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Author: Claire McCormick | Major: Human Development and Family Science | Semester: Spring 2022
My name is Claire McCormick and I studied Human Development and Family Science in the Bumper’s College. My mentor is Dr. Jennifer Becnel, and she also works in the HDFS department. I did research during the Spring semester of 2022 and will be attending the University of Arkansas Doctor of Occupational Therapy program in the Spring of 2023.
I initially chose to work with neurodiverse individuals because I wanted my honors thesis to be something that would apply to my future career as an occupational therapist. I filled out the form that pairs you with potential thesis advisors and it suggested that I meet with Dr. Becnel to discuss some of the projects she had been working on as well. We planned a time to meet in her office to discuss what I had in mind and see if the two lined up. Sure enough, they did! We had originally planned to gather data on individuals with chronic conditions from the students in the CEA, their parents, and the faculty that works with them. But we quickly pivoted to gathering data from students in the EMPOWER program on campus, their parents, and the faculty that works with them. After meeting with the EMPOWER staff, we decided to collect data in focus groups and send out a survey to parents and faculty to collect data from them. We asked questions that focus on the student’s autonomy but also asked questions about how they felt they were granted autonomy by faculty on campus and by their parents while they are in the EMPOWER program. What is cool about this project is that the data we collected is also being shared with the EMPOWER program so they can find ways to help staff on campus feel better equipped to support their students. I never imagined that this project would help a program on campus find ways to better meet the needs of its students, but it is so meaningful to know that it has a real application to our campus.
Dr. Becnel and I faced some challenges getting our IRB approved so that we could move forward in collecting data and coding it. That put us behind a bit, but it worked out since I am graduating over the Summer! Dr. Becnel has played a huge role in helping me navigate this process. I had no idea what I was doing when I joined the honors college and didn’t know where to start when it came to creating an idea for a project, but she has guided me every step of the way. She isn’t just my honors mentor but is also my friend. We have also received help from the EMPOWER program staff, specifically Devin Boggs Riley, who was a former student of Dr. Becnel’s. He was instrumental in assuring our questions were developmentally appropriate and connecting us with students and their parents. Right now, we are working on finishing gathering our data from students and faculty. Once we finish that we will begin coding the data and then will put the project altogether! I will be defending my thesis over the Summer which will be the final step in this process.