Research
Interests
Lisa had the privilege of beginning her research career as an assistant on Project Core through the Center for Literacy & Disability Studies (CLDS) at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. This project, funded through the Office of Special Education Programs, addressed two critical problems in our special education system:
Too many children with complex communication needs do not have access to a personal communication system.
Too many children do not have language on their systems that allow them to reach their maximal communication potential nor fully participate in their academic curricula.
Lisa’s work on this project jump-started her interests in classroom-based research. It led to her interest in uncovering preschool classroom variables that influence a child’s communication, language, and early literacy learning trajectory.
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with an interdisciplinary focus serving low-incidence disability populations
Qualitative or mixed-methods approaches, including multi-level modeling using nested data & cluster sampling designs, for group or classroom-based experimental, non-experimental, and quasi-experimental analyses depending on the question and community needs.
Research dissemination & translation for and with community partners
Expertise
Project proposal writing
Research methodology & design
Institutional Review Board clearance
Participant recruitment and consent
Data collection and management
Statistical and data analysis software (R, SAS, ATLAS.ti)
Advanced statistical techniques (bivariate and multivariate analyses, multi-level analyses, intervention, and non-orthogonal designs)
Online survey design and programming (Qualtrics)
Dissemination of findings