for project analysis that will be used to explore AIM-NEXT’s impact. 

“Having the opportunity to watch and rate video-recorded elementary mathematics lessons, I knew there would be applications for my own teaching, and it has already sparked numerous ideas for my dissertation,” Short said.

Below is a full list of Summer Research Experience participants, and the projects they engaged with:

• Khalid Alharbi, “Investigating Secondary Science Teachers’ Motivations, Goals, Epistemic Beliefs, & Modeling Conceptions in a Reform-Oriented Professional Development Program” under the supervision of Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor of Science Education Soonhye Park
• Orna David, “Compressed Course Schedule” under the supervision of Belk Center Director of Research Sarah Deal
• Xinyan Fu, “Examining Online Learners’ Peer-interactions Using Link Prediction: Merging Machine Learning and Social Network Analysis” under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Learning, Design and Technology Ela Castellanos-Reyes
• Haleema Khalil, “Metacognitive Scaffolding in Literacy Instruction: How Teacher Talk Supports Multilingual Learners’ Metalinguistic and Literacy Growth” under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Literacy Education Jackie Relyea
• Aisha Kanwal, “Why Did Teachers Leave?” under the supervision of Friday Institute Research Scholar Jamie Gillespie
• Majid Komasi, “Evaluation of NC’s Advanced Teaching Roles Program” under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis Lam Pham
• Na Liu, “Examining the Conceptualization of AI Literacy among K-12 In-service Teachers” under the supervision of Professor of Learning, Design and Technology Florence Martin
• Maryam Mohaghegh, “SparkNC Evaluation” under the supervision of Friday Institute Research Scholar Alicia Fischer
• Amelia Rivera, “The Final Year: Wrapping up the FACES Autism Intervention” under the supervision of Associate Professor of Special Education Jamie Pearson
• Laurie Short, “Project AIM-NEXT (All Included in Mathematics New Extensions)” under the supervision of Dean Paola Sztajn
• Daria Smyslova, “Validating an AI Literacy Instrument” under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Learning, Design and Technology Shiyan Jiang
• Alcedos Vanterpool, “Transforming Learning Through AI, Hands-On Computational Creativity, and Digital Art” under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Learning, Design and Technology Joey Huang
• Keisha White, “Determine Impact of VPNs in Schools” under the supervision of Senior Director of the Friday Institute Technology Infrastructure Lab Ray Zeisz
• Alicia Burnette Whitley, “Exploring Student Attrition in Teacher Preparation Programs” under the supervision of Director of Professional Education Sarah Cannon