UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1373

Research Mentor Information
---------------------------
Primary Research Mentor Name: Yarui Chen
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): yc24m@fsu.edu
Position Title: Graduate Student
Faculty Advisor Name: Beth M. Phillips
Faculty Advisor's FSU Email: bmphillips@fsu.edu
FSU College (if applicable): Education, Health, and Human Sciences
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
Headshot (optional): {Empty}

Additional Research Mentor(s)
-----------------------------
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above): {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable): {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}

Overall Project Details
-----------------------
Title of the Project: Tracking Preschool Narrative Development
Project Keywords: early childhood, narrative development, longitudinal study
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:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: {Empty}
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?: 10
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: During business hours
Overall Research Project Description:
Early childhood narrative skills have been widely studies and predict later literacy skills and academic achievement. Despite this, few study has traced the narrative competence trajectories at preschool age over time. Therefore, the present study aim to investigate the development of preschool children’s narrative competences, both macrostructure and microstructure skills, in children with and without language delay. The study specifically explore developmental trajectories and groups different in narrative skills over time. 

Research Tasks:
Data coding  

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality work.  

Ability to work collaboratively in a team-oriented environment. 

Mentoring Philosophy:
Every mentee is different. Grounded in educational psychology, my philosophy centers on motivation–action pairing: I begin by understanding each mentee’s needs, motivations, and context, then we co-design roles and milestones. I move mentees from scaffolded practice to independent stewardship by calibrating support and challenge so they can work at the edge of their competence as it grows. I practice culturally responsive, inclusive mentoring, recognizing how background, identity, and lived experience shape aspirations and needs. As an international scholar studying children’s language development, I attend closely to linguistic, cultural, and institutional contexts. Using a flexible, customized approach, I adapt strategies to honor and leverage this diversity, ensuring each mentee feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.  

Moreover, I view mentorship as a reciprocal learning dialogue. I share my own reasoning and experiences openly and invite critique to model curiosity and reflective practices. Through open communication and constructive feedback, I aim to create a safe and respectful space where challenges are shared, ideas are refined, and growth is continuous. Feedback is not one-directional but a collaborative process that supports critical thinking, reflection, and professional identity development.  

My ultimate goal as a mentor is to empower mentees to build their research aligns with their interest, strengthen their critical-thinking skills, and develop into confident, ethical and independent scholars or educators prepared for careers in education.  

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: {Empty}
Please add any additional information here (if applicable)::
{Empty}


Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
{Empty}

UROP Program Elements
---------------------
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?: Yes
{Empty}
Year: 2026