Undergraduate & Master’s Student Research Opportunities

The science education research team is exploring how to redesign the elementary science investigation to engage young students in grappling with uncertainty. The project is integrated into a multi-year research practice partnership with Somerville Public Schools. The team works closely with K–5 teachers and district leaders.

Our team is seeking an undergraduate student who is interested in gaining experience in science education research and working collaboratively with classroom teachers and young learners. You will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of experiences in educational research, including design, data collection, and data organization/analysis.

If interested, contact Eve Manz at eimanz@bu.edu.

Posted Sept. 27, 2022

The Social Learning Lab is seeking to fill an undergraduate research position focusing on social cognitive development in young learners. Our research team studies how young children make decisions about who to trust and what to learn when interacting with others. We have several ongoing projects exploring how children learn with others in science inquiry, much of this work in collaboration with the Museum of Science, Boston. We also have a large international study exploring how young children develop an understanding of what to believe in the age of misinformation and disinformation.

If interested, contact Kathleen Corriveau at kcorriv@bu.edu.

Posted Sept. 27, 2022

The LexLab is seeking to fill an undergraduate research position focused on sign language acquisition. Our lab uses a variety of research methods to document the structure of the ASL lexicon and understand how early language experiences shape language acquisition among deaf children learning ASL. Lab communication is in ASL, with interpreters to assist new signers as needed.

We seek an undergraduate student research assistant to help with data analysis, a student who has computer programming background would be an especially good fit (though computer programming skills are not necessary). This position will give students an opportunity to learn about sign language research, and to learn to use ASL in a working environment.

If interested, please contact Naomi Caselli at nkc@bu.edu.

Posted Sept. 27, 2022

Meghan Shaughnessy is seeking to fill a research position in elementary mathematics teacher education to work on a set of projects that are designing and studying the use of tools and professional learning with preservice teachers, mentor teachers, and practicing teachers. She is looking for an undergraduate or graduate student to contribute to these efforts.

One project aims to support teachers in leading more equitable discussions across mathematics and literacy. A second project aims to support teacher educators in supporting the development of preservice teachers’ capabilities with eliciting and interpreting student thinking. A third project aims to support the development of mentor teachers’ capacity to support preservice teachers’ capabilities with eliciting and interpreting student thinking.

If interested, please contact Meghan Shaughnessy at mshaugh@bu.edu.

Posted Sept. 27, 2022

Ariel Tichnor-Wagner is seeking to fill a research assistant position as part of an ongoing research-practice partnership with the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and Boston Teacher Union (BTU) Telescope Network, which provides professional learning opportunities that foster teacher leadership and collaboration around making improvements to student experiences and outcomes.

She is looking for someone to join the research team with an interest in teacher agency and professionalism who would assist in data collection. This includes observations of professional learning sessions and conducting interviews with educators.

If interested, please contact Ariel Tichnor-Wagner at arieltw@bu.edu.

Posted Dec. 2, 2022

Leslie Dietiker is seeking to fill a Research Assistant position for the Mathematically Captivating Learning Experiences project. This NSF-funded research project explores how secondary mathematics teachers can plan and enact learning experiences that spur student curiosity, captivate students with complex mathematical content, and compel students to engage and persevere (referred to as “mathematically captivating learning experiences” or “MCLEs”). This study is important because of persistent disinterest by secondary students in mathematics in the United States. Dr. Dietiker is seeking undergraduate students who would like to analyze classroom videos for student engagement and select clips that can be used to show other teachers the range of potential mathematical experiences for high school students. This project will generate principles for lesson design usable by teachers in other settings and exemplar lessons that can be shared.

This position is expected to work 5 hours per week at the school year rate.

If interested, please contact Leslie Dietiker at dietiker@bu.edu.

