Ongoing Research Projects
Post-Secondary Education Policy Research
A significant amount of my research time is directed toward post-secondary education policy research. This work has included research in areas such as a) the impact of globalization on post-secondary education; b) widening access to post-secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada; c) inter-institutional collaboration in post-secondary education; and d) nursing education in Canada.I have undertaken this policy research both independently and on behalf of organizations external to Memorial University of Newfoundland including the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and the Saskatchewan Academic Health Sciences Network.
Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) Transition Study: The Impact of CDLI Course Participation on Student Transition into Post-secondary Education and/or the Workforce (co-investigator with Dr. Dennis Sharpe)
As part of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) based in the Faculty of Education, I am working with my colleague Dr. Dennis Sharpe to track the transition into post-secondary education and/or the workforce of students who completed high school courses offered by the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (CDLI ). This project, the CURA Transition Study, is scheduled to end in 2011.
Of particular interest to our CURA Transition Study partners, which include CDLI, four provincial school districts in Newfoundland and Labrador, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and College of the North Atlantic, is the impact of prior distance course (e-learning) experiences on students' post-secondary education transitions and success, attitudes towards web-based courses, and technological proficiencies.
Maritime Student Migration to Newfoundland Labrador
This research explores the reasons why individuals from the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island choose to undertake and complete university studies in Newfoundland and Labrador. This study utilizes both on-line surveys and in-depth telephone interviews with students to investigate their decisions to study at Memorial, their experiences since enrolling, and plans following graduation.
This research will provide an opportunity for researchers to gain insight into the underlying reasons for university student migration from the Maritime provinces to Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition to making a contribution to the broader literature on student aspirations, post-secondary choice, and inter-provincial student migration in Canada, this research study may assist in the development of new strategies for increasing the numbers of out-of-province students enrolled at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Post-Secondary Choice Project: Charting a Course: The Post-Secondary Education Decisions of Secondary School Students
This study, which is being carried out in conjunction with the CURA Transition Study, is designed to provide a better understanding of how secondary school students identify, select, and navigate pathways from high school to post-secondary education and workforce opportunities. While previous research studies have shown that many different factors influence students’ choices, the purpose of this research is to assess the significance of these factors and to more fully examine the personal, social, economic and environmental precursors to participation in post-secondary studies.
Drawing on social reproduction theory and a conceptual model of student choice, this study compares and contrasts how rural and urban secondary school students conceptualize the various pathways from secondary school to the labour market and how individual ambitions and career goals may differ depending on educational experiences and life circumstances.
Research Projects Completed
We Know What We Need to Succeed: High School Students' Perspectives on Graduation and the Transition to Work and/or Post-Secondary Study (co-investigator with Dr. Morgan Gardner and Mr. Brian Vardy)
The overarching goal of the research was to work in partnership with a St. John's area high school to better understand the challenges encountered by Level IV students at the school, and to propose interventions to improve the school experiences of this group of students. The objectives of the study were to explore and describe student experiences of and perspectives on a) barriers and challenges they encounter related to making progress to high school graduation and making the transition from high school to work and/or post-secondary education; b) opportunities and supports they need related to high school graduation; and c) strategies and responses they would like to see put in place to support their success in school and help them to graduate.
For this qualitative study, carried out between June 2008 and June 2009, my colleague Dr. Morgan Gardner and I conducted focus group interviews with a group of approximately 30 students who enrolled in a fourth year of senior high school, known as Level IV, in order to complete the number of credits required for graduation from the senior high school program. Three broad categories of findings were identified in this study including a) student perspectives on course/program scheduling, flexibility, and graduation; b) student viewpoints on issues of teaching, learning, and curriculum; and c) student desires for respect, belonging, and partnership.
In our final report we drew from students’ recommendations to provide a summary of 15 key recommendations which are intended to support Level IV students’ success towards graduation and their transition to work or post-secondary education following graduation. This research complements my on-going work in related areas of inquiry and provided an excellent opportunity for me to broaden the scope of my program of research. A paper reporting the results of this research has been published in the Canadian Journal of Education.
Involvement of Students in Research Activities
I believe that providing opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in my research is extraordinarily important and complementary to other aspects of their academic work, as well as my own. Participation in research endeavours helps students to build competence and self-confidence, provides them with opportunities for intellectual exploration of the academic profession, and helps to generate student interest in and excitement about the potential of academic research.
Since taking up my position in the Faculty of Education, I have employed and worked in collaboration with more than a dozen students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Since January 2007, I have provided close to 2,500 hours of paid work experience to students in a variety of part-time and full-time research positions. I have also authored a number of journal articles and conference papers with master’s and doctoral student collaborators.
