Colleen O'Neal Receives Shapiro Mid-Career Award
Associate Professor Dr. Colleen O'Neal received the Shapiro Mid-Career Award for her work in the field of psychology and her study "A mixed-methods study of the cultural competence and inclusive socioemotional supports of school personnel (e.g., school psychologists, counselors) around immigrant students in the evolving context of COVID-19."
The research project is a mixed-methods study of the cultural competence and inclusive socioemotional supports of school personnel (e.g., school psychologists, counselors) around immigrant students in the evolving context of COVID-19. The goal is to explore Central American immigrant students’ expressed needs around school personnel cultural competence and the school supports they would like to receive, in addition to the perspectives of school personnel.
Some sample research questions are:
- What are the experiences of various stakeholders in an immigrant-serving school district (i.e., school counselors and immigrant students, parents, and leaders) regarding the psychological and educational challenges faced by Latinx immigrant students impacted by COVID-19 and racial injustice?
- What are the perspectives of Latinx immigrant students, families, and leaders on the advocacy and support they need from school counselors in the context of COVID-19 and racial injustice?
The purpose of the Society for the Study of School Psychology Shapiro Mid-Career Grant Awards is to promote excellence in research for mid-career researchers studying school psychology. The primary purpose is to facilitate obtaining federal or national foundation research funding for a successful mid-career professional.
The award acknowledges Dr. O'Neal's research accomplishments and potential and in addition, provides some funding for the research project.
Dr. O'Neal was one of two recipients this year along with Dr. Elizabeth McKenney and her study "The universal nature of school psychologists’ skills, and methods to ensure that those skills are employed toward the goals of contemporary education.”
Dr. O'Neal is an assistant professor of School Psychology in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park (Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education). Her primary research goals are to identify risk and resilience processes among minority students with a focus on emotions and stress. She conducts research asking: (1) HOW stress impacts ethnic minority student mental health and academic functioning, (2) WHAT socioemotional learning (e.g., emotion engagement), motivation (e.g., grit), emotion regulation and relationship-based protective factors prevent the negative impact of stress on academic functioning, and (3) WHO resilience processes affect most.
