This SSHRC-funded research project (led by PI Dr. Heather Brown) is the first large-scale, multi-method study to comprehensively examine autistic written language development with a focus on understanding the intersections between writing products, writing processes, and autistic identity. In this project, 150 autistic adolescents will be recruited to participate in five tele-assessment sessions. Each session will include formal psycho-educational assessments focused on writing skills and related areas (such as oral language, reading, and cognition) and semi-structured interviews about writing development, instruction, and participation in different communities.
The principal goal of the research is to deepen our understanding of the writing lives of autistic youth by highlighting both their strengths as writers and the areas where targeted support may be needed. This study combines well-established school-based writing assessment tools (standardized assessments) with questionnaires and interviews that explore the socio contextual factors influencing writing. The findings will provide a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the diverse writing experiences of autistic adolescents. Our research team, with expertise spanning multiple disciplines (including education, psychology and speech-language pathology), methodologies, and theoretical perspectives, will offer a well-rounded view of autistic youth’s writing experiences. Additionally, the findings may help advance research on developing effective interventions to support autistic writers facing writing difficulties.
The two primary objectives are:
1. Using mixture modelling, to identify multivariate writing profiles to elucidate the underlying heterogeneity among core writing skill areas (e.g., typing fluency, grammar/vocabulary, narrative quality, writing self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation). We will also examine how theory-informed predictors (e.g., language) differentiate amongst profiles by including them as distal variables.
2. Explore autistic adolescents' writing experiences through interviews and questionnaires, focusing on motivation, interest, and how writing is used across different activities, contexts, and tools.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Dr Pamela Filiatrault-Veilleux is a registered Speech-Language Pathologist (RSLP) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, at the University of Alberta. Her main research interests focus on the improvement of language assessment methods and intervention strategies to support children and adolescents' social participation and overall well-being, with a specific expertise in language comprehension abilities. She principally works with children presenting with language-comprehension challenges, including children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and autistic children and adolescents. Dr. Filiatrault-Veilleux has active research partnerships with researchers across Canada and internationally.
Student roles: Key responsibilities will include reviewing the relevant existing literature; contributing to scoring, data entry, data transcription, data coding, data analysis, derived from both standardized assessments results (quantitative) and qualitative interviews. Students will engage with qualitative analysis using NVivo and quantitative analysis using SPSS. Familiarity with these tools is considered an asset, as is being comfortable with Qualtrics. Additionally, prior exposure to or an interest in tele-assessment methods is beneficial. The student will work collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary research team (including autistic adults and perspectives) from Canada and the United States, participating in regular meetings to discuss ongoing progress and contribute to the interpretation of emerging findings. There may also be opportunities for students to be involved in the direct collection of data and receive training in conducting tele-assessments with autistic adolescents (using Zoom). This role offers valuable hands-on research experience for students interested in autism, inclusive education, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding autistic written language development.
Skills required: The ideal student for this project should possess a strong background in education, psychology, speech-language pathology, special education, or a related field, with experience or interest in learning both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, are necessary for participating in data entry and data analysis collected as part of this study. The student should have an interest in interdisciplinary research, neurodiversity affirming approaches and autism. Familiarity with analyzing qualitative data using NVivo and quantitative data using SPSS is also considered an asset, as well as being comfortable with Qualtrics and tele-assessment methods (e.g. Zoom).
2. Adolescents’ Perceptions of Kindness and Kind Mindset
Supervisor: sandra bosacki
University: Brock University (St. Catherines campus)
To address limited research on adolescents’ own views of kindness, this qualitative study (N = 90; 30 per age group) will use 30–45 min semi-structured interviews exploring how youth define kindness to self/others, and contextual factors shaping a kind mindset. Questions will address beliefs and attitudes about kindness (e.g., Can you train your brain to be kind to others and yourself?), motivations to be kind (e.g., Are there any challenges to wanting to be kind– or what prevents you from showing kindness to oneself and others?, and advice for creating a kinder world (e.g., What are 3 pieces of advice that you would give to world leaders to create a kinder Canada, and a world of kindness?). Analysis: Emergent reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) to identify dimensions of kindness (self, other, community) and create a self-report Kind Mind Survey (KMS) to measure a kind mindset in future studies.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Sandra Bosacki is a Professor in the Department of Educational Studies. Her area of expertise is in social-emotional and cognitive development. The current research is part of a larger project examining the development of adolescents' ability to mentalize (theory of mind or the ability to read other's minds and emotions) to help them understand and treat others as intentional beings, as well as how it affects their developing sense of identity, self-esteem, and psychological well-being.
