Katherine Szocik
Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. Katherine Szocik is a postdoctoral associate at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her research focuses on special education teacher preparation and professional identity development. Dr. Szocik has particular interest in preparing educators who work with young children with disabilities and the implications for equity and inclusion.
Drawing from her years as an early childhood special education teacher, Dr. Szocik completed her dissertation on professional identity development during teacher preparation using qualitative methodology. Her work has been published in journals including Teacher Education in Special Education, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, and Young Exceptional Children.
pronouns: she/her
Education
PhD, Special Education, George Mason University
MA, Early Childhood Special Education, The Catholic University of America
BA, Theatre and Latin American Studies, Oberlin College
Selected Publications
Szocik, K., Wade, C. B., Walter, H., Coogle, C. G., Stegenga, S. M, Nagro, S. A. (2024). Innovative approaches to teacher preparation for improving use of evidence-based practices in EI/ECSE. Journal of Special Education Preparation. 4(1), 24–34. https://doi.org/10.33043/d69746qb
Szocik, K., O’Brien, K. M., Nagro, S. A., & Gerry, M. A. (2024). Early childhood special education teacher candidates’ field experiences: A systematic review. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/02711214231225898
Xu, Y., Szocik, K., Chen, C. C., Xu, C., Tobe, K., & Spence, C. (2023) One plus one is more than two: Empowering families of dual language learners. Teaching Exceptional Children. https://doi.org/10.1177/00400599231187143
Selected Presentations
Szocik, K. (2023, December). Field experiences in ECSE teacher preparation [single paper]. Council for Exceptional Children Division for Early Childhood Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
Xu, Y., Alexandre, S., & Szocik, K. (2023, December). Systematic syllabi review for enhancing teacher preparation outcomes [poster]. Council for Exceptional Children Division for Early Childhood Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
Weiss, P., Peyton, D., Szocik, K., Matthews, H., Shaheen, T., Louis, R., Hunter, B., & van Dijk, W. (2023, November). Seas the day! Research on the impact of internship [multi-presenter]. Council for Exceptional Children Teacher Education Division Conference, Long Beach, CA.
Szocik, K. (2023, November). A systematic literature review on teacher candidates’ professional identity [student poster]. Council for Exceptional Children Teacher Education Division Conference, Long Beach, CA.