UROP Project
Tracking Preschool Narrative Development
early childhood, narrative development, longitudinal study
Research Mentor: Yarui Chen,
Department, College, Affiliation: Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Contact Email: yc24m@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Contact Email: yc24m@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Wednesday, September 3
Start Time: 2:00
End Time: 2:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95285988500
Project Description
Early childhood narrative skills have been widely studied and predict later literacy skills and academic achievement. Despite this, few studies have traced the narrative competence trajectories at preschool age over time. Therefore, the present study aims 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 explores developmental trajectories and groups different in narrative skills over time.Research Tasks: data coding, data management
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 own research pathway that aligns with their interests, strengthen their critical-thinking skills, and to assist mentees to develop into confident, ethical and independent scholars or educators prepared for careers in education or related fields.