Two-Year Research Project
A select Wayne State University research team from the College of Education's Center for Self-Determination and Transition is undertaking a three-phased, two and a half year project. The goal will be to develop, pilot, and implement a research process to quantify the effectiveness of the Edge Foundation's personal coaching strategies on the academic, professional, and social achievements of students with ADHD in college and university settings. The 24-month project has three key phases:
- Phase One: Preparation (January-December 2008)
- Phase Two: Pilot Study (January-August 2009)
- Phase Three: Field Test (September 2009-August 2010)
An "observational" coaching study with 20 college-age students and five to ten coaches will help generate the experimental model for Phase Three. This stage consists of a controlled study with randomly selected experimental and control groups, specifically designed data collection instruments and protocols, and use of standard scientific statistical methodologies.
The Wayne State University Research Team will consist of three key faculty associated with the Center for Self-Determination:
Dr. Sharon Field will serve as Principal Investigator and Project Director. She will oversee all aspects of the project and play a lead role in developing the research design and assuring that it is implemented appropriately. She will maintain frequent communication with collaborating partners such as The Edge Foundation and their partners and subcontractors. She will assure that all human subject provisions are followed, and she will hold primary responsibility for developing all project reports and documents. Dr. Field will manage all administrative aspects of the project including hiring and supervision of staff, budget monitoring, and internal and external communications. Dr. Field is Professor (Research) in the Department of Administrative and Organizational Studies in the College of Education and Co-Director of the Center for Self-Determination and Transition. She has procured and directed research grants totaling over $3.1 million. She has written 3 books, 10 book chapters, 24 journal articles and 11 instructional materials packages.
Dr. Shlomo Sawilowsky will have primary responsibility for assuring that the research design and implementation meet the highest scientific standards of research quality. He will participate in all decisions about the research design, and he will conduct all data analyses. He will participate in writing about the results of the project. Dr. Sawilowsky is Professor and Program Coordinator of Educational Evaluation and Research and Wayne State University Distinguished Faculty Fellow. He is the President-elect of the American Educational Research Association SIG/Educational Statisticians, which published his most recent book (Real Data Analysis, AERA/SIG ES, 2007) on best practices for data analysis issues related to this project. In addition, he has published over 100 articles (including a 1998 article in Russell A. Barkley's prestigious The ADHD Report) on social and behavioral science research methodology, statistics, psychometrics, and evaluation journals, and he has served as Principal Investigator or Evaluation Specialist on research grants totaling over $3 million.
Dr. Alan Hoffman will consult on all phases of the project and volunteer his time and expertise to the project. Dr. Hoffman is Professor of Theoretical and Behavioral Foundations, Co-Director of the Center for Self-Determination and Transition, and Chair of the Marriage and Family Psychology program in the WSU College of Education. As a psychologist and former Director of Student Affairs on college campuses, he will have practical input that we anticipate will be helpful to the project.