Dr. Jocelyn Bolin is no stranger to research. With a Bachelor’s in Psychology and later a Master’s and Doctorate in Educational Psychology from Indiana University, Bolin says that research was her favorite topic in college—any research on any subject.
It makes sense that this is her 16th year working in Ball State University’s Department of Educational Psychology department.
“I have been affiliated with the Master of Science in Quantitative Psychology since its creation and took over as director of the program last year,” she explains. “As director, I am the main advisor for all new incoming MS in Quantitative Psychology students, helping plan course progression and capstone projects.”
As the program’s main administrator, Bolin recruits and admits new students and teaches quantitative psychology courses in introductory statistics, ANOVA methodology, applied regression, and multilevel modeling.
If that all sounds intimidating, you’re not alone.
“Research methodology and statistics can be intimidating for many,” says Bolin. “I can recall several students who entered this program indicating that it was their stepping stone to pursue a doctorate in a different field (clinical psychology, counseling psychology, sociology, etc.). After two years of course work and capstone completion, each student came to me with the same realization. They didn’t think they were going to enjoy research when they entered the program. However, their experience in the program showed them a love and respect for research and methodology that they didn’t expect.”
For Bolin, that’s all that matters, that transformation from intimidation to respect.
“When I can change that intimidation to appreciation, I feel I have succeeded…Students motivate me to be part of this academic program. I have always taken an extremely student-centric approach, both with my teaching and when advising. Graduate school can be a very stressful time, and all students need to be treated as individuals,” says Bolin.
“There is no cookie-cutter one size fits all approach or timeline that will work for all graduate students. I feel it is important to understand this and work with each student to figure out what works for them and make them understand that this is ok! This is especially true of this program. Students get to decide how to mold their methodological toolset, which is a very powerful thing!”