Posted Dec. 5, 2022
Expiration Date: Jul. 31, 2023

Maria Teresa Coutinho’s research interests include cultural, social and healthcare system factors that impact BIPOC children and their families’ healthcare utilization. A major focus of the work in our lab will be to apply a health equity lens to understand children’s chronic illness management, and health care. Specifically, we are interested in understanding race and ethnic identity as aspect of resilience for Black and Latinx children and their families as they manage pediatric asthma. There are several projects currently ongoing: 1) a secondary data analyses of Medicaid data for Black children with asthma; 2) Transition to adult healthcare for Latinx adolescents diagnosed with asthma; 3) Caregiver empowerment for urban children diagnosed with persistent asthma; 4) an asthma symptom perception intervention development study.

Students will be exposed to major components of mixed methods research procedures integrating quantitative and qualitative data, including data collection, analyses, interpretation as well as manuscript development. Individuals with the ability to support the team in developing an online presence (e.g. website, social media) are encouraged to apply. Additionally, while not required individuals with bilingual Spanish skills are highly encouraged to apply. If interested, please email Maria Teresa Coutinho at mariatc@bu.edu – include in your email information about your interests in these projects and attach a resume.

This position is expected to work 5-8 hours per week at the school year rate.

If interested, please contact Maria Teresa Coutinho at mariatc@bu.edu.

Posted Dec. 7, 2022
Expiration Date: Feb. 11, 2023

We are looking for organized, dependable, and attentive students to collect data for a Chan Zuckerberg Foundation funded project to develop a computer adaptive early reading assessment. Data collectors will be responsible for administering individual language and literacy assessments to students in Grades K-3, as well as supporting other aspects of the research. As part of this position, you will be working directly with elementary school students. The position is open to all majors; however, this will be a great opportunity for Social Sciences and Education students. This work will be conducted during the winter and spring of the 2022-2023 school year in greater Boston, Massachusetts, and Worcester, MA.

For more information, contact Nancy Nelson (njnelson@bu.edu).

Posted Jan. 19, 2023

Performance Recovery and Optimization for Wellness (PRO Wellness)

The PRO Wellness program is a NCAA-funded research project consisting of eight experiential workshop sessions on mental skills and recovery-stress balance. Specifically, the main purpose of the PRO Wellness project is to examine the influence of an eight-session intervention program on student-athletes’ recovery-stress balance states, as measured through the Recovery-Stress Balance Questionnaire in Sports (RESTQ-Sport). A secondary goal consists of examining the influence of each intervention session on student-athletes’ perceived general well-being levels.

The student hired for this project will be involved in the design of the workshop sessions, help with the organization and delivery of the program, and be involved with data input and analysis.

Contact: Dr. Edson Filho efilho@bu.edu

Posted Jan. 23, 2023

Maria Teresa Coutinho’s research interests include cultural, social and healthcare system factors that impact BIPOC children and their families’ healthcare utilization. A major focus of the work in our lab will be to apply a health equity lens to understand children’s chronic illness management, and health care. Specifically, we are interested in understanding race and ethnic identity as aspect of resilience for Black and Latinx children and their families as they manage pediatric asthma. There are several projects currently ongoing: 1) a secondary data analyses of Medicaid data for Black children with asthma; 2) Transition to adult healthcare for Latinx adolescents diagnosed with asthma; 3) Caregiver empowerment for urban children diagnosed with persistent asthma; 4) an asthma symptom perception intervention development study.

Students will be exposed to major components of mixed methods research procedures integrating quantitative and qualitative data, including data collection, analyses, interpretation as well as manuscript development. Individuals with the ability to support the team in developing an online presence (e.g. website, social media) are encouraged to apply. Additionally, while not required individuals with bilingual Spanish skills are highly encouraged to apply. If interested, please email Maria Teresa Coutinho at mariatc@bu.edu – include in your email information about your interests in these projects and attach a resume.

This position is expected to work 5-8 hours per week at the school year rate.

If interested, please contact Maria Teresa Coutinho at mariatc@bu.edu.

Posted Dec. 7, 2022
Expiration Date: Feb. 11, 2023