Education, Sociology, and Psychology Researchers Awarded $202,586 by SSHRC
The work of three researchers at the University of Prince Edward Island has been recognized by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Awards with a combined total of over $200,000 have been made to UPEI professors Jean Mitchell, Annabel Cohen, and Elizabeth de Freitas.
In announcing the award-winners from 77 universities and colleges across Canada, Marc Renaud, president of SSHRC stated, "The research funded truly demonstrates the wealth of creativity, innovation and expertise that exists in this country. Canadians from all walks of life will draw on this knowledgeto better understand our most pressing economic, political, social and cultural issues."
"These SSHRC awards represent much more than their monetary value," says Katherine Schultz, Vice President, Research and Development at UPEI. "They also recognize our strong commitment to research excellence. The proposals are all peer-reviewed which means that the award recipients have been selected because they are among the best in the country."
Dr. Jean, Mitchell from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology will research issues related to youth, development, and social change. Her project, "Working Flash: Youth, Migrant Labour and Consumption in Vanuatu" will focus on the Pacific island of Vanuatu but will also have important implications for policy-makers in other developing countries where there are almost one billion people between the ages of 14 and 25. The increasingly large numbers of unemployed youth in countries that are experiencing rapid social change are linked to domestic and global violence and instability. SSHRC has awarded Dr. Mitchell $48,562 to support this study.
"The Effects of Music and Environmental Sounds in Multimedia: Absorption, Inference, and Education" is the title of the research project being conducted by Dr. Annabel Cohen of the Department of Psychology. She has received $93,720 to research the mental processes underlying multimedia communication. Dr. Cohen's earlier work in this field, which primarily focused on music, has shown that sound effects are indeed significant in multimedia communication. The latest project will compare the roles of music and other sound effects on absorption, inference, and learning.
SSHRC has awarded $60,304 to Dr. Elizabeth M. de Freitas of the Faculty of Education for her research project, "A Narrative Inquiry into Mathematics Teacher Identity." As part of the study, thirty high school mathematics teachers from Nova Scotia and PEI will be selected to provide information about their experiences in math education. The research aims to increase our knowledge about the way that teachers understand the role of school mathematics in society and identify ways to support socially-conscious teacher identity.
SSHRC is an independent federal government agency that funds university-based research and graduate training through national peer-review competitions. SSHRC also partners with public and private sector organizations to focus research and aid the development of better policies and practices in key areas of Canada's social, cultural and economic life.
