This month, we are pleased to introduce Boyun Kim (bkim2@oakland.edu), a PhD student in the Department of Human Development and Child Studies at Oakland University’s William Beaumont School of Medicine.
- Can you write a couple sentences on some aspect of your career development: feel free to pick one or any other related question among these:
When I was studying for my master’s degree, I worked at the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education as an Assistant Policy Researcher. Moreover, my master’s thesis focused on big data analysis. That momentum shaped my cognate, or concentration, in Research Methodology and sparked my interest in the evaluation and assessment of early childhood education policies, systems, and funding.
As a PhD student, I participated in a project examining the implementation of a Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) in a Midwestern State. My mentor was Dr. Tomoko Wakabayashi. From her, I learned more about childcare policy and how to utilize quantitative research methodology in early childhood education research to make data-informed decisions that impact early childhood policy.
- A short paragraph describing a particular recent finding, current study, or recent publication and what makes you excited about it. Feel free to describe its importance from any one or more of these lenses: a) research contribution; b) our knowledge about Asian or Asian American populations; c) our knowledge about others [understudied?] populations; d) practice or policy relevance.
In one of my recent independent research projects, “Navigating Educational Policy Shifts: Assessing Impacts on Children Before and After COVID-19, “I examined the impact of COVID-19 on policy bills related to early childhood education. Data for this study were collected from the U.S. Congress website, spanning two time frames (pre- and post-pandemic), and textual analysis methods were employed. The findings revealed differences between House and Senate bills. Post-COVID, the term “Education” appeared in Senate bills but not in House bills, while pre-COVID, the term “care” was absent in House bills but present in Senate bills. This pilot research lays the groundwork for future studies comparing three different time frames, incorporating current data. Furthermore, I am interested in investigating the rationale behind this phenomenon.
- Your reflections on your interactions with the Asian Caucus would be highly appreciated. Please feel free to share your thoughts, whether it’s a simple message for the Caucus community or more.
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Tomoko Wakabayashi. She is a professor and Ph.D. program coordinator at Oakland University. Thanks to her, I am able to be actively involved in two subcommittees of the SRCD Asian Caucus: the Outreach and Communication Subcommittee (OCS) and the Social Policy Subcommittee (SP). The SPr subcommittee is currently focusing on analyzing a large data set that captures Asian college students’ well-being and elevates the experiences of Asian and
Asian American faculty and researchers. I’m grateful to the subcommittee members who have included me in their research endeavors. It’s a wonderful opportunity to discuss and delve into the population I’m passionate about studying. If I have the chance to attend the 2025 biennial meeting, I’m excited about the prospect of meeting my Caucus community members in person. It would be an enriching experience for me.
- Any upcoming talks or presentations we should know about?
In June 2024, at the National Research Conference on Early Childhood (NRCEC), I will co-present results from the KEA research project led by Dr. Wakabayashi. Moreover, I co-authored a paper for the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), which will be submitted for publication and anticipated in 2024, but potentially delayed until 2025 due to the review process. “Intersections of Sensemaking, Teaching Practices, and Equity and Justice: Comparing Two Elementary Teacher Education Programs” This paper is one slice of a larger study conducted by Drs. Amber S. Bismack and Patricia Bills in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Oakland University. The study is guided by the following question: “How does a practice-based elementary education program designed to integrate equity and justice influence novice elementary teachers’ justice-oriented teaching for scientific sensemaking compared to the influences of a traditional teacher education program?” The study is funded by a Spencer Foundation Small Research Grant awarded to Drs. Amber S. Bismack and Patricia Bills.
- A weblink you prefer to share?