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Washington State University

Parenting and Emerging Adulthood Research Lab (PEARL)

Posted by angie.funaiole | January 11, 2016

The Parenting and Emerging Adulthood Research Lab (PEARL) is a group consisting of Dr. Matt Bumpus and several graduate and undergraduate students. Our research focuses on several topics related to family relationships among university students and their parents, including (a) the implications of the college transition for parents’ wellbeing; (b) the ways in which students and parents navigate communication with each other; (c) the role of parents in facilitating and promoting values-based decision-making among students; (d) the circumstances under which parents and students engage in meaningful conversations with each other. Relatedly, we also plan, implement, and evaluate “Letting Go and Staying Connected”,  a workshop we offer for parents of incoming WSU first-year students at WSU Alive! throughout the summer.

Our lab meets weekly to go over ongoing tasks related to our various research projects. We also read and discuss a variety of readings related to our work. Undergraduate students on our team conduct interviews with participants (both parents and students); transcribe, code, and analyze interview data; and participate in lab meetings. Graduate students gain experience in helping to organize our lab meetings and tasks; mentoring undergraduate students; and coding and analyzing data.