Research Projects
Current Research Projects
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Researchers:
- Jingjing Sun, Ph.D., Department of Teaching & Learning, University of Montana
- Anisa N. Goforth, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Montana
- Debbie Hogenson, Community Advisory Board member
- Rhonda Howlett, Community Advisory Board member
- Deborah Ith, Research Coordinator, Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology
- Jaida Lilly, Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology
- Anna Reszewicz, Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology
Project SELA’s seven-year research-practice partnership between the Arlee School District, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation (CKST), and the University of Montana originated from a collective response to a devastating suicide cluster that occurred in Arlee, MT in 2016-2017. Arlee is a close-knit, rural community, with a school comprising of 75% Indigenous students. The trauma from the suicides, including the death of a child from the school, significantly impacted the community.
The central goals of our partnership have been to better understand: 1) How schools serving Indigenous students can draw on community strengths to promote culturally responsive education; 2) How schools and communities can co-develop culturally responsive interventions to support Indigenous students’ educational success and well-being.
There are multiple projects being conducted focusing on culturally responsive social-emotional learning, funded by the following grants.
- Montana IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellent (INBRE)
- Spencer Foundation Research-Practice Partnership
- Robert J. Wood Foundation Evidence for Action: Indigenous-led Solutions to Advance Health Equity & Wellbeing
Watch a Short Documentary Film about Pathways to Wellness
Publications
Violante, A., Goforth, A., Sun, J., *Lilly, J., Howlett, R., Hogenson, D., Munro, B., *Ith, D., & *Reszewicz, A. (Under review). “Real collaboration is empowering:” Facilitators, barriers, and benefits of a community-school partnership in an Indigenous community.
Goforth, A. N., Nichols, L. M., Sun, J., *Violante, A. E., *Brooke, E., *Kusumaningsih, S., Howlett, R., Hogenson, D., & Graham, N. (2022). Cultural adaptation of an educator social–emotional learning program to support Indigenous students. School Psychology Review, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2022.2144091
Sun, J., Goforth, A. N., Nichols, L. M., *Violante, A., Christopher, K., Howlett, R., Hogenson, D., & Graham, N. (2022). Building a space to dream: Supporting indigenous children's survivance through community-engaged social and emotional learning. Child Development, (n/a). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13786
Goforth, A. N., Nichols, L. M., Sun, J., *Violante, A. E., Christopher, K., & Graham, N. (2021). Integrating Indigenous evaluation framework in culturally responsive community engagement. Psychology in the Schools. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22533 -
Researchers:
Jaida Lilly, Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology
Anisa N. Goforth, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Montana
School psychologists are responsible for promoting and maintaining an equitable, inclusive environment for all students to learn. For those who work in school settings, assessment of student’s academic and/or mental health and behavioral difficulties is often a significant component of school psychological practices. However, for various reasons, the assessment process can be flawed, and can unintentionally perpetuate systems of oppression in school-settings; this is especially true when working with children from culturally and linguistically (CLD) diverse background. Within culturally responsive assessment, interviewing CLD students and their families is critical, and the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) is a useful tool within this process. The purpose of this study is to understand school psychologists’ perspectives of the CFI in their practice, in terms of the utility, feasibility, and acceptability of the tool.
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Researchers
- Deborah Ith, Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology, University of Montana
- Anisa N. Goforth, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Montana
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Researchers:
- Anna Reszewicz, Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology
- Anisa N. Goforth, PhD Department of Psychology, The University of Montana
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Researchers:
- Blair A Baker, PhD, Cleveland State University
- Keeley Hynes, PhD, University of Northern Colorado
- Tamara Lawson, PhD, University of Arizona
- Emily N Srisarajivakul, PhD, University of Memphis
- Anisa N. Goforth, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Montana
Researchers came together through the School Psychology Research Collaboration Conference to further understand how to support children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds using culturally responsive practices, including consultation.