Student roles: Students will gain hands-on experience with different research methodologies (qualitative, quantitative) that explores the adolescents’ social emotional development and perceptions of kindness and prosocial actions. Our study includes a wide range of data collection instruments (e.g., self-report questionnaires) and techniques (e.g., semi-structured interviews) which students will be exposed to during our research. Our study affords the student an the opportunity to help administer the tasks, code, and analyze the data. Data analysis will include a combination of content analysis of transcripts, as well as data coding and entry into SPSS to prepare for, and conduct data analysis. Students will also be expected to help with data interpretation and engage in the process of writing up the results for presentation at scholarly conferences and submit manuscripts to scholarly, peer- reviewed journals. Overall, this research project provides a series of connected studies in which it is involves heavy student involvement in the planning, execution, analysis, dissemination, and publication of the research findings.
Skills required: Student must have previous experience working with children and adolescents in a research or educational context (e.g., school classroom, summer camps, etc.). Strong interpersonal skills are required to be able to conduct research with adolescent participants, as well as the ability to work well with other research team members. Also, ideally the student would be intrinsically motivated to learn more about adolescent development and be able to work independently as well as in a team. Having previous experience using SPSS and data entry and analysis skills is also an asset.
3. Human-centered AI design in education
Supervisor: Quan Nguyen
University: Thompson Rivers University (Kamloops campus)
This project investigates how AI tools can be designed to support—rather than short-circuit—the cognitive and social processes that make learning durable. As generative AI becomes embedded in education, a central risk is that students offload thinking to the machine, eroding the "productive struggle" through which deep understanding forms. We ask: how can AI be designed to keep learners actively engaged, and to strengthen the human relationships that motivate learning?
The student will contribute to one strand of this work, depending on interest and skills. Possible strands include: (1) developing and refining a Socratic AI tutoring tool that prompts reasoning instead of supplying answers; (2) analyzing learning-process data to measure how different AI designs affect engagement and learning outcomes; or (3) running participatory co-design sessions in which students and instructors shape the AI tools together.
Methodologically, the project combines design-based research, learning analytics, and human-AI interaction studies. We will build working prototypes, deploy them in authentic course contexts at TRU, and evaluate their effects using a mix of behavioural log data, surveys, and qualitative interviews. A guiding principle throughout is "relational intelligence"—the idea that educational AI should serve as infrastructure for human connection rather than a substitute for it.
By the end of the project, we aim to produce both a tested AI prototype and empirical evidence about which design choices preserve learner agency, equity, and engagement. Findings will inform academic publications (e.g., at LAK, AIED, or EDM) and practical design guidelines for instructors. The student will gain hands-on experience spanning the full research cycle, from prototyping and data collection to analysis and dissemination, within an active and collaborative research environment.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: My research focuses on human-centred AI design in education: building intelligent systems that strengthen human learning and connection rather than replace them. I combine learning analytics, educational data mining, and participatory design to study how AI can protect "productive struggle," support fair assessment, and act as infrastructure for human relationships in the classroom. Current projects span Socratic AI tutoring tools, predictive analytics for student success, and co-designed assessment redesign. I am especially interested in the tension between AI-driven personalization and social isolation, and in designing technology that keeps learners cognitively and socially engaged throughout the learning process.
Student roles: Prototyping and development: building or extending AI tools (e.g., a Socratic tutoring assistant), implementing features, and iterating based on user feedback. Data collection and analysis: instrumenting tools to capture learning-process data, cleaning and analyzing log data, and applying learning analytics or statistical methods to evaluate outcomes. Co-design and user research: helping plan and facilitate participatory design sessions with students and instructors, and conducting or analyzing interviews and surveys. Literature and synthesis: reviewing relevant work in AI in education, learning analytics, and human-AI interaction to ground the project's design decisions.
Skills required: We welcome students from computing science, data science, education, psychology, or related fields. Ideal candidates have some combination of: programming experience (Python preferred; familiarity with web or VS Code extension development an asset); comfort with data analysis or statistics; and curiosity about education and human-centred design. Experience with machine learning, NLP, or large language models is valuable but not required for all strands. Equally important are strong communication skills, intellectual curiosity, and a willingness to engage critically with both the technical and human dimensions of AI. Students interested in qualitative or participatory methods are also encouraged to apply.
