Paula E Chan

Biography

" Dr. Paula Chan joined the faculty at Cleveland State in 2015. She is an Assistant Professor of Special Education, in the Department of Teacher Education. Prior to coming to Cleveland State, she received her doctorate degree from The Ohio State University, and her master's degree from the University of South Florida. Dr. Chan is also a doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Her research interests focus on improving post-school outcomes for adolescents with disabilities. For many students with disabilities, moving into adult roles can be challenging because they lose many supports and accommodations offered in their high school environments. Dr. Chan's research focuses on teaching students skills to prepare them for this transition. As part of that research line, Dr. Chan has focused on two major areas. The first area focuses on teaching students with behavior disorders to become active participations in developing their behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans. Through this research, students learn to accurately discuss their behavior issues, effectively communicate with adults, and advocate for their needs. These skills can improve the effectiveness of their behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans. Additionally, student involvement may help students develop skills that will promote their successful transition to adulthood. Another, related line of research explores feedback can be used to improve skill development. As students develop skills to transition to adult roles, feedback is critical to provide students information about how they are progressing towards their goals. Dr. Chan is interested in determining ways to enhance the effectiveness of feedback to maximize student growth."

Research Interest

Behavior issues, effectively communicate with adults