Faculty Research Profiles: Jeanette McCollum

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Professor Emeritus

Special Education
61 Children's Research Center
51 Gerty Dr. MC 672
217 333-4123
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Research Biography

My research interests have led me into three separate but interrelated areas of study,: (a) social interaction between infants with disabilities and their caregivers and the implications of these interactions for the infant's optimal development: (b) personnel training approaches that enable university students and working professionals to develop professional competencies related to infants with disabilities and their families; and (c) policy issues related to personnel working with infants with disabilities and their families. I have conducted several studies describing the work roles and professional qualifications of early intervention personnel. I have conducted descriptive studies of parent-child interaction, with the goal of understanding the differences often found in caregiver behavior during interactions with children with disabilities as compared to those with children without disabilities.

My current research addresses the views that mothers from different cultural backgrounds hold about their interactions with their babies. My colleagues and I are beginning to extend this research to parents whose babies have disabilities. Ultimately we are concerned with how different ideas about parenting might relate to how early intervention services are delivered to infants and toddlers with disabilities. Current grant projects include "Replicability of a parent-child model of early intervention across participants and settings," funded by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, US Department of Education, and "Filipino mothers' perceptions of appropriate parent-child interactions with infants/toddlers with disabilities," funded by the Mary Jane Neer Research Fund, University of Illinois.

I plan to continue my efforts to understand mothers' interpretations of their interactions with their infants and toddlers, and to use my understanding to help students learn to develop interactions with children and families that are respectful of those beliefs.

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Special Education, emphasis in Early Childhood, University of Texas at Austin, 1976
  • M.A., Special Education, emphasis in Early Childhood, University of Texas at Austin, 1973
  • B.A., Psychology, English, Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 1962

Key Professional Appointments

  • Emeritus, Special Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champiagn, 2004--
  • Joint Faculty Appointment, Human and Community Development, College of Agriculture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champiagn, 1989--
  • Faculty Appointment, Special Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champiagn, 1976--
  • Program Coordinator, Infancy and Early Childhood Special Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champiagn, 1976--
  • Fellow, Bureau of EducationalResearch, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champiagn, 1996-1999
  • Fellow, Bureau of Educational Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champiagn, 1983-1985

Activities & Honors

  • Arnold O. Beckman Award, in special recognition of grant funded by the Research Board, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998
  • Chancellor's Recognition for Academic Excellence, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998
  • Ted Merrill Award for Excellence in Teaching, Council for Exceptional Children, 1998
  • Mather-Spitze Research Award, College of Education, 1997
  • Distinguished Senior Scholar, College of Education, 1995

Grants

  • Principal Investigator, The ELL-D Project - Early Language and Literacy for Danville, U.S. Department of Education, 2007
  • Co-Principal Investigator, Effects of Group & Individual Interventions on Emerging Literacy Skills in Preschoolers, U.S. Department of Education, 2003
  • Principal Investigator, PIWI Outreach: Facilitating Development through Parent-Infant Play Groups, U.S. Department of Education, 1996

Selected Publications

  • Bruns, D. A., & McCollum, J. A. (in press). Partnerships between mothers and professionals in the NICU: Examining the areas of caregiving, information exchange, and relationships. Neonatal Network.
  • McCollum, J. A., & Chen, Y. (in press). Parent-child interaction when babies have Down syndrome: The perceptions of Taiwanese mothers. Infants & Young Children.
  • Venn, M., & McCollum, J. A. (2002). Exploring the long- and short-term planning practices of Head Start teachers for children with and without disabilities. Journal of Special Education, 35(4), 211-223.
  • McCollum, J.A. (2001). Influencing the development of young children with disabilities: Current themes in early intervention. Child & Adolescent Mental Health.
  • Chen, Y., & McCollum, J. A. (2000). Taiwanese mothers' perceptions of the relationship between interactions with their infants and the development of social competence. Early Child Development and Care (162), 25-40.