UNL alumnus Craig Enders returned to campus Oct. 26 to host the MAP Academy’s Fall 2015 Nebraska Methodology Workshop: “Dealing with Missing Data.”
There have been substantial methodological advances in the area of missing data analyses during the last 25 years. Methodologists currently regard maximum likelihood estimation (ML) and multiple imputation (MI) as two state-of-the-art handling procedures for missing data.
With $2.5 million in federal funding, a CYFS research team is exploring the power of partnerships to benefit Nebraska’s youngest children.
Led by Lisa Knoche, CYFS research associate professor, the team aims to improve developmental outcomes—specifically language and social-emotional skills—for infants and toddlers. Their project is one of four national studies funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families. Together, research findings will inform local and national Early Head Start programs, which provide early childhood services for low-income families.
CYFS has released its 2014-205 Annual Report, which spans July 2014 to June 2015. This year’s report highlights collaborative research by CYFS faculty and affiliates, including early childhood projects, STEM outreach and teacher training.
Dan Hoyt, professor of sociology, began the 2015-2016 Methodology Applications Series on Sept. 18 with a discussion titled “Research Ethics with Minority Communities.”
Hoyt is a professor of sociology and the associate dean of faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. His primary scholarly interest is focused on mental health and substance use among high-risk adolescents. He is currently a co-investigator on NIH-funded grants, examining these issues among homeless and runaway youth, and American Indian children. Hoyt is also interested in general methodological issues, including approaches to gathering data on sensitive topics and how to conduct research with populations that are difficult to sample and access.
While childcare shapes the trajectory of future generations, evaluating its impact is far from child’s play.
Led by Greg Welch, CYFS research associate professor, a multi-campus University of Nebraska team has received funding to evaluate and inform childcare quality. The CYFS-housed project, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, will pinpoint the minimum thresholds of childcare quality needed to promote positive development and prevent negative outcomes for children birth to age five.
The MAP Academy will host the Emerging Scholars Series Dec. 3-4 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The series features Jessaca Spybrook, associate professor of educational leadership, research, and technology at Western Michigan University.
The series begins Thursday, Dec. 3 with a keynote presentation titled “Moving Beyond the Average Treatment Effect: A Look at Power Analyses for Moderator Effects in Cluster Randomized Trials.” This presentation is free, open to the public and requires no registration.
As the 2015 Educational Neuroscience Conference drew researchers, professors, graduate students and teachers to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, it also brought an emerging field to the forefront of conversation. CYFS co-sponsored the inaugural event, held Oct. 15-16 at UNL’s Wick Alumni Center.
Elizabeth Niehaus, assistant professor in educational administration, has been awarded two grants to study Caribbean student engagement in higher education. The American College Personnel Association Foundation awarded a $2,500 grant and the NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators In Higher Education) Foundation awarded $4,650—both projects are housed in CYFS.