Sample Projects
Communications
Experiences of Misattributed Parentage Communities: Impacts of Discovering New Familial Kinships.
PI: Bessie Lawton, PhD
Analyzed survey data from a survey of over 600 adults who participate in Facebook misattributed parentage support groups. Publication: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03631990231156176
Education
A Study of the Impact of a Community Engagement Experience in Foundational Reading Courses for Initial Teacher Preparation
PI: Sarah Lightner, PhD
This research study was designed to evaluate the impact of a community engagement experience on pre-service teachers engaged in a foundational literacy course as well as the impact of this partnership on the community partners with whom we work. Pre-service teachers completed a self-assessment survey (CRTSE) both before and after the semester. A comparison was made between a treatment and a control group, pre versus post.
Theater and Dance
Measuring the Effect of Carnival of Ruin Theatrical Performance on Attitudes about Trash
Clients: C. Case, M Urrutia, G. Studlien-Webb of WCU Theatre and Dance Department
To assess if the WCU "Carnival of Ruin" theatrical performance had successfully changed its audience’s habits and attitude about environmental sustainability, two surveys were distributed to audience members, one before the show (the pre-show survey), and one after the show (the post-show survey). Summary statistics, graphs, and a nonparametric paired analysis were included in a report for the show’s producers.
Jewish Relief Agency (JRA-a non-profit organization)
Client: Jodi Roth-Saks, JRA Executive Director
The JRA is a Philadelphia-based non-profit agency that delivers boxes of food and personal items once per month to needy people across Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Every two years, the JRA collects client satisfaction data via a survey. The survey data is entered into a database by a team of WCU students. The data is then summarized and included in a written report, which is used for grant proposals for funding.