Research

Universities in China and South Korea are surging in the international race for world-class status, as schools in the East Asian nations are replacing U.S. institutions in international college rankings, according to new research led by Jaekyung Lee, PhD, UB GSE professor of counseling, school and educational psychology.

Nationwide, school lessons in personal growth and job skills have taken a backseat to preparation for standardized tests, according to new research led by Jaekyung Lee, PhD, professor of counseling, school and educational psychology in the Graduate School of Education.

A growing body of research suggests that children’s socioemotional well-being is fundamentally important to their healthy and productive development. This finding implies that college, career and civic readiness is tied to better socioemotional skills and well-being.

Myles Faith, professor from the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, was the lead author of a research study that examined the link between the temperament of babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes and childhood obesity. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes found in women during pregnancy.

A $3.3 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences was awarded to Gregory Fabiano, professor from the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology to connect the educational goals of ADHD children’s special education programs with their daily work supervised by their classroom teachers. Fabiano will work with Jihnhee Yu, associate director of the UB Population Health Observatory, and William E. Pelham Jr. and Nicole Schatz of Florida International University.

Bridget Hier, assistant professor from the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, is partnering with elementary schools in two Western New York districts to develop effective writing instruction and intervention practices for elementary-aged students. The collaboration is part of the UB Graduate School of Education Faculty in Residence Program.

Amanda Nickerson, director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, and professor from the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, and Dan Albertson, associate professor from the Department of Library and Information Studies, have been awarded $175,000 from the New York State (NYS) Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) for their collaborative research project, “Multimedia and Peer-to-Peer Prevention Support.”

According to a nationwide 2017 Gallup poll, investments in security measures by schools and school districts increase sharply every time a major violent event occurs. “Despite these high costs, research on the contribution of security practices to school and student safety, misbehavior, discipline and academic performance is sorely lacking, and sometimes even paints a negative picture,” said Jeremy Finn,  SUNY Distinguished Professor from the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology.

Worldwide, 30 million people practice yoga and half of them say they started yoga because of recommendations from a physician or therapist. Practicing yoga can lead to an improved quality of life, including a lower heart rate, relief from anxiety, stress, depression and insomnia, and overall physical health, strength and flexibility.

The belief that parents can shape positive behavior and experiences in their children, including those with behavioral challenges such as ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), is well known. Traditional positive parenting programs have typically been used for mothers, creating a need for a program that would lend itself more to fathers.