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The CECE research team is made up of faculty at Eastern Connecticut State University, CECE staff, and carefully selected students who are passionate about contributing to the field of early childhood education, child development, and/or family support. CECE researchers have published extensively in national and international journals, presented their work at national and international conferences, and influenced professional practice around the world. The individuals below are currently conducting or have recently completed empirical studies at the center.
The CECE encourages scholars and student researchers in all disciplines to conduct research on children and families within our facility. Find out more about conducting research through the CECE.
Dr. Kwangwon Lee Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Special Education
Kwangwon Lee is a faculty member in the Center for Early Childhood Education. He holds a doctorate in special education with a focus on early childhood education. His research interests include studying joint attention and turn-taking in toddlers with autism. He currently serves as Principal Investigator of the study "Social Turn-Taking Intervention for Young Children with Autism."
Dr. Sudha Swaminathan Professor of Early Childhood Education
Sudha Swaminathan is a faculty member in the Center for Early Childhood Education. She holds a doctorate in early childhood mathematics education and has taught, studied, and written extensively about math, science, and technology learning and teaching in early childhood education. She is currently PI for the Coding by Preschoolers: Study of their Socio-Emotional and Programming Behaviors and Impact on their Math Abilities" study. She recently served as Co-Investigator of "The Relationship of Teacher-Child Math Talk During Preschool Play To Young Children’s Mathematics Learning" study (funded by the Spencer Foundation) and the "Study of Coding and Debugging by Preschoolers."
Dr. Jeffrey Trawick-SmithProfessor Emeritus and Research Consultant
Former Phyllis Waite Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education, Distinguished Professor, CSU Professor
Jeffrey Trawick-Smith was the first Phyllis Waite Endowed Chair, a post he held at the CECE through 2018. He has authored/edited over 50 books/articles and presented over 100 papers at research conferences, mostly related to young children's play, culture, and teacher-child classroom interactions. Although retired, he continues to conduct research, provide consultation on CECE studies, and mentor student researchers. He is currently serving as Principal Investigator of the "Association Of Children’s Symbolic Play in the Pretend and Block Centers of Preschool Classrooms with Inhibitory Control" study.
A part of the mission of the Center for Early Childhood Education is to provide undergraduate students with opportunities to engage in authentic research projects that contribute to our understanding of young children and how they learn and develop. CECE faculty scholars mentor students in carrying out all steps of scientific inquiry, including data collection, interpretation of results, and presentation and publication of findings. Below are the students who are currently serving as research assistants on CECE studies or conducting their research. Many former student research assistants also appear in videos reflecting on their research experience.
Haley DelMonaco, Student Researcher
Study: Coding by Preschoolers: Study of their Socio-Emotional and Programming Behaviors and Impact on their Math Abilities
Majors: Psychology and Early Childhood Education
Emberly Haughton, Trawick-Smith Undergraduate Research Scholar
Studying the metacognitive processing strategies used by bilingual preschoolers to determine appropriate supportive teaching strategies
Majors: Developmental psychology and Early Childhood Education
Meghan McAuliffe, Student Researcher
Study: Association Of Children’s Symbolic Play in the Pretend and Block Centers of Preschool Classrooms with Inhibitory Control
Majors: Sociology and Early Childhood Education
Katie Pascarella, Student Researcher
Study: Coding by Preschoolers: Study of their Socio-Emotional and Programming Behaviors and Impact on their Math Abilities
Majors: Communication and Early Childhood Education
Delaney Pike, Student Researcher
Studies: 1) Social Turn-Taking Intervention for Young Children with Autism, 2) Study of Coding by Preschoolers and Their Families, 3) Association Of Children’s Symbolic Play in the Pretend and Block Centers of Preschool Classrooms with Inhibitory Control
Majors: Psychology and Early Childhood Education