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Canadian Researchers’ Spotlight

Canadian Researchers' Spotlight

Dr. Lauren Goegan: is an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba in the Faculty of Education. Her research examines various issues related to students with Learning Disabilities (LD). For example, her main program of research explores the transition from high school to postsecondary education, finding that having a sense of belonging on campus is vital for a student with LD and their success[i]. More recently as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has investigated the impact of online learning for students with LD, discovering that online learning is a roller coaster with various advantages and disadvantages[ii]. Her work often includes motivation theories, such as the importance of having a growth mindset for students with LD[iii] and exploring ways to meet a student’s basic psychological needs of autonomy (e.g., giving them choice), competence (e.g., helping them feel capable) and relatedness (e.g., feeling connected to others) to support students with dyslexia during classroom assessment [iv]. For more information on her work, you can visit: https://umanitoba.ca/education/lauren-goegan or https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5B0zMisAAAAJ&hl 

  •  Goegan, L. D. & Daniels L. M. (2020). Students with LD at postsecondary: Supporting success and the role of student characteristics and integration. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 35(1), 45-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12212
  • Goegan, L. D., Le, L. & Daniels, L. M. (2022). Online learning is a rollercoaster: Postsecondary students with learning disabilities navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 46(3), 166-179. https://doi.org/10.1177/07319487221090912 
  • Goegan, L. D., Pelletier, G. N., & Daniels, L. M. (2021). I just have to try harder: Examining the mindsets of students with LD. Canadian Journal of School Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573521998954 
  • Goegan, L. D., Parker, P. C. & Daniels, L. M. (2023). Connecting basic psychological needs and assessment: The perspectives of postsecondary students with dyslexia. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 36(3), 241-255.

Dr. Jamie Metsala is a Professor and the Gail and Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Learning Disabilities in the Faculty of Education at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her research and dissemination activities focus on reading achievement and effective instruction for all children and youth, including those with or at risk for learning disabilities. She engages with community and education systems to address the link between instructional approaches in our schools and social justice issues. Dr. Metsala’s research includes studies on the development of phonological awareness,  phonological processing in students with reading disabilities, oral language contributors to reading comprehension, fluency development, effective remediation of reading disabilities, and teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching in the inclusive classroom. Dr. Metsala is a registered psychologist who previously held tenured faculty positions at the Universities of Maryland and Western Ontario. Recently, Dr. Metsala was a one of two content area experts on the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read Public Inquiry.

Take a look at Dr. Jamie’s work and contribution the LD world :

Sample publications:

Dr. Linda Siegel is the former Dorothy C. Lam Chair in Special Education and an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. 

She received her B.A. from Queens College of the City University of New York and her M.S. and PhD degrees from Yale University.

She has over 200 publications on early identification and intervention to prevent reading problems, dyslexia, reading and language development, mathematical concept learning, mathematical learning disabilities, and children learning English as a second language.  

She has been the President of the Division of Learning Disabilities of the Council on Exceptional Children.  In 2004, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Goteborg University in Sweden.  In 2010, she was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence in Psychological Research from the Canadian Psychological Association.  In 2012 she was awarded the Eminent Researcher Award from the Learning Difficulties Association of Australia. 

She has recently published a book entitled Not Stupid, Not Lazy: Understanding Dyslexia and Other Learning Disabilities. This book is published by the International Dyslexia Association.

Dr. McNamara is an educational psychologist interested in studying young children with learning and reading disabilities. Currently his research involves working with various agencies across Province to develop and implement literacy intervention programs for vulnerable readers. Dr. McNamara also leads his LD Research Team in a number of applied research projects aimed at better understanding reading and reading disabilities. He has published numerous articles and presented internationally about how best to support children and youth with learning disabilities. John is also the author of Reading Rocks – a literacy program designed to motivate and support vulnerable readers. John’s Reading Rocks program is currently in use in several regions in Ontario. In addition to his research, John currently a professor at Brock University and teaches a large first-year course in Child and Youth Studies. He has won several teaching awards and awards for his mentorship of students. John has emphasized his work in the community and following this, has worked with several Learning Disabilities Associations across Ontario. He is currently the President of the Learning Disabilities Association of Wellington Region. 

Get to know Dr. McNamara better: https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/child-and-youth-studies/people-in-our-department/johhttps://brocku.ca/social-sciences/child-and-youth-studies/people-in-our-department/john-mcnamara/

Since being hired as a professor at Laval University in 1998, Frédéric Guay has assembled a multidisciplinary team comprising researchers from several countries (Australia, Canada, China, United States, Singapore, Switzerland, France). Their cutting-edge research aims to explore the school, familial, and social factors that promote motivation, perseverance, and academic success. Frédéric Guay is a member of the Motivation in Education Research  laboratory at the National Institute of Singapore, where he has served as a scientific advisor for approximately a decade. Additionally, he has been part of the executive committee for the Self Biennial International Conference—an international symposium held every three years—for nearly 10 years. In recognition of his dedication to the largest international research networks focused on academic motivation, Frédéric Guay was elected President of Division 5 (Educational, instructional, and school psychology) within the International Association for Applied Psychology in 2014. He holds the prestigious Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in motivation, perseverance, and academic success. Furthermore, he is the author or co-author of over 150 articles, book chapters, and popular texts related to motivation. In 2016, Frédéric Guay received acknowledgment from the Whitworth committee for his significant contribution to education research in Canada. Over the years, he has developed professional training programs for elementary school teachers, aiming to mobilize specific pedagogical practices that enhance students’ motivation for writing. This training, evaluated as part of his research, has proven effective in fostering students’ motivation to write. Throughout his career, Frédéric Guay’s research has focused on reducing achievement gaps among students, particularly between those facing learning difficulties and those with more typical educational development.

