Research Philosophy

The premise of my scholarship is that it should be an influential vehicle that not only translates to practice, but also promotes the tangible benefits of lived experiences to students, families, and educators. I view research as my means to advance further equity and inclusion for students with disabilities and multilingual learners, populations that consistently grapple with access issues within the educational system. 

My research orientation is applied and collaborative. My applied behavior analysis training informs my efforts to create research questions that lend themselves to systematic, data-based, and replicable designs. My experience in the field of psychology and in special education services also supports me in crafting questions that have clear ties to developmental and instructional needs in the real world. I always strive to close the research-practice divide, examining interventions and frameworks that teachers may feasibly utilize in their classrooms.

In addition, my work reflects a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens. I believe that research should take account of student voice, identity, and context in addition to gauging effectiveness. That is, the extent to which interventions are sensitive to cultural background, language and other aspects of lived experience; and the ways in which collaborative school teams can be made more responsive in their efforts to support diverse learners.

Ultimately, I perceive research as a collaborative endeavor. I have much appreciation for interdisciplinary collaboration and for the ability to co-construct knowledge with educators, families, and practitioners. Through relational and rigorous approaches to research, I aspire to support a field that is evidence-based, but also deeply transformative in schools and communities.