2 Garene S. Kaloustian
GARENE S. KALOUSTIAN
Current Positions/Rank:
October 2008 – Present:
Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education
Department of Education
Faculty of Arts and Science
Lebanese American University
P.O.Box 13-50-53
Chouran 1102-2801
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel (office): +961 1 786 464 (ext. 1265)
Fax: +961 1 867 098
Email:
EDUCATION
§ Doctorate of Philosophy (2008), Department of Child Development and Family Studies, School of Arts and Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. Dissertation topic: Child Attachment Security, Attachment Representations and Social Competence in Early School Years
§ Master of Science (2004), Department of Child Development and Family Studies, School of Arts and Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. Thesis Topic: Maternal Sensitivity and Representations
§ Bachelor of Arts (2000), Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania. Undergraduate research thesis: Quality of care of classroom teachers in US vs. Europe
RESEARCH INTERESTS
§ Teacher sensitivity/quality of caregiving
§ Impact of teacher sensitivity on children’s social competence
§ Impact of environment on teachers’ quality of interaction with child
§ Mother-child attachment relationships
§ Influence of attachment relationships on children’s social competence
§ Translating policy into research and practice and research to policy making
GRANTS
CURRENT RESEARCH GRANTS:
1. “Impact of kindergarten classroom environment on quality of teaching and quality of teacher-child interactions in Lebanese public schools”, Lebanese American University. (Primary Investigator, 1st phase data analysis; 2nd phase data collection)
2. “Mother-Child Attachment Relationships and Children’s Social Competence in Lebanon” funded by University Research Council (URC), Lebanese American University ($10,000), 2011-2013. (Primary Investigator, data collection phase)
3. “State of private child-care centers in Lebanon: A Qualitative Study”, funded by University Research Council, (URC) Lebanese American University ($2000), October 2008-2009. (Primary Investigator, publication phase).
PAST RESEARCH & TRAINING GRANTS
1. “Attachment Security, Maternal Sensitivity and Children’s Social and Emotional Competence: A
cross-cultural comparison between the United States and Colombia”, funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) ($800,000), June 2008-2013 (Primary Co-Investigator)
2. “Attachment Security & Representations, and Maternal Sensitivity & Representations, funded by
Purdue Research Fund (PRF) ($10,000), 2002-2004 (Primary Co-Investigator)
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
1. Posada, G., Lu, T. & Kaloustian, G. Trumbell, J., & Trudel, M. Is the secure base phenomenon evident here, there, and anywhere? A cross-cultural study of child behavior and experts’ definitions. Child Development. [In Press].
2. Bagiati, K., Evangelou, D., Yoon, S. Y., Kaloustian, G. & Magana, A. J. Accessibility of K-12 Engineering Web-Resources: A multicultural comparison. British Journal of Educational Technology. [Under review].
3. Kaloustian, G. Situation of private child-care centers in Lebanon: Quality of care. Journal of
Early Childhood Education. [Under review].
4. Kaloustian, G.*, Posada, G., & Georgescu, O. Maternal secure base support and children’s
quality of exploration. Journal of Attachment and Human Development. [Under review] (*corresponding
author)
5. Kaloustian, G.*, & Posada, G. Attachment Security, Attachment Representations and Social
Competence in Early School Years. Journal of Attachment and Human Development. [Under review] (*corresponding author)
6. Posada, G., & Kaloustian, G. (2010). Attachment in Infancy. In J. G. Bremner, & T. Wachs (Eds.),
Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Infant Development (2nd ed., pp. 483-509). Oxford, UK.
7. Posada, G., Kaloustian, G. Richmond, M. K., Jacobs, A. (2007). Maternal Secure Base Support and
Preschoolers’ Secure Base Behavior in Natural Environments. Journal of Attachment and Human Development.
TECHNICAL REPORTS
1. Kaloustian, G. Situation of Early Childhood in Lebanon: Scaling up ECD. Wolfensohn Center for
Development, World Bank. [Unpublished]
PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Research Assistant (2002-2008)
Department of Child Development and Family Studies
Purdue School of Arts and Science
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
1. 2002-2008 (PI: Germán E. Posada, Ph.D): Lead research assistant on the Mother-Child Attachment Research project with a team of 20 graduate and undergraduate students every semester. Observed mother-child interactions in naturalistic settings (park, home visits, and classrooms) to assess secure/insecure attachment relationships to determine security level of attachment between mother and child through use of the Attachment Q-sort. This was a study funded by the Purdue Research Foundation for 4 years and later, by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Orchestrated family recruitment at elementary schools and maintained relations with a diverse group of families in an effort to reduce attrition for the longitudinal aspect of the study; coordinated family visits with both graduate and undergraduate students; coordinated and trained graduate and undergraduate students to conduct mother and child observations for reliability; interviewed and transcribed mother and child interviews as well as observations of children’s peer relations in the classroom during free play, large group, and small group activities; managed and controlled data entry, and statistical analysis.
