UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1152
Submission information
Submission Number: 1152
Submission ID: 20356
Submission UUID: 046f35c3-d2d7-4e00-8a37-6296a390d34e
Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal
Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=SzMiKhPwrqHU4ybpr7EfoLFbeDEbDhMMbLwftde3XKw
Created: Thu, 08/14/2025 - 09:28 PM
Completed: Thu, 08/14/2025 - 09:59 PM
Changed: Wed, 09/03/2025 - 05:25 PM
Remote IP address: 68.101.78.95
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal
Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal
| Primary Research Mentor Name | Madison Kellenberger |
|---|---|
| Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns | she/her/hers |
| When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? | |
| Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) | mkellenberger@fsu.edu |
| Position Title | Graduate Student |
| Faculty Advisor Name | Dr. Matthew Cooper Borkenhagen |
| Faculty Advisor's FSU Email | mcb@fcrr.org |
| FSU College (if applicable) | Education, Health, and Human Sciences |
| FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation | Special Education |
| Headshot (optional) |
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| Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above) | |
| Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns | |
| Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific? | |
| Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) | |
| Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable) | |
| Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns | |
| Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific? | |
| Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) | |
| Title of the Project | Learning to Spell: Understanding Children's Differences and Comparing Two Instructional Methods |
| Project Keywords | spelling, reading, education, vocabulary, children |
| Are you currently looking for research assistants? | Yes |
| Number of Research Assistants Needed | 2 |
| Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) | Open to all majors |
| Project Location: | Leon County Elementary Schools and FSU Main Campus Psychology Building |
| If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? | Yes |
| Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): | In-person |
| Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? | 5-8 hours a week |
| Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? | Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.) |
| Overall Research Project Description | The abilities to read and write are foundational skills upon which a child’s academic success or persistent difficulties rest (Anderson et al., 1985; National Research Council, 1998). The need for sufficient literacy skills extends far beyond one’s school years and has been linked to a person’s quality of life, including access to career opportunities and the ability to participate in the ever-changing Information Age (Anderson et al., 1985; National Research Council, 1998). According to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—the United States' biannual indicator of academic achievement —only about one-third of fourth graders in the United States are reading at proficient levels (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023). Learning to spell in English is even more complex than learning to read (Venezky, 1999). Translating spoken words into their correct spelling requires extensive exposure and experience, as many letters have multiple pronunciations and each of these pronunciations often has more than one spelling, creating what Venezky (1999) describes as a “spaghetti-like tangle” (p. 11). Thus, understanding the variability and quasi-regularity that underpin the English language is crucial for identifying which types of words present children with the greatest difficulty and how instruction can more effectively support their development. The present study examines how individual differences among third through fifth-grade students and the characteristics of specific multisyllabic words (i.e., words with more than one syllable such as delightful) influence spelling, reading, and vocabulary performance. Additionally, a pilot study will compare the efficacy of two research-informed spelling approaches: a commonly used method (i.e., Cover-Copy-Compare) and a theoretically motivated, researcher-designed explicit instructional approach (i.e., Explicit Instruction Utilizing Multiple Patterns). |
| Research Tasks | Data collection with children in elementary schools: administering literacy and literacy-related assessments to third through fifth grade students (training, practice, and scaffolded support on these assessments will be provided before working with children, no prior experience needed); scoring assessments, such as the Test of Word Reading Efficiency-Second Edition (TOWRE-2; Torgesen et al., 2012) and other literacy-related assessments; data entry in to REDCap data entry system. |
| Skills that research assistant(s) may need: | Required: Punctuality and reliability (timeliness is essential to working in elementary schools and our goal is to minimize classroom disruption during data collection); Some weekday availability during elementary school hours to help with in-person data collection (typically 8am-3pm if you could have a couple of hours together on at least two days a week); Attention to detail to ensure accurate data is collected; Responsiveness and communication for elementary school scheduling updates. Recommended: Prior experience working with children in volunteer, educational, camp, or childcare settings is helpful but not necessary. |
| Mentoring Philosophy | Great mentors can change the trajectory of someone’s career and life. I view mentorship as a dynamic, reciprocal relationship founded on mutual respect, open communication, and shared learning. I value being a research mentor because research is a powerful tool for impact, innovation, deeper critical thinking, and building confidence. My goal is to help mentees gain meaningful experience while building academic and professional skills. I aim to combine structured guidance with scaffolded support, tailored to each mentee’s strengths, interests, and goals for each project. I set clear expectations and explain how each task relates to the broader research questions and current literacy research. I encourage students to ask questions, take responsibility for aspects of the research that interest them, and engage actively in the research process. I strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone can share ideas and develop new skills. Mentorship is fueled by mutual gratitude—I am continually inspired by the growth and support of my mentees. |
| Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Nr0-STMqKyWisyo-ZQ1Yj5KJbPGQAuRS/view?usp=sharing |
| Please add any additional information here (if applicable): | Here is a link to the Roundtable and questions recorded on September 3rd: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Nr0-STMqKyWisyo-ZQ1Yj5KJbPGQAuRS/view?usp=sharing If you are interested in contributing to this research project, please email me at mkellenberger@fsu.edu or come to one of the UROP Research Mentor Roundtables. Thank you! |
| Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? | Yes |
| Roundtable times and Zoom links | Wednesday, Sept. 3: 4:00-5:00pm (https://fsu.zoom.us/my/mgkellenberger) Thursday, Sept. 4: 3:30-4:00pm (https://fsu.zoom.us/my/mgkellenberger) Friday, Sept. 5: 2:30-3:00pm (https://fsu.zoom.us/my/mgkellenberger) |
| Roundtable Info |
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| Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication | Yes |
| UROP Performance Evaluation | Yes |
| Materials Grant | Yes |
| UROP Poster Presentation | Yes |
| Faculty Advisor Confirmation | Yes |
| Are you interested in attending in a UROP Research Mentor Workshop Series? | No |
| Year | 2025 |
| update url | https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=SzMiKhPwrqHU4ybpr7EfoLFbeDEbDhMMbLwftde3XKw |