Dr. Meadow Schroeder: is an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary in the Werklund School of Education.

Her research examines various issues related to students with disabilities, including Learning Disabilities (LD). Her research interests include a) the transition from high school to postsecondary education, b) assessment issues related to LD, and c) how students are supported in school (e.g., teaching self-regulation strategies in mathematics).  She has taught graduate-level courses on academic and language assessment and intervention,

 learning disabilities in the classroom, and ethics in psychology. She also has more than a decade of clinical experience conducting psycho-education assessment and interventions for children with LD and ADHD.

For more information on her work, you can visit:  https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/meadow-schroeder

Meet Dr. Daniel Ansari, a renowned Professor and Canada Research Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience & Learning at Western University. Dr. Ansari leads the Numerical Cognition Laboratory, where his team delves into the development of numerical and mathematical skills in children and investigates the challenges some children face in acquiring these skills. Committed to bridging the gap between the Science of Learning and K-12 classrooms, Dr. Ansari is also a distinguished Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).

Explore Dr. Ansari’s impactful work:

Dr. Gina Harrison is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Victoria. She is an elected Fellow of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities (IARLD) and a Registered Psychologist. She has served on numerous governmental and community-based committees informing policy and advocacy for children and youth with learning disabilities. Dr. Harrison’s research focuses on the linguistic and cognitive (especially executive function) components of reading and writing development and risk for literacy-based learning disabilities. She is especially interested in reading and writing development in linguistically diverse children and in linguistically diverse settings (e.g., French immersion). A main focus of her work is translating research to practice for educators and other helping professionals in promoting evidence-informed assessment, instruction, and intervention approaches. 

Sample Publications

  • Harrison, G. L., & Boulet, L. (2024). Assessing executive function’s influence on reading comprehension in French immersion. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 39, 87-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/08295735241227511
  • Hodgins, H. & Harrison, G. L. (2021). Improving phonological awareness with Talking Tables in at-risk kindergarten readers. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 115, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103996 
  • Pollitt, S. & Harrison, G. L. (2021). Does CBM-Maze assess reading comprehension in 8- to 9-year olds at risk for dyslexia? Dyslexia, 27, 265-274. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.1679
  • Lawrence, B., Harrison, G. L., & Milford, T. (2019). Effects of positive parenting on mental health in adolescents with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 17(2), 223-244.

Dr. Matheson is a member of the education faculty at Queen’s University with an interest in educational psychology and special education. Currently, he is exploring how we can help students with high-incidence exceptionalities, including LDs, to become self-advocates. He works with his current graduate students to explore the knowledge that students possess about their own exceptionalities and accommodations, as well as how these students learn about their Individual Education Plan.

Dr. Matheson is working with local learning disability and special education groups in Kingston, where he and his family live. He is a former president of the Canadian Association for Educational Psychology, and continues to work with researchers of Inclusive Education both in Canada and beyond.

Learn more about Dr. Ian Matheson here: https://educ.queensu.ca/people/ian-matheson

Sarah Hamilton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Mount Royal University with over 13 years of experience working in a K-12 school for students with learning disabilities. She specializes in mathematics education in her teaching and in her collaborations with school partners in Calgary.

Sarah, along with her research partner Dr. Meadow Schroeder, recently completed a study examining the impact of a metacognitive approach to mathematical problem-solving for students with learning disabilities. Her current projects include an investigation into instructional approaches to reduce mathematical anxiety among pre-service teachers in post-secondary classrooms. Additionally, Sarah’s research has explored collective learning and collaboration in teacher professional development, school and teacher leadership, and teacher candidate wellness.

Recent Publications:

  • Webber, C. F., Nickel, J., Hamilton, S. J., & Braunberger, D. (2024). Contextualised shared leadership: A Canadian case study. School Leadership & Management, 1–20.
  • Hamilton, S. & Caldwell, B. (2024). Searching for myself: Identity formation through participation in a school leader learning network. In K. MacKinnon (Ed.), Learning to lead schools: Diverse perspectives and practical strategies. Canadian Scholars.
  • Braunberger, D. & Hamilton, S. (2023). The power of professional learning networks in turbulent times. Professional Development Today, 23(1).
  • Hamilton, S. J., & Braunberger, D. (2023). An action research study to examine perceptions and practices of teachers promoting student development of executive functioning skills in all learning environments. In M. Jacobson & C. Smith (Eds.), Online Learning and Teaching From Kindergarten to Graduate School (pp. 170–197). Canadian Association for Teacher Education.
  • Hamilton, S., Braunberger, D., & Brown, B. (2022). Conceptualizing a foundation to lead a school-university research partnership. International Journal for Leadership and Learning, 22(1), 340–363. https://doi.org/10.29173/ijll14.
  • Braunberger, D. & Hamilton, S. (2022). Covid-19 driven emergence of an informal network to support vulnerable students. In G. Handscomb & C. Brown (Eds.), The power of professional learning networks – Traversing the present; transforming the future (pp. 219–232). John Catt Publishers.