Junior Deaf education major Emma Halliburton of League City, represented Stephen F. Austin State University at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research April 8-10 in Long Beach, California.
Halliburton was recognized as a finalist at this year’s SFA Undergraduate Research Conference and received funding from the James I. Perkins College of Education to attend NCUR. She presented her research titled, “Empowering Youth through Social Justice: A Mixed Methods Case Study of the Deaf Community Travel Trunk Project.”
This project included a pretest-posttest design with a field observation protocol to assess student perspectives on Deaf music culture. It centered on Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf percussionist, through the children’s book “Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion” by Shannon Stocker.
Using funding from SFA’s Montgomery Professorship for Humane Education to support the Charlotte Baker Montgomery Special Collection curation, Halliburton developed a travel trunk for local teachers to check out that includes the book, a reading guide and a lesson with interactive vibration-based instruments, including maracas, vibraslaps, tambourines and noise-canceling headphones.
Dr. Sarah Straub and Dr. Lindsey Kennon, associate and assistant professors, respectively, in the Department of Education Studies, mentored Halliburton during her research process. Graduate research assistant Kaylee Cox supported Halliburton’s research through data collection.
“We are incredibly proud of Emma and are fortunate to have her as a candidate in our Deaf education program,” Kennon said. “What sets Emma apart is her passion for Deaf education and the Deaf community, her innovative ideas in research, her professional engagement in professional research settings and her ability to think critically about complex issues facing Deaf learners. It will be exciting to watch her grow as she progresses through the program.”
Halliburton has studied American Sign Language since high school and has continued to expand her knowledge about the Deaf community since then.
“The conferences were an amazing experience,” Halliburton said. “It was a bit nerve-racking at first, but it ended up being a huge success. I presented my research poster-style, which allowed me to have discussions with those who came up to me, and I enjoyed the conversations and connections I formed with other participants. The overall experience helped me with my research and collaboration skills.”
As Halliburton’s first conference experiences, she said each taught her about different research methods, helped her gain multiple certifications, and increased her multitasking and communication skills.
“Emma is a thoughtful and purposeful student who is deeply invested in the promotion of Deaf culture for her students,” Straub said. “She is eager to learn and excited to share. I loved seeing her grow in her own knowledge of the research process through this work, and I cannot wait to see where she takes this project next.”
Enrolling approximately 12,000 students, Stephen F. Austin State University offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and 120 areas of study within six colleges – business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. SFA provides the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. Visit sfasu.edu to learn more.
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- Emma Halliburton, a Stephen F. Austin State University junior Deaf education studies major from League City, Texas, presented her research titled “Empowering Youth through Social Justice: A Mixed Methods Case Study of the Deaf Community Travel Trunk Project” at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April.:
