Jeneve Swaby and Yerin Yoon, two doctoral students in the Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment (MESA) program at the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development, were awarded AERA-NSF dissertation grants, provided by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), to support their research. Swaby and Yoon both joined the program in Fall 2022, and their research will continue to be supported by this one-year grant until Spring 2027 and Fall 2026, respectively.
Jeneve Swaby
Jeneve Swaby
Swaby is currently investigating how valid and equitable inferences about reading literacy can be drawn from digital assessments. By integrating contextual, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions of digital reading literacy, her research aims to advance the validity and interpretation of performance on digital reading assessments. The AERA-NSF grant greatly expanded Swaby’s research opportunities by supporting additional research time, connecting her to a nationwide network of scholars, and enabling her to disseminate her work through conferences and open-access publishing.
Swaby remarked that earning this grant affirmed the necessity of her work and reinforced the “responsibility” she feels to carry it forward thoughtfully. As digital assessments become increasingly prominent, she hopes to help bridge scholarship and practice by generating guidance for scholars, assessment developers, and educators to inform policy and practice.
Yerin Yoon
Yerin Yoon
Yoon’s research examines the potential role of Career and Technical Education (CTE) as an alternative pathway for lower-achieving students, who are often underserved by traditional college-preparatory pathways and with risks of educational and labor-market disengagement. Not only does the AERA-NSF grant provide Yerin with financial support as she continues her research on the importance of inclusive CTE programs in schools, but it also offers her the opportunity to amplify her findings and access a broad network of professional mentors and scholars in related fields.
When asked about her aspiration for the outcomes of her research, Yoon said that she “hopes [her] work can provide valuable empirical evidence that can guide policymakers to strengthen CTE in comprehensive schools as a viable pathway for at-risk students and ultimately support their transitions into college and the labor market.”
When exploring the world of educational research, receiving reliable funding is of the utmost importance for doctoral students. Awards such as the AERA grant represent both monetary support and a need for further discoveries in each grant winner’s chosen field of research.
"Doctoral students in education and social sciences have a few reliable sources for dissertation funding. The AERA-NSF competition and the National Academy of Education/Spencer are among the largest and most prestigious dissertation awards in these areas. Receiving these awards gives students substantial flexibility to pursue their research with less time spent on other paid work that may not directly support degree completion, and helps position them well on the job market."
—Shaun Dougherty
Department Chair, Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment
Both Swaby and Yerin’s research highlights the necessity of seeking equity in the future of education, and the support they have received from AERA will be pivotal as they continue working toward landscape-altering discoveries.
The Lynch School celebrates these two incredible scholars as they continued their research throughout the semester and worked toward making meaningful changes in the educational landscape, setting the stage for a lasting impact.