Faculty
Dr. George J. DuPaul, Professor, School Psychology
Phone: 610-758-3252
Email: gjd3@lehigh.edu
Research interests: ADHD - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; Behavior Disorders; Education and Human Services; Health Information; Pediatric Psychology; School Psychology
Dr. DuPaul’s primary research interest is the treatment of individuals with (ADHD) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and related behavior disorders. Specifically, he conducts research on school-based academic and behavioral interventions for youth in K-12 settings; early intervention for young children at-risk for ADHD; and the assessment and treatment of college students with significant ADHD symptoms. Dr. Dupaul also has interests in health promotion and pediatric psychology; having directed student-led studies related to nutrition education, asthma, and psychopharmacology.
Dr. Robin Hojnoski, Professor, School Psychology
Phone: 610-758-3268
Email: roh206@lehigh.edu
Research interests: Development, assessment and intervention in early learning domains (i.e., numeracy and literacy); Assessing and supporting children’s engagement in classroom settings
Overall, Dr. Hojnoski's research focuses on the application of school psychology principles and practices to early education, particularly in terms of assessment and instruction. She is specifically interested in learning and social behavior as a means of promoting early school success. She is co-developer of the Individual Growth and Development Indicators -Early Numeracy http://www.myigdis.com/preschool-assessments/early-numeracy-assessments/ and has currently developing an observation tool to assess engagement in preschoolers. In addition, Dr. Hojnoski has conducted research on early mathematical development and instruction to support children’s skills in this area.
Dr. Lee Kern, Professor, Program Director, Special Education
Phone: 610-758-3267
Email: lek6@lehigh.edu
Research interests: ADHD - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; Behavior Disorders; Positive Behavior Support; Special Education
The focus of Dr. Kern's Project REACH is to identify effective services and service delivery systems for students with intensive social, emotional, and behavioral needs. Funded by a grant from the Office of Special Education Programs, the Project is conducting a longitudinal study to determine effective interventions for student identified as having the most intensive needs in their respective schools. An additional Project goal is to identify effective programs serving this population of students. Project Achieve is examining long-term outcomes of individualized assessment-based interventions for young children at risk for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. This research is evaluating the effects of early intervention on social, behavioral, and pre-academic behaviors.
Dr. Patti Manz, Associate Professor, School Psychology
Phone: 610-758-5656
Email: phm3@lehigh.edu
Research interests: Development and parenting among low-income children between birth to five years; Early intervention and prevention; Language and literacy skill development
Dr. Manz's research is directed toward improving early intervention for ethnic minority and low income young children. In particular, she is invested in empowering and supporting families’ involvement in their children’s learning at home and early childhood settings. Utilizing research methods that engage families and early childhood professionals as collaborators, her current projects have a two-fold focus of developing the Little Talks curriculum for parent-child dialogue and book sharing as well as developing models of home visitor training and supervision with regard to implementing evidence-based practice.
Dr. Ageliki Nicolopoulou, Professor, Psychology and Global Studies
Phone: 610-758-3618
Email: agn3@lehigh.edu
Research interests: Narrative Development (Production & Comprehension); Narrative & Play; Language and Literacy; Analysis of Children’s Books; Early Intervention (Language, Narrative, and Play)
Dr. Nicolopoulou's research interests focus on sociocultural developmental psychology topics: the development of narrative production and comprehension, the developmental roles of narrative and play, social cognition, identity formation, the peer group as a matrix for learning and development, the interplay of literacy and oral language, and analysis of children's books.
Brook Sawyer, Assistant Professor, Teaching, Learning, & Technology
Phone: 610-758-3236
Email: lbs211@lehigh.edu
Research interests: Language and Literacy; Early Intervention; Parent and Teacher Practices
Dr. Sawyer's research aims are interdisciplinary and center on promoting the development of young children who have disabilities or who are dual language learners (DLLs). Her predominant focus is on language and literacy development. Children with disabilities and DLLs are critical populations because they are at greater risk for developing reading difficulties in school. According to an ecological perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), parents, teachers and other educational professionals are proximal influences on children and have powerful positive effects on their learning and development. Thus, her scholarship centers on supporting the development of these vulnerable populations by furthering the field's knowledge of the current practices of parents, teachers, and other educational professionals and developing interventions to enhance the practices of these agents of change.
Susan S. Woodhouse, Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology
Phone: 610-758-3269
Email: woodhouse@lehigh.edu
Research interests: Attachment; Emotion Regulation; Parenting; Prevention; Psychotherapy Research
Dr. Woodhouse's research interests focus on applications of attachment theory to (a) children’s and adolescents’ relationships with parents and peers, (b) process and outcomes of psychotherapy, and (c) psychotherapy research focused on improving preventive interventions for underserved, diverse families with young children to promote school readiness and mental health. In terms of promotion of school readiness and mental health outcomes, Dr. Woodhouse is particularly interested in culturally-appropriate, preventive interventions to support positive parenting. Her work focuses on better understanding the role of parenting in the development of children's emotion regulation capacities. In her research she uses a variety approaches, including physiological indicators of emotion regulation (e.g., heart rate variability) and stress reactivity (e.g., cortisol), as well as observational, and self-report measures. Practice and clinical training interests include the integration of attachment theory, object relations, self-psychology, and relational psychodynamic approaches with a multicultural and feminist approach. Click here to know more about Dr. Woodhouse's research project in her CARE lab.