4. Les regrets parentaux
Supervisor: Amilie Dorval
University: Université du Québec à Trois–Rivières
Location: Drummondville, Québec
Start date: 2027-05-03 (flexible)
Disciplines: Educ-Psychology, Womens Studies, Psychology, Humanities, Political Science, Sociology, Social Work
This research project aims to deepen understanding of parental regret, an underexplored and socially taboo experience defined as regretting having children. While parenthood is widely valued and associated with personal fulfillment, experiences that fall outside these norms often remain invisible and stigmatized.
Grounded in feminist and social constructivist perspectives, the project conceptualizes parental regret as shaped not only by individual trajectories but also by broader social, economic, and cultural contexts. Particular attention will be paid to gender inequalities in order to better understand how parental regret may differ between mothers and fathers.
The study adopts a qualitative, inductive methodology based on approximately 30 semi-structured interviews with Quebec parents (15 mothers and 15 fathers) who identify with this experience. Thematic analysis will be used to explore how regret is expressed and understood, its effects on individuals, and the contextual factors that contribute to its emergence.
By addressing a significant gap in empirical knowledge—particularly within the Quebec context—this project will provide a more nuanced understanding of contemporary parental experiences. It also aims to inform social work practices by offering insights to better support parents, while contributing to reducing the stigma surrounding parental regret.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: As a professor in social work, my research focuses on contemporary family dynamics. I am particularly interested in experiences of parenthood that unfold outside dominant social norms, shedding light on perspectives that are often underrepresented. My work is grounded in feminist approaches and relies on mixed methods, combining quantitative and qualitative strategies. I prioritize research closely connected to real-world contexts, offering students a meaningful and engaging research experience that is both methodologically rigorous and socially relevant.
Student roles: The intern will be actively involved in several stages of the research project and will work closely with the research team. They will contribute to the conduct of semi-structured interviews with parents, including logistical preparation, possible participation in interviews, and writing reflective notes following data collection. The intern will also take part in qualitative data processing and analysis, including coding and thematic analysis of interviews using NVivo software. In this context, they will contribute to the development of the coding framework, interpretation of findings, and ongoing analytical discussions within the team. In addition, the intern will assist with literature reviews, synthesis of scientific documents, and the drafting of sections of academic articles or conference papers. They may also be involved in preparing presentations for conferences and other knowledge dissemination activities. Depending on their interests and level of autonomy, the intern may participate in coordination tasks such as organizing research data, supporting participant recruitment, and updating data collection tools. They may also contribute to knowledge mobilization and outreach activities, including the creation of accessible materials for non-academic audiences. This internship will provide comprehensive training in qualitative research, allowing the development of skills in data collection and analysis, academic writing, and collaborative research, within a supportive and dynamic environment.
Skills required: We are seeking a student with a strong interest in issues related to parenthood, family dynamics, and marginalized experiences. Training in social work, sociology, psychology, or a related field is preferred. Prior research experience is required, particularly in qualitative methods (interviews, thematic analysis). Strong analytical and academic writing skills, as well as autonomy and organizational abilities, are important. Familiarity with feminist approaches and gender-related issues is considered an asset.
5. Neurophysiological and behavioral correlates of infants’ sociomoral evaluations
Supervisor: Kiley Hamlin
University: University of British Columbia (Vancouver campus)
A growing body of research has shown that preverbal infants prefer prosocial to antisocial characters, suggesting that the ability to sociomorally evaluate others is early emerging. However, some argue that infants’ responses within these studies reflect low-level perceptual processes rather than social understanding of the events. Using electroencephalography (EEG), this research aims to address this alternative explanation by examining 1) specific neural signatures that have been associated with social (indexing by P400 and N290 ERP components) and 2) motivational processes involved in infants’ prosocial preferences (indexing by frontal alpha asymmetry for approach/avoidance motivation). Using eye-tracking, we also examine whether pupil dilation differs across prosocial and antisocial events.
Additionally, in a follow-up visit, we will assess prosocial behaviour in toddlers for whom we have infant EEG data. This will allow us to explore whether infants’ neural processing of sociomoral events is predictive of their emerging prosociality.We will undertake a number of projects exploring similar concepts through EEG in the future; these will also be included in this position.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: We are interested in the neural mechanisms underlying infants’ sociomoral evaluation. Behavioral studies have shown that infants as young as 3 months can distinguish between helpful and unhelpful individuals. However, the cognitive processes behind infants’ understanding of prosocial and antisocial acts and characters remain unclear.
