Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto
LAB DIRECTOR
DR. BECKY CHEN
Becky Xi Chen is a Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada. She is co-editor-in-chief for Annals of Dyslexia. Her research specializes in reading development and difficulties in bilingual children. In recent years, most of the studies conducted in her Multilingualism and Literacy Lab involves children in French immersion programs, including both English-French bilinguals as well as trilingual children who speak a minority language at home.
DR. REDAB AL-JANAIDEH
PhD, Developmental Psychology and Education
Redab’s research focuses on language and literacy development in bilingual children. Her focus is on the development of narrative skills in bilingual Arabic- speaking children, and their contributions to reading comprehension. Her dissertation focuses on the oral language, literacy and well-being of refugee children, as well as explores the effects of cognitive, social-emotional factors, and interrupted education on refugee children’s literacy performance. Redab believes that mental wellness and high cognitive skills are key to a successful language learning process for refugee children and youth.
PHD STUDENTS
DIANA BURCHELL
Lab Manager - PhD Candidate, Developmental Psychology and Education
Diana Burchell is a doctoral candidate in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). As a project coordinator for The International Bilingual Education (IBE) project (Canada, China & the Netherlands), Diana’s research focuses on the accessibility of language immersion programs for exceptional and multilingual students in Canada.
ANGELA CAPANI
PhD Student, School and Clinical Child Psychology
Angela is a first-year doctoral student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP) Program. She is currently involved in the Successes and Challenges of Syrian Refugee Children in Canada project, which seeks to evaluate the language and literacy skills of Syrian refugee children. In particular, Angela’s research explores the relationship between bilingualism, biliteracy development and social-emotional functioning.
MICHELLE HUO
PhD Candidate, Developmental Psychology and Education
Michelle is a 3rd doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program. Michelle is currently involved in The International Bilingual Education (IBE) project. Her Ph.D. dissertation focuses on using dynamic assessment tools to predict at-risk status in reading among children enrolled in French Immersion. She is also interested in examining the interaction between reading fluency and oral language skills among language-diverse students.
KRYSTINA RAYMOND
PhD Student, Developmental Psychology and Education
Krystina is currently pursuing a PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She has been teaching as a bilingual French/English special education teacher at the New Frontiers School Board. Her present research examines the effects of phonological awareness interventions on French immersion at-risk kindergarten students. Krystina continues to be devoted to issues supporting bi/multilingual education, culturally responsive anti-bias practices and disseminating knowledge to support struggling readers.
SHARRY SHAKORY
PhD Candidate, School and Clinical Child Psychology
Sharry is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP) program. She received her MA in the SCCP program in 2017. Sharry’s current research is focused on the early identification of French immersion children at-risk for reading difficulties in French and English, as well as the relation between reading difficulties and social-emotional functioning. Her clinical training has focused on comprehensive psychological assessment of cognitive, academic, and socioemotional functioning and evidence-based interventions (primarily CBT and DBT). Clinical populations of interest include children and youth with neurodevelopmental disorders, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, complex trauma, high-risk behaviors, and psychosomatic presentations.
JUWAIRIA SOHAIL
PhD Candidate, School and Clinical Child Psychology
Juwairia Sohail is a doctoral candidate in her final year of the School and Clinical Child Psychology program. Her PhD dissertation examines the role of metalinguistic skills in the literacy acquisition of multilingual children. Specifically, she is researching how syntactic and morphological awareness influence within- and cross-language reading comprehension in French immersion students. Her research hopes to inform educational practices and policies geared towards the language and literacy development of students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. As a clinical student, Juwairia has also received extensive training in providing evidence-based assessments and treatment. She is passionate about supporting children, adolescents, and families heal, grow, and live meaningful lives.
STEVE SONGTAO WANG
PhD Student, Developmental Psychology and Education
Steve (Songtao) is a first-year doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). His research interests include quantitative methods in education, meta-analysis, experimental designs and analysis, structural equation modelling, and language assessment and testing. He is also an active member and proposal reviewer of AERA and NCME.
EMMA WONTORRA
PhD Student, Developmental Psychology and Education
Emma is a first-year doctoral student in Developmental Psychology and Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She is pursuing her PhD through the Flexi-mode program. She is also working as a core French teacher for the Simcoe County District School Board. Her research interests are in the area of French language development.
MASTER STUDENTS
ZEIN ABUOSBEH
1st Year Master Student, Developmental Psychology and Education
Zein is an incoming Master of Arts in Developmental Psychology and Education student who joined the lab two years ago as a student in the Research Opportunities Program and then a research assistant during her undergraduate degree at UofT. She worked on multiple projects including the International Bilingual Project and the discourse project. In her master's, she hopes to study the oral language skills of French Immersion students.
MICHELLE CHIN
2nd Year Master, Child Study and Education
ROXY DOBRIN-DE GRÂCE
2nd Year Master Student, Research Adviser
Roksana (Roxy) Dobrin-De Grâce is a second-year Master’s student in the psychological science stream at Ryerson University in the Early Childhood Cognition Lab. She has been working with the Multilingualism and Literacy Lab since 2020 for her practicum requirement, and has stayed on to continue working with Diana Burchell on The International Bilingual Education (IBE). Roxy’s own research focuses on cross-cultural differences in the development of politeness norms as well as selective social learning preferences in children.