Overview
The central mission of research conducted by faculty and students in Lehigh’s College of Education is to improve the lives of individuals across the lifespan by enhancing educational, psychological, and social functioning.
We accomplish this mission by conducting research that is relevant and accessible to our stakeholders including school and mental health professionals, policy makers, and families. We believe that research is critically important in informing and improving educational and mental health policy and practice. Thus, the community is our “laboratory” in that we conduct research in collaboration with our stakeholders to address critical issues that affect the daily lives of students, families, and adults. And our research involves data collection at the “point of performance”, i.e., in the real world settings and timeframes where behaviors of interest occur.
Although our college is relatively small in terms of number of faculty, we are extraordinarily productive in the quantity, quality, and breadth of our research and scholarship. This is reflected by traditional academic metrics of publication rates, citations by other scholars, and receipt of grant research funding. More importantly, our faculty, students, and alumni produce work of lasting impact on educational and mental health practice in schools and communities as well as on development and implementation of policy.
Our work covers a wide spectrum of issues that are important to the community such as examining the effects of interventions on the educational and psychological functioning of youth and adults with disabilities (e.g., autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disorders); measuring children’s school readiness and academic skills over time; examining the origins of gender roles and their impact on the psychological status of individuals and communities; or assessing factors that improve the daily practice of school building principals. Of particular note is our Center for Promoting Research to Practice that has produced dozens of studies that have improved school- and community-based services for individuals with educational and mental health disabilities.
Featured Research
Counseling-Based Research That Benefits Everyone
Black and Latinx people make up 30% of the U.S. population, but account for just 6% of all participants in federally funded clinical trials (Konkel, 2015). Studies have also found that common...
Grace Caskie’s Journey to Quantitative Psychology and Older Adults
A first-generation college student, the associate professor of counseling's education helped change her career path.
Like many of the most interesting journeys, Grace Caskie’s...
Armando Quiroz Asks, “How Do We Define Language Mastery?”
When Armando Quiroz was growing up, Spanish was a gateway to his community, how he spoke with his grandmother and how he paid attention in church. “Spanish was a tool to feel connection,” he says...
We endeavor to ensure that our research directly improves educational and mental health practice across local, national, and global communities.
Dr. George DuPaul, Associate Dean for Research
Meet Our Faculty
Dr. Zilong Pan
Augmented and Virtual Reality, Data Informed Decision Making, Design of Web-based Inquiry Learning Environments, Play-based Educational Interventions, Teaching and Technology, Technology Based Interventions
Dr. Qiong Fu
English Learners, Language and Cognition, Psychometrics, Statistical Methods and Theory
Dr. Lee Kern
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Inclusion of Children with Special Needs
Research News
Building on Joy and Thriving in Underserved Communities
Keya Williams, has spent her career working with kids in underserved neighborhoods. Her work and her own experiences as a parent led her to enroll in the COE’s Counseling Psychology program—first...
K-12 Dive: Ed Department begins review of often misunderstood Section 504 rules
A recent article by K-12 Dive cites Perry A. Zirkel's findings in regards to reevaluating Section 504.
"The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is requesting public...
Math Ed Podcast: From interpretation to instructional practice: A network study of early-career teachers
Ken Frank from Michigan State University and Jihyun Kim from Lehigh University discuss their article, "From interpretation to instructional practice: A network study of early-career teachers'...
Research Centers
Centennial School
Centennial School pursues two principal missions; serving children and youth with educational disabilities and preparing high quality teachers to enter the workforce of special education.
Center for Promoting Research to Practice
The Center for Promoting Research to Practice generates knowledge that impacts the lives of individuals with, or at risk for disabilities.
Autism Services Clinic
Lehigh University Autism Services is a university-based research and professional training center for autism spectrum disorders.