2. 2005-2006 (PI: Jim Elicker, Ph.D): Consultant for child-care providers for the “Tuning In” Intervention group; focused on improving teachers’ quality of care in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Intervention included a series of observation and consultation sessions, caregiver self-observations and reflections using a video-feedback technique, and additional self-assessments and goal setting with focused procedures on increasing responsiveness; sample consisted of caregivers from Early Head Start and other center-based infant-toddler child-care centers in northern Indiana; trained for and coded teachers’ sensitive behaviors in their interactions with infant-toddler and preschool age children using the Arnett Scale of Caregiver Behavior and the Global Sensitivity scale using the Child-Caregiver Interaction Rating Scale.
3. 2005-2007 (PI: Jim Elicker, Ph.D): Served on the committee for the Paths to Quality: Evaluation of the Indiana Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS). Conceptualized QRS for childcare centers for the state of Indiana as a result of research findings on the major discrepancies in the quality of care in childcare centers across the state of Indiana; conducted implementation of the established QRS as a pilot, to assess the effectiveness of implementing such a system.
4. 2004-2006 (PI: Karen Diamond Ph.D): Examined immediate and long-term effects of a curriculum for the Children’s School Success (CSS) program; evaluated children’s mathematical and scientific skills in Head Start classrooms using various standardized measures (i.e., Woodcock Johnson, WJIII); video-taped and observed children’s peer interactions; coded for child social outcomes at three time periods, entered and analyzed data.
Research Assistant (2001-2002)
Five Acres Residential Treatment Center for Abused Children
Boys' and Girls' Aid Society of Los Angeles County
760 W Mountain View St.
Altadena, CA 91001
§ 2001-2002 (PI: Robert Shennum, Ph.D): Assessed quality of various intervention programs within the agency aimed at working on children’s behavioral problems; assessed and analyzed children’s developmental, behavioral and social progress bimonthly; outcomes were presented to the committee and recommendations made; worked on developing/building upon existing programs in line with the needs of the children for implementation and re-evaluation.
Research Assistant (1998-2000)
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Penn State School of Arts and Science
Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania
§ 1998-2000 (PI: Mark T. Greenberg, Ph.D): Head Start Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) Project: Evaluated PATHS program within various school settings in different districts to assure contextual validity of the intervention tool; trained teachers on the implementation of the PATHS curriculum in Head Start Schools in the Greater Harrisburg Area, Pennsylvania; coordinated and supervised Penn State and Harrisburg offices in scheduling training sessions; conducted observations of Head Start teachers and provided feedback on the implementation of the PATHS curriculum in classrooms; collaborated with community partners to carry out and disseminate prevention and early intervention research and evaluations; assisted in data analysis and management.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATION
Oral presentations
1. Kaloustian, G., Hodroj, C., Baalbaki, H., Terzian, G., & Hosn, R. The association between kindergarten classroom environment and teacher quality of care. Paper accepted for the 3rd International Congress of Early Childhood Education (ICECE), Adana, Turkey, Sept 12 – 15, 2012.
2. Kaloustian, G., & Hodroj, C. Access to quality of care in private childcare centers in Lebanon.
Paper accepted for the 21st annual European Early Childhood Education and Research Association
(EECERA), Oporto, Portugal, Aug 29 – Sept 1, 2012
3. Kaloustian, G. (2012). The preparation of a quality early childhood teaching workforce: Impact of policy on quality. Paper accepted for the 28th Organisation Mondial d’Education Prescolaire (OMEP) World Symposium, Campo Grande, Brasil, July 18 – 21, 2012.
4. Kaloustian, G. Current Issues in Early Childhood Education in Lebanon (March, 2012).
Presented at the 2nd Global Summit for Childhood Conference (Washington DC, United States)
5. Kaloustian, G., Hodroj, C., & Baalbaki, H. (March 2012). The relationship between kindergarten
classroom environment and teacher quality of care in public schools. Presented at the 4th Annual
Conference of Educational Research Center (Broummana, Lebanon).
6. Kaloustian, G. (2012). “Equal access to quality of caregiving in Lebanon: Situational analysis and practical implications”. Presented at the LAU/Levant Education Conference (Beirut, Lebanon)
7. Kaloustian, G. (2011) “Scaling-Up of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in Lebanon”. Presented at the Ministry of Social Affairs/Higher Council for Childhood (Beirut, Lebanon)
8. Bagiati, A., Yoon Yoon, S., Evangelou, D., Kaloustian, G., Cekic, O., Zhu, J., Magana, A. (June
2011). Engineering in Early Education: a Multicultural Comparison of Web Resources. Presented at the
American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference (Vancouver, Canada).
