COE Graduate Student Presents at the M3 Conference - University of Houston
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COE Graduate Student Presents at the M3 Conference

Shiva KhalafAt this year’s 5th annual Modern Modeling Methods (M3) conference, College of Education student Shiva Khalaf presented An Application of Explanatory Item Response Models to Study Developmental Changes in Reading and Visual Processing Skills in Grades K-2, the paper in which she was one of the authors.   The M3 conference is an interdisciplinary conference designed to showcase the latest modeling methods and to present research related to these methodologies.

Khalaf’s presentation was based on her team’s published empirical study in which the impact of the development of early reading skills was explored on the visual processing skills of children. In their study, explanatory item response models were used to understand how the development of reading affects the development of visual processing. “The findings suggest that visual processing skills are related to the person’s abilities, and uniquely related to phonological awareness and spelling,” says Khalaf. “However, they do not support the idea that learning to read changes how children process visual information, as no evidence for differential effects of person characteristics over time, was found.” 

Kristi Santi, one of Khalaf’s professors and one of the authors of the paper was thrilled to have her student present at M3. “Shiva’s statistical skill set helped her earn a spot as a presenter in the M3 conference,” said Santi. “I could not be more proud of Khalaf for this honor, and I look forward to working with her as she continues her training.”

Khalaf continues to work toward her degree, and after graduation she plans to continue her research as a post doctorate fellow as well as work at TIMES (Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics). When asked about her plans for the future, she said, “I plan to become a professor and to teach and inspire others as Dr. Santi, Dr. Hawkins, Dr. Francis, and other professors at UH have inspired me.”

The College of Education and the Department of Psychological, Health & Learning Sciences (PHLS) could not be more proud of Khalaf, and we look forward to seeing the impact she has on the field after graduation.