The Pathways Research Project
"Knowledge Informing Practice"
The Pathways Research Project is funded by the
Tennessee Department of Education. Its primary purpose is to evaluate the
impact of Tennessee's Early Intervention System (TEIS) on families of
young children with disabilities. Two research sites are involved in the
project. One is located in the Department of Child and Family Studies at
the University of Tennessee where Dr. Vey
M. Nordquist is the Principal Investigator. The other site is located
in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Tennessee Technological
University where Dr. Dean Richey is the Principal Investigator. Both sites
support several graduate research assistants, all of whom are currently
involved in thesis or dissertation research.
TEIS is the statewide birth-to-three program for
infants and toddlers with disabilities. It has 9 different project sites
that are strategically located in key districts in the state, eight of
which are on the campuses of major universities. Each project has a staff
comprised of a Principal Investigator, Program Coordinator, Office
Manager, several service coordinators, and clerical personnel. Service
coordinators have caseloads of families that range from 50 to 135
depending on the site. Service coordinators are trained to work with
families utilizing a "family-centered approach" to early intervention.
The Pathways Research Project is evaluating the extent to which TEIS
service coordinators are actually utilizing practices consistent with the
family-centered philosophy and also examining how these practices are
affecting various aspects of family functioning. Approximately 1000
families (both mothers and fathers) are participating in the research as
well as service coordinators in all 9 TEIS districts. The research team at
the University of Tennessee is responsible for the quantitative component
of the research and has developed two versions of a survey instrument for
this purpose, one for parents and the other for service coordinators. The
research team at Tennessee Technological University is primarily
responsible for the qualitative component of the research and is
conducting in-depth interviews with several families in each of the 9 TEIS
districts. Evaluations of 300 Individual Family Service Plans are also
being conducted by the team at Tennessee Tech.
Research findings will be used to inform the
development and implementation of a statewide training program for TEIS
service coordinators through reports to the Tennessee Department of
Education, communicate with members of the scientific community through
publications in research journals, and update parents and service
coordinators through dissemination of a quarterly project newsletter.
Contact the Department of Child and Family Studies
1215 W. Cumberland Avenue
115 Jessie Harris Building
Knoxville, TN
37996-1912
Phone: 865-974-5316
Fax: 865-974-2742