Two College of Education Faculty Receive Brickley Research Awards

By Mike Sayler | Published January 8, 2018

Deborah Laurin-Phelan (Department of Teacher Education). “The Pikler approach, Proximal Processes, and Child Care Theory: Re-envisioning Infant-Toddler Diapering Practices for nurturing the relationship.” $1,036. Dr. Laurin-Phelan traveled to the October 2017 Pikler Meets Neuroscience Conference in Los Angeles to present her research on proximal processes in diapering. Her theory, specifically recommends the use of care routines as a main factor in infant and toddler pedagogy to promote child well-being.

Audrey Farrugia-Bernard (Department of Special Education). “Special Education: From Michigan to Malta.” $1,000. Dr. Farrugia-Bernard will travel to Malta for the Euro-Mediterranean International Conference on Disability Studies and Disability Activism. There she will forge connections between EMU and her international counterparts to build a multi-tiered, study abroad, academic service-learning, partnership program. In addition, at the conference she will conduct phenomenological interviews for a study that focuses on the perceptions of international faculty regarding accommodations for students with disabilities in higher education.