Our research investigates the origins of human sociomoral understanding by examining its emergence in preverbal infants—before extensive exposure to cultural norms and values—using neurophysiological techniques, specifically EEG (electroencephalography) and eye-tracking.
We also explore whether, and how, these early social and moral evaluations influence infants’ expectations about others’ future actions and mental states, as well as
Student roles: The student will work closely with the Principal Investigator, graduate students, research managers, and senior research assistants to manage the project. The student will be required to do the following: - Maintain ongoing positive relationships with participating families including contacting families and scheduling appointments using a complex research database - Set up experimental equipment according to prescribed protocols (e.g. EEG and eye-tracking technologies and recording materials) - Complete the consenting process with participating families - Administer studies and assessments according to prescribed protocols at the lab - Enter data into research database according to established protocols - Assist with validating and cleaning of data - Assist with running studies and data analysis. Opportunity to develop skills in NetStation Acquisition,R,and Matlab/Python.
In addition, the student will work as part of a team and will engage in regular meetings with graduate students and lab managers to receive feedback about their work and ensure optimal performance. The student will be encouraged to ask questions and suggest ways in which their learning experience could be improved. The tasks will require a strong commitment in time and effort as well as extensive practice in varying settings. This role will provide plenty of opportunities for the student to work closely with researchers, interact with people from different backgrounds, build connections, and develop professional, social, and communication skills. The job will also help the student cultivate a sense of responsibility, self-knowledge, and self-confidence in a research setting.
Skills required: A basic understanding of psychological concepts through formal education would be sufficient for this role. Strong candidates would have a background in coding (R, Matlab and/or Python), as well as interests in neural and cognitive processes. Customer service experience and exceptional communication skills are required for this position.
6. Preschoolers’ Evaluation of Confidence/Hesitance in Moral Contexts
Supervisor: Kiley Hamlin
University: University of British Columbia (Vancouver campus)
This project examines how young children use confidence and hesitation cues when evaluating others’ moral character. Prior work shows that children prefer to learn from confident individuals and use confidence as a cue to credibility and competence (Brosseau-Liard et al., 2014; Birch et al., 2020). Separately, research on sociomoral evaluation shows that children are sensitive to helping and hindering actions, and can use intentions to evaluate social agents (Hamlin et al., 2017; Van de Vondervoort & Hamlin, 2018; Woo et al., 2022). However, little is known about whether children integrate confidence cues with morally relevant actions when judging others.
In this study, 3- to 5-year-old children will watch short social interaction events in which a protagonist attempts to climb a hill and two characters help or hinder the protagonist. These characters will display confidence or hesitation before acting. Confidence will be conveyed through cues such as firm tone, upright posture, head nodding, and a satisfied expression, whereas hesitation will be conveyed through uncertain tone, fidgeting, shrugging, and a puzzled expression. Children will then be asked which character they like more, which character is nicer, and which character should get in trouble.
The study tests whether children primarily evaluate agents based on pro/antisocial action, confidence cues, or the integration of both. If children focus mainly on action, they should prefer helpers over hinderers regardless of confidence. If children treat hesitation as inner moral conflict, they should prefer confident characters regardless of pro/antisocial action. Alternatively, children may prefer “morally calibrated” agents, such as confident helpers and hesitant hinderers, whose expressed confidence or hesitation aligns with the moral meaning of their action. This has broader implications for understanding how children form moral judgments in the complex social landscape where confidence cues can shape whom to learn from, trust, and perceptions of character.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Confidence often serves as a strong indicator of credibility and competence, impacting who we choose to believe and follow. This research area will examine how children interpret cues such as confidence and effort to decide who is good or worth learning from. A central question is how children integrate moral and epistemic information when evaluating others, particularly when the same cue may signal knowledgeability in one context but can shape moral judgments in another. Studying these domains together is especially important in today’s digital age, where misinformation spreads rapidly and confidence cues can shape trust and perceptions of character.
Student roles: The student will work closely with the Principal Investigator, graduate students, research managers, and senior research assistants to manage the project. The student’s primary tasks include: - Maintaining positive relationships with participating families, including contacting families and scheduling appointments using a complex research database - Assist with creation of study protocols and OSF pre-registration - Set up experimental equipment (e.g. eye tracking technologies, recording equipment, puppet shows), and enter data into a research database according to established protocols - - Assist with data validation and cleaning - Assist with conducting studies and undertaking data analysis. Opportunity to develop skills in R, jHab, and Observer XT.
