University of La Verne Students Presenting Research at National Education Conference

The National Council of Teachers of English has selected five University of La Verne students to present their research on tutoring and literacy at a prestigious national conference this month.

The students – Emma Saturday, Joelene Kuaana, Paige Bullock, Kaylee Cruz, and Christopher Osorio – will share their findings at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in Portland on March 16.

“It’s really an impressive accomplishment for undergraduate students, especially for our sophomore students who have just started exploring these issues of literacy,” said Dr. Jolivette Mecenes, writing program chair.

Several thousand college professors, high school teachers, and graduate and undergraduate students gather for the conference, which encourages educators to network and explore teaching trends and research.

“I never thought I would present at this conference because it is so prestigious and competitive,” Saturday said.

Two dozen undergraduate students were selected to display their poster presentations, including the two University of La Verne teams.

Saturday, Kuaana, and Bullock will present “Fostering Success: Addressing Factors of Intimidation for Inner-city Students,” which explores issues such as socioeconomic background and self-doubt and how they affect learning. They surveyed 175 students taking a first-year writing course at the University of La Verne.

Cruz and Osorio’s project “Teaching and Tutoring in Edited American English with Cultural (In)Sensitivity” looks at the way college English is taught and whether students from diverse backgrounds are able to express their cultural identity in courses. They surveyed 250 students in first-year writing courses.

The seeds of both projects were planted when the students took “Writing Theory and Practice: Peer Tutoring in Writing,” taught by Dr. Judy Holiday, assistant professor of writing.

“I’m very proud of these two groups of students,” Holiday said.

College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Lawrence Potter and Dr. Kat Weaver, director of the Academic Success Center and the La Verne Experience, provided funding to support the students’ trip to the conference. The department of modern languages also contributed.