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Campus Review
January 28, 2013
Page 4
Graduate Psych Students Receive High Honor
by Samantha Watson, University Relations
Psychology Graduate Students to Present at
Society for Research in Child Development Conference
Two graduate psychology major students
at Clayton State University had their
Southeastern Psychological Association
(SEPA) proposals accepted late last year.
Kecia Ellick and Nick Langley are both
second year students in the Applied
Developmental Psychology program, and
with the guidance and assistance of Dr.
Deborah Deckner, they are part of a select
few who have the opportunity to present
their research at the 59th Annual Meeting
of SEPA, which will be held from Mar. 13
to Mar. 16, at the OmniCNN center in
Atlanta.
“Kecia and Nick have really exemplified
the values of our program by immersing
themselves in the science of child devel-
opment and have already started to con-
tribute to new realms of scientific dis-
course through their own work,” says
Deckner.
Ellick, a native of Chicago, conducted her
research on teen pregnancy.
“I am particularly interested in studying
resiliency factors for teenage mothers that
lead to their continued academic engage-
ment, high school completion, and post
secondary education attainment,” she
comments.
Instead of focusing on the detrimental
outcomes of teenage pregnancy, which
constitutes the bulk of past research,
Ellick focuses on those mothers who per-
severe. This research is near to her heart
since she herself was a teenage mother.
Langley (Ellenwood) conducted his
research on student engagement. He used
high school sophomores’ responses to
questions concerning student attitudes and
efforts towards schooling.
“Students’ scores on this assessment were
significantly correlated to their scores on
standardized tests in the same year, and
were predictive of high school completion
and dropping out in the next two years,”
says Langley.
Deckner was co-author to both of the
accepted proposals, and serves as a men-
tor, helping to make these students’
dreams real. She feels, “honored to work
with such exceptional young talent and I
look forward to watching the careers of
these two exceptional scholars.”
Clayton State University graduate stu-
dents Christie Wooten and Eris Adams
have had their work accepted for presen-
tation at the upcoming Society for
Research in Child Development (SRCD)
Conference, which will be held in Seattle
in April 2013.
Wooten and Adams are graduate students
in the Master of Applied Developmental
Psychology program and both are slated
to graduate from Clayton State in May
2013.
“This is very exciting, Deborah, and a
tribute to Christie and Eris as well the
efforts you, Dr. (Samuel) Maddox, and
our other faculty make in mentoring these
students,” says Dr. Donna McCarty, chair
of the Clayton State Department of
Psychology, in an email to Dr. Deborah
Deckner-Davis, associate professor and
coordinator of the Clayton State Master of
Science in Psychology program.
“SRCD is one the most prestigious child
development organization in the world, so
I am extremely pleased for both of these
students that their work will be presented
in this setting,” adds Deckner-Davis.
Wooten will be presenting her poster,
“Regional Differences in Sexual Education
and Sexual Risk Taking” from 4 p.m. to 5
p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 18. Adams will
present her poster, “The Role of School and
Social Connectedness in Academic
Achievement for Students with Internalizing
Behavior Problems” from 1:20 p.m. to 2:20
p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 20.
Clayton State University graduate students Christie Wooten and Eris Adams
Psych Honor, cont’d., p. 8