In addition, the student will work as part of a team and will engage in regular meetings with graduate students and lab managers to receive feedback about their work and ensure optimal performance. The student will be encouraged to ask questions and suggest ways in which their learning experience could be improved. The tasks will require a strong commitment in time and effort as well as extensive practice in varying settings. This role will provide plenty of opportunities for the student to work closely with researchers, interact with people from different backgrounds, build connections, and develop professional, social, and communication skills. The job will also support the student to cultivate a sense of responsibility, self-knowledge, and self-confidence in a research setting.
Skills required: The student will support the day-to-day implementation of the project by working with supervising graduate student, research managers, the principal investigator, and senior research assistants. Responsibilities may include contacting families, scheduling appointments, assisting with obtaining informed consent, preparing study materials and behavioral testing equipment, administering studies with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, monitoring participant engagement, entering data, and assisting with data cleaning and validation. The student may also contribute to study protocols, OSF preregistration, video coding, and preliminary analyses. The ideal student is organized, reliable, detail-oriented, comfortable interacting with children and caregivers, and interested in developing research, communication, and teamwork skills.
7. Shaping Student Motivation and Agency: A Longitudinal Study of Psychological Need Satisfaction Through Traditional and AI-Driven Digital Technologies
Supervisor: Tanya Chichekian
University: Université de Sherbrooke (Longueuil campus)
This funded three-year longitudinal study examines how traditional digital platforms (e.g., Alloprof) and AI-driven tools (e.g., ChatGPT) shape secondary students' academic motivation and sense of agency. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, the project tracks 2,000 Québec students across six waves of data collection (October 2026–June 2028) to investigate how interactions with these tools satisfy or frustrate students' basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and how teacher autonomy support moderates these effects.
The study addresses four research questions: (1) How does psychological need satisfaction from non-AI and AI-driven tools predict academic motivation? (2) How do changes in need satisfaction differentially predict changes in motivation over time? (3) To what extent does teacher autonomy support moderate the relationship between need satisfaction and motivational growth? (4) What is the relationship between growth in academic motivation and growth in student agency?
Data will be collected through validated self-report surveys, platform usage logs from Alloprof, and student-reported ChatGPT usage. Analyses will use structural equation modeling and latent growth modeling to capture motivational trajectories. The project is conducted in partnership with Alloprof, a Québec-based digital learning platform serving over 550,000 students annually, ensuring both ecological validity and strong knowledge mobilization potential.
Findings will generate evidence-based recommendations for educators, technology developers, and policymakers, contributing to Canada's digital equity goals and Québec's Digital Competency Framework.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: My research sits at the intersection of educational psychology, motivational science, and educational technology. Using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a framework, I investigate how traditional and AI-driven digital tools shape adolescents' psychological needs — autonomy, competence, and relatedness — and how these processes influence academic motivation and student agency over time. I employ longitudinal quantitative methods, including latent growth modeling and structural equation modeling, to study motivational trajectories among students in diverse educational landscape.
Student roles: The Globalink intern will conduct a structured literature review in support of an ongoing SSHRC-funded longitudinal study on student motivation, psychological need satisfaction, and digital learning technologies. Working closely with the principal investigator and the research team, the intern will: Literature search and screening: Conduct systematic searches across academic databases using predefined search terms related to Self-Determination Theory, AI-driven educational tools, academic motivation, and student agency. Screen titles, abstracts, and full texts for relevance according to established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Synthesis and organization: Organize and annotate selected articles using a reference management tool (e.g., Zotero). Develop a structured summary matrix mapping key findings, theoretical frameworks, methodological designs, and populations across included studies. Gap analysis: Identify patterns, inconsistencies, and gaps in the existing literature, particularly regarding longitudinal studies on motivational effects of AI versus non-AI digital tools in secondary education. Reporting: Produce a written summary report (approximately 3,000–5,000 words) synthesizing findings and highlighting implications for the study's theoretical framework and instrument development. Knowledge mobilization support: Assist in translating key findings from the literature review into accessible formats, such as an annotated bibliography or a one-page visual summary for use in study documentation or stakeholder communications. The intern will participate in biweekly team meetings, receive mentorship from the PI and gain hands-on experience with research practices in educational psychology. This internship offers an excellent opportunity to develop skills in systematic literature review methodology, academic writing, and collaborative research .
