UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1186

Submission information
Submission Number: 1186
Submission ID: 20526
Submission UUID: 5a89d4af-d500-45a4-bfb3-eff135a26e67

Created: Sat, 08/16/2025 - 02:13 PM
Completed: Sat, 08/16/2025 - 02:13 PM
Changed: Sun, 09/14/2025 - 06:22 PM

Remote IP address: 98.230.76.177
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Primary Research Mentor Name Sylwia J. Piatkowska
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns Dr.
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? spiatkowska@fsu.edu
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) spiatkowska@fsu.edu
Position Title Faculty
FSU College (if applicable) Criminology and Criminal Justice
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Associate Professor
Headshot (optional)
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 Understanding Bias in K–12 Schools: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Victimization, Policy, and Structural Influences
Project Keywords Hate Crime; K-12 Schools, Policy
Are you currently looking for research assistants? No
Number of Research Assistants Needed 6
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 5
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 This research investigates how institutional policies and practices in K–12 schools shape hate-motivated incidents, with an emphasis on their unequal influence on Black, Latinx, Asian American, Native American, gender non-conforming, and LGBTQ+ students. We assess how school, district, and state-level policies and institutional responses affect bias-motivated behaviors as they influence racial, ethnic, and gender minority students. Our overarching goal is to generate actionable knowledge to reduce intergroup conflict and lessen inequality in the academic and social outcomes of students. Two questions frame this work: (1) How do institutional factors—including anti-discrimination policies, civic inclusion, educational opportunities, and structural factors—shape patterns of bias-motivated victimization? (2) Do policies and institutional responses mitigate disparities in victimization and related outcomes? By merging a restricted version of the School Crime Supplement of the National Crime Victimization Survey with external data, this study will quantitatively examine how structural and legislative inequalities at school, district, and state levels predict students’ experiences of hate and its consequences. In other words, this research examines how hate crimes, bias-motivated harassment, and identity-based bullying in U.S. K–12 schools reflect and reproduce broader forms of social, political, and economic inequality—particularly with respect to civic inclusion, policy protections and enforcement, educational opportunity, and the structural environment. This research will also incorporate qualitative data through interviews with school officials. This mixed-methods approach will provide a more comprehensive understanding by pairing quantitative trends with qualitative insight into how personnel respond to anti-discrimination efforts—revealing barriers, contextual nuances, and challenges not yet captured in existing datasets.
Research Tasks Data Collection (particularly on policy protections and enforcement); Literature Review
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: None
Mentoring Philosophy Building a collaborative and supportive mentoring relationship is key to my work with undergraduate students. My mentoring philosophy is rooted in the belief that intellectual growth and research success stem not only from critical thinking and careful planning, but also from helping students complete their projects and ensuring they develop foundational skills that will serve them well in their future academic and professional pursuits. Thus, my mentoring approach is grounded not only in a deep understanding of the subject matter, but also in the creation of an interactive learning environment. Such an approach encourages students to explore complex questions and challenge conventional ideas—an essential skill for undergraduate success. In essence, I prioritize guiding students to engage with their research, prompting them to consider how their work contributes to the fields of criminology and criminal justice.
Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):
Please add any additional information here (if applicable):
Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links Wednesday, September 3rd, 3:00pm-3:30pm. https://fsu.zoom.us/j/98539125915
Roundtable Info
  • Day: Wednesday, September 3
    Start Time: 3:00
    End Time: 3:30
    Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/98539125915
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation Yes
Materials Grant Yes
UROP Poster Presentation Yes
Year 2025
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