Summer Student Research Assistantship for School Psychology Student
School Psychology graduate student, Rory Papworth, has been awarded a summer student research assistantship to work with College of Education faculty, Dr. Jacob Olsen.
Papworth’s project, "The Impact of PBIS Implementation Fidelity on Academic Outcomes" focuses on “Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a school-wide, tiered framework that has strong empirical support for improving student behavioral outcomes when implemented with fidelity.” Papworth shares, “However, the evidence regarding PBIS's influence on academic outcomes, while promising, is a controversial topic and more research in this area is needed. My study examines data from a large, diverse, urban school district in Southern California and determines how PBIS implementation fidelity influences student academic outcomes. This research will add to the literature in this field and may increase staff and administrator buy-in to evidence-based practices like PBIS.”
For Papworth, this research project has reinforced much of what he is learning in class and emphasized how staying abreast of current research and best practices is absolutely critical as a school psychologist.
Working with Dr. Olsen as a faculty mentor, Papworth hopes this assistantship will afford him opportunities to disseminate his research wider than he could have otherwise. “On a more personal note,” Papworth shares, “I hope that the skills and growth I have attained while a part of this assistantship will remain with me as I move forward into my future career, permitting me to better serve the students I look forward to working with.”