Skills required: The ideal candidate has a background in educational psychology, cognitive science, education, or a related social science field. Familiarity with motivational theories, particularly Self-Determination Theory, is an asset. The student should have strong academic reading and writing skills in English and/or French, experience conducting systematic or narrative literature searches using databases and basic proficiency with reference management tools (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley). An interest in digital learning, AI in education, or adolescent development is highly desirable.
8. The “500 babies” Project: A longitudinal study of infant sociomoral development
Supervisor: Kiley Hamlin
University: University of British Columbia (Vancouver campus)
Research shows that the ability to evaluate others' social behavior emerges early in life. Even by three months of age, infants tend to prefer helpful characters over unhelpful ones (Hamlin & Wynn, 2011; Hamlin, Wynn, & Bloom, 2007; 2010). Importantly, studies suggest that these early evaluations are not based solely on perceptual features or learned rules. Instead, infants appear to grasp the mental states behind prosocial and antisocial actions (Hamlin & Wynn, 2011; Hamlin et al., 2007, 2010; Hamlin, 2013; Hamlin et al., 2013).
The "500 Babies Project" is one of the few longitudinal research efforts in the world to study moral cognition in infancy through early childhood. This study follows infants across the first three years of life to explore how early social preferences (e.g., favoring helpful or similar individuals) and mental-state understanding (e.g., recognizing intentions or goals) relate to other foundational components of morality, such as empathic concern, fairness expectations, and prosocial actions. Currently, the project is at the stage where the children, who were originally recruited at 1 or 3 months of age and have been followed longitudinally across, are now being assessed at 23 months, 30 months, and 3.5 years of age.We use a wide range of methods, including classic tasks such as delay of gratification (e.g. marshmallow/m&m task) and day&night stroop tasks , along with interactive puppet shows and video-based tasks, to measure infants’ moral evaluations, social cognition, and general development. By combining these approaches, the 500 Babies Project aims to shed light on how early-emerging moral and social capacities are connected and how they might shape later prosocial behavior and emotional development.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: The ‘500 Babies’ project investigates the foundations of moral development by studying how infants perceive and evaluate social interactions. Adults often judge actions as good or bad, morally right or wrong, but where do these evaluations begin? By observing preverbal infants before cultural learning takes hold, we explore the origins of our moral compass. Using puppet shows, videos, and interactive tasks, we examine how infants respond to prosocial and antisocial behaviors. We also track how these early social evaluations relate to individual differences in personality, emotional understanding, and the emergence of prosocial behaviors across early development.
Student roles: The student will work closely with graduate students, research managers, and senior research assistants to support the "500 Babies" project. They will receive comprehensive training before taking on any responsibilities. Key tasks include: Building and maintaining positive relationships with families by managing communications and scheduling through a complex research database Setting up experimental equipment according to detailed protocols (e.g., video recording setups, puppet stages) Entering data into Excel or Google Sheets following structured guidelines Assisting in running studies with toddlers, including puppet shows, interactive tasks, and observational sessions Helping with data processing, with opportunities to learn tools such as R, Adobe Suite, jHab, and TheObserverXT Participating in lab meetings and presenting research at local conferences The student will be an essential member of a collaborative and supportive team. They will attend weekly lab meetings, interact with peers and mentors, and be encouraged to ask questions and take initiative in their learning. The role requires a strong commitment and the ability to work in various settings. It provides valuable experience interacting with families from diverse backgrounds and helps students develop key professional skills, including communication, organization, and problem-solving. This position also fosters personal growth by encouraging responsibility, self-reflection, and confidence in a research environment. The student will be invited to participate in lab social events and team-building activities to help maintain a positive and cohesive working atmosphere.
Skills required: The ideal candidate should be enthusiastic and outgoing, as the role involves regular interaction with toddlers, and their caregivers. Strong communication and organizational skills are essential. The candidate should enjoy working in a team setting with research assistants and graduate students. Experience in childcare, customer service, or performing arts is a plus. While not required, a background in psychology or social science research is beneficial. Basic familiarity with Microsoft Excel is preferred. Additional experience with tools such as OSF, video editing software, or JHab would be a strong asset for applicants interested in contributing to multiple aspects of the project.