"ISU offers a stimulating research environment, the collegiality of faculty, and dedicated students. My students inspire me to be a life-long learner, to focus on research that is meaningful, and to teach the skills that make excellent special educators." — Julia Stoner, assistant professor of special education
(October 10, 2006) You can hear the excitement in Julia Stoner's voice as she talks about integrating her research projects with her teaching responsibilities. As assistant professor in the Department of Special Education, her students are given ample opportunity to become involved in one of six research projects this semester that focus on collaboration with families of children with disabilities and interventions using assistive technology to increase literacy skills.
According to Stoner, by pulling students into her research they gain valuable experience that they would not get in the traditional classroom. Through the interview process, students are given the opportunity to see the families' perspectives and hear their firsthand accounts. These experiences allow teacher candidates to gain valuable insights from the families of children with disabilities as well as to more fully develop skills necessary to be a successful educator. Many of Stoner's students have participated in Illinois State's Undergraduate and Graduate Research Symposia and shared authorship in scholarly research articles.
Former student, Melinda Snodgrass, shares Stoner's passion and enthusiasm for research and says that she was encouraged to assist with a research project on self-determination in individuals with physical impairments. Snodgrass participated in an interview between Stoner and a long-time friend with cerebral palsy. Her friend was interviewed about her school experiences and their effect on her self-determination skills. "The awareness that I gained from participating in that research continues to drive me as a professional. I take what I learned from that experience and apply it to my classroom, my interaction with professionals, and my students' parents," remarks Snodgrass.
Dana Naumann, a current student in the special education program, was involved in another research project with Stoner investigating to what extent mothers of children with disabilities trusted their child's teachers. Naumann says that participating in the research study taught her some of the fundamentals of research, such as transcribing skills and methods of inquiry. She states, "It is one thing to listen to a professor talk about her experiences out in the field, but it is another thing to actually hear those experiences directly from a parent of a child with a disability." She shares that, through interview experiences, she was able to empathize with the mothers and learn how important it is for professionals to be perceived as honest and trustworthy.
Stoner notes that although she is heavily engaged in rewarding research, she did not always have an attraction to this kind of work. During her doctoral studies, Stoner knew that she would need to write a dissertation to complete her program. Expecting to just do what was required, she never guessed that she would fall in love with research that has the potential to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities.
Stoner says that by encouraging student participation in special education research projects, she is able to provide opportunities for her students to develop a heightened awareness of the importance of research in the field of special education. This awareness provides a direct link between research-based practices and improvement of teaching practices in special education.
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