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Faculty of Social Science & Humanities Project Summaries

Supervisors

Alyson King | Lindsay Malloy | Lindsay Malloy | Lindsay Malloy | Wesley Crichlow | 


Supervisor name: Alyson King

Project title: Preventing Plagiarism in University - Understanding the Data

Summary of research project: Aiming to better understand how students research and write with integrity, this project is part of an international SSHRC Partnership Grant, Partnership on University Plagiarism Prevention (PUPP), and will delve into the quantitative and qualitative data gathered by the International Project. With data collected over the last 3 years in Canada, the US, and Europe, the successful student will have the opportunity to use their data analysis skills to determine patterns and make connections using data from different groups of students. Using this data analysis, the student will have the opportunity to work with Dr. King to co-author an article for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Student responsibilities/tasks: 

  • The student will examine data collected at universities in Canada, the US, and Europe using standard data analysis tools (e.g., SPSS, R, NVivo, Dedoose).
  • The student will work independently but will meet with Dr. King to provide weekly oral & written updates.
  • The student will be encouraged to think critically about the findings and what they mean.
  • The student may be asked to develop a literature review of recent publications in the field.

Student qualifications required:

  • Experience using SPSS and/or R and/or NVivo and/or Dedoose.
  • Independent worker.
  • Very strong organizational and writing capacity.
  • Strong communication skills.
  • Must have taken a data analysis course.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

  • Develop data analysis, writing and communication skills.
  • Strengthen organizational skills.
  • Project development from data analysis to a final article.

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: SSHRC USRA (exclusively for Black students) or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Lindsay Malloy

Project title: Examining Dishonesty in Sibling Relationships

Summary of research project: Little is known about honesty and dishonesty in the context of sibling relationships, yet the interpersonal dynamics of sibling relationships make them a particularly interesting context for studying these aspects of social and moral development. The primary objectives of the proposed studies are to (1) identify the types and frequency of dishonesty (secret-keeping and lie-telling) in the context of sibling relationships, and (2) experimentally test a younger sibling's willingness to keep a secret or lie to conceal an older sibling's wrongdoing and the factors that influence it (e.g., relationship quality).

Student responsibilities/tasks: 

The student will ideally involved in:

  • Conducting literature searches and reviews.
  • Recruiting and compensating participants.
  • Scheduling and testing participants.
  • Transcribing videos.
  • Coding and entering data.

Student qualifications required:

  • Minimum 3.7 GPA.
  • Ideally has completed Research Methods course.
  • Experience working with children.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

  • The proposed program is ideal for training students interested in developing a theoretical knowledge base in child development, including social, moral, and legal issues.
  • Students will gain experience with both survey and experimental research methodologies.
  • Students will gain experience with participant recruitment and data collection.
  • Students will gain experience with data transcription, coding and entry.
  • Students will gain experiencing conducting literature searches.

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: SSHRC USRA (exclusively for Black students) or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Lindsay Malloy

Project title: Exploring Youths' Narratives about Immigration

Summary of research project: The primary purpose of this study is to explore the immigration narratives of newcomer youth, focusing on what they remember and how recount their experiences. We are particularly interested in understanding the details of their stories, what stands out to them about the immigration process, how they describe the challenges they've faced, and the emotions tied to these memories. Furthermore, we are interested to see whether the content of their narratives is related to various aspects of their mental health.

Student responsibilities/tasks: 

The student will ideally involved in:

  • Recruiting and compensating participants.
  • Scheduling participants.
  • Transcribing interviews.
  • Scoring measures.
  • Coding and entering data.

Student qualifications required:

  • Minimum 3.7 GPA.
  • Ideally has completed Research Methods course.
  • Experience working with children or teens.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

  •  The proposed program is ideal for training students interested in developing a theoretical knowledge base in memory, interviewing, and narratives.
  • Students will gain experience with interviewing research and standardized measures of mental health.
  • Students will gain experience with participant recruitment and data collection as well as research ethics and confidentiality.
  • Students will gain experience with data transcription, coding and entry.

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: SSHRC USRA (exclusively for Black students) or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Lindsay Malloy

Project title: Adolescents' Legal Decision Making

Summary of research project: A key assumption of the Youth Criminal Justice Act is that parents can assist youth in making adaptive legal decisions. However, no research has systematically examined how parents and youth navigate these difficult decisions together. This project will: (1) to examine the legal decisions of parent-child dyads, and (2) to investigate the factors (e.g., parenting style) that influence their legal decisions and decision-making processes. We will use a state-of-the-art computer simulation tool to immerse parent-child dyads in scenarios in which they must make decisions concerning police interrogation and plea negotiation.

Student responsibilities/tasks: 

The student will ideally be involved in:

  • Recruiting participants.
  • Scheduling and testing participants.
  • Transcribing interviews.
  • Scoring measures.
  • Coding and entering data.

Student qualifications required:

  • Minimum 3.7 GPA.
  • Ideally has completed Research Methods course.
  • Experience working with children or adolescents.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

  • The proposed program is ideal for training students interested in developing a theoretical knowledge base in child and adolescent development, including as it relates to legal issues.
  • Students will gain experience conducting experimental research in psychology.
  • Students will gain experience with participant recruitment and data collection.
  • Students will gain experience with data transcription, coding and entry.

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: SSHRC USRA (exclusively for Black students) or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Wesley Crichlow

Project title: Carceral Intersections of Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation and Trans Experience in Confronting Anti-Black Racism and Structural Violence in the Prisoner Re-entry Industrial Complex

Summary of research project: This project will investigate the re-entry and justice impacted experiences of Former Federally Incarcerated (FFI) Black Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Men (BGBTQM), Black Men Who Have Sex with Men (BMSM) and Black Same-Gender Loving Men (BSGLM) into their respective communities. To provide a national bilingual longitudinal study on much needed data on the experiences of formerly incarcerated BGBTQM and BMSM lived experience in Canadian Federal Penitentiaries and re-entry experiences. To assess existing programs regarding health services, and up-skilling social supports that meet the re-entry needs for this population - developed facilitators and pathways.

Student responsibilities/tasks: 

  • Conduct community-based research and national consultative information gathering concerning LGBTQI African Caribbean and Black Canadians experience of anti-Black racism, social and economic challenges and mental health, as well as Black LGBTI movements and communities in Canada. Specific duties include:
    1) Conducting literature reviews and environmental scans of African, Black, Caribbean Canadian diasporas.

Student qualifications required:

  • A Black undergrad with a focus on Black LGBTQ critical race intersectional and queer theories and/or the pervasive reality and impact of anti-Black racism from criminology, sociology, social work, psychology or a related discipline is required.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

  • Black Queer qualitative research skills. They will learn about Black LGBTQI prison abolition and decolonized caring while participating in the first African/Black Canadian national project investigating the re-entry experiences of Former Black gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer men (BGBTQM) and Black men who have sex with men (BMSM).
  • They will be involved in and mentored through every stage of the research and learn about the REB application, bibliographic research, literature review, developing consent form, recruitment of participants, drafting the questionnaire, community outreach, survey promotion, qualitative interviews, data analysis, and knowledge mobilization activities.

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: SSHRC USRA (exclusively for Black students) or Ontario Tech STAR Award