9. Kaloustian, G. (May, 2011). Scaling up Early Childhood Care & Development in Lebanon. World Forum
Foundation (Honolulu, Hawaii, United States).
10. Kaloustian, G. (January, 2011). The situation of private childcare centers in Lebanon. Presented at the
Education Research Seminar Series (ERSS) (Beirut, Lebanon).
11. Kaloustian, G., & Ramadan, M. (September, 2005). The Situation of Children in Lebanon.
Presentation for the Arab Group, “The Situation of Children in the Middle East.” (New York, NY,
United States).
12. Carbonell, O. A, Posada, G., Kaloustian, G., Plata, S., & Alzate, G. (May, 2004). A descriptive
ethnographic study of caregivers’ interactive behavior in a daycare setting; The nature and developmental
influences of caregiving relationships in infant-toddler child care. Presented at the 14th Biennial
International Symposium on Infant Studies (ISIS) (Chicago, IL, United States).
Poster presentations
1. Kaloustian, G., Lu, T., & Posada, G. (March, 2011). Attachment security and social competence in a
sample of preschoolers. Presented at the Biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child
Development (Montreal, Canada).
2. Trumbell, J. M., Lu, T., Posada, G., & Kaloustian, G. (March, 2011). Narrative use of secure base
knowledge in early childhood: Relations to child secure based behaviour in a preschool sample. Presented
at the Biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) (Montreal, Canada).
3. Kaloustian, G. & Chammaa, H. (September, 2010). Reggio Emilia in Beirut: Teachers as change agents;
an exploratory study. Presented at the 20th annual European Early Childhood Education and
Research Association (EECERA) (Birmingham, England).
4. Kaloustian, G., & Posada, G. (March, 2009). Child Attachment Representations and Social Competence
in Preschool and Elementary School. Presented at the Biennial meeting of the Society for Research
in Child Development (SRCD) (Denver, CO, United States).
5. Carbonell, O. A., Posada, G., & Kaloustian, G. (March, 2009). Marital Adjustment, Quality of Maternal
Caregiving and Preschoolers’ Attachment Security in Mexican-American Families. Presented at the
biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) (Denver, CO, United States).
6. Kaloustian, G., Lu, T., & Posada, G. (March, 2009). The Development of Attachment Relationship During
the Preschool Years: Stability and Change in Secure Base Use from Age 4 to 5.5. Presented at the
Biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) (Denver, CO, United States).
7. Kaloustian, G. (September, 2009). Maternal sensitivity, attachment security and representations in
preschoolers. Presented at the 19th annual European Early Childhood Education Research
Association (EECERA) (Strasbourg, France).
8. Posada, G., Kaloustian, G., & Barrig, P. (April, 2007). The secure base phenomenon in preschoolers:
Child secure-base behavior and narratives about using mom as a secure base. Presented at the
biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) (Boston, MA, United States).
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Course Instructor (2008-present)
Department of Education, Early Childhood Development and Education: Lebanese American University (LAU), Beirut Campus
1. “Child Psychology”, PSY 202, 3cr., (Fall 2008, 2009; Summer 2010). Undergraduate course offered to 45 students from multidisciplinary fields; course discusses theoretical foundations of child development to adolescent years, and the socio-cultural factors that impact the development.
2. “Measurement and Assessment”, EDU 332, 3cr., (Fall 2008, 2009; Summer 2009, 2012). Undergraduate course offered to 40 students majoring in Education for a BA or TD; course discusses the multiple forms of assessing student performance, K-12 including reliability and validity issues in assessment content and purpose of use.
3. “Observation & Curriculum”, EDU202, 3cr., (Fall 2010). Undergraduate course offered to 14 students majoring in early childhood education; course discusses methods and skills of observing child’s development within the context of the child’s classroom. This course has a practicum component; students are observed throughout the semester implementing activities and providing feedback.
4. “Methods & Materials in Early Childhood”, EDU414, 3cr., (Fall 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011). Senior undergraduate course offered to 15 students majoring in early childhood education. Course discusses multiple methods used for instruction and learning. Students attend workshops throughout the semester and prepare a professional workshop for early childhood teachers, parents and school directors.
5. “Research Methods in Education”, EDU 803, 3., (Fall, 2012). Graduate core course offered to 15 students majoring in education from various emphases areas. Course reviews methods of research in education, both quantitative and qualitative, as well as a module on statistical analysis with datasets provided, using SPSS. Students are required to critically analyze several empirical articles. They prepare a proposal on their thesis topics as a concluding assignment.