Originally posted on research.ok.ubc.ca
Dr. Jessica Chan, Assistant Professor in the Okanagan School of Education, is the SSHRC Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Language, Literacy and Early Learning.
Dr. Jessica Chan remembers what it felt like to move between two worlds.
Growing up, she navigated two languages and two cultures–learning English at school while keeping her home language and heritage alive with her family. Her parents, both immigrants to Canada, held education close. It was, she says, a way of discovering the world and opening doors that hadn’t been available to them.
Her experience inspired her to dedicate her career to understanding how language and literacy develop in children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including those who have more than one language and those at risk for language-based disorders, such as dyslexia and developmental language disorder.
Her work received national recognition today as she was named UBC Okanagan’s newest Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Language, Literacy and Early Learning (Tier II).
“As an early career researcher, receiving the CRC is a significant achievement,” said Dr. Chan. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to advance knowledge about how children engage with literacy learning, and further the development of approaches to address literacy challenges for young learners that considers their learning contexts and who they are, including their family literacy experiences.”
Within Canada, many students experience difficulties with oral language and literacy skills, and this can affect their ability to learn, communicate and access future employment opportunities. To help address these challenges, Dr. Chan’s research also seeks to better understand how language skills shape mathematical learning and what role the home environment plays in academic success.
“Literacy is the gateway to learning,” she says. “One of my goals is to help empower families, educators and community members with the knowledge and understanding about language and literacy development to make shifts in their contexts that would meaningfully change literacy outcomes for their child or the children they work with.”
Dr. Chan has also received past funding through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) and the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) to launch her Reading, Language and Mathematics (ReaLM) Lab.
The newly announced CRC funding will support cross-disciplinary collaborations with national and international researchers as well as the growth and development of future ReaLM Lab initiatives. This includes training junior scholars in the research process and contributing to the translation of knowledge to practice for families, educators and community leaders.
The Canada Research Chairs Program was created by the federal government in 2000 to invest in the researchers shaping the future of Canadian scholarship. The program is designed to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds at Canadian universities.
A total of 11 new CRC appointments and three CRC renewals were made across both UBC campuses today as part of a larger funding announcement by Karim Bardeesy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. The announcement also included $3 million in support for 12 UBC projects from the New Frontiers in Research Fund, including two projects at UBCO.