Research & Outreach
The Davies School of Communication Sciences & Disorders offers numerous cutting-edge research initiatives, each under the guidance of distinguished faculty experts in their respective fields. Dive deeper into just some to gain insights into ongoing projects, the esteemed faculty leading them and opportunities for student participation.
Davies School Research Initiatives & Centers
TCU’s on-campus clinic provides various services for individuals facing challenges in speech, language, hearing or swallowing.
The BEaR Lab focuses on finding effective methods to enhance language and literacy skills in Spanish-speaking or bilingual children, whether or not they have language disorders. The lab achieves this by creating strategies that provide bilingual services to the community and spreading the advantages of bilingual education to professionals and the general public.
The BEST Lab engages in clinical research using biofeedback technologies to enhance its understanding of diagnosing and addressing speech sound errors. This is achieved by engaging children with persistent speech sound issues, individuals experiencing speech challenges due to hearing loss and those learning a foreign language in its research.
The CHLLD Lab investigates how children's characteristics and environments impact their vocabulary knowledge. It examines the development of literacy skills in monolingual English and bilingual Spanish-English speaking preschool children with hearing loss. Additionally, the lab explores how speech-language pathologists can effectively assist parents in becoming their child's primary language teacher.
The LASR seeks to enhance our understanding of healthy and impaired swallowing, known as dysphagia, with the goal of improving patient outcomes. The research focuses on various aspects, including the coordination of breathing and swallowing in conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), changes in sensorimotor swallowing related to aging and disease and the effectiveness of different doses in swallowing treatments.
The lab offers evidence-based exercise programs for people with Parkinson’s disease, focusing on maintaining and rehabilitating motor and sensory functions. It connects Fort Worth community members with a network dedicated to understanding and enhancing the quality of life for those affected by Parkinson’s disease. The lab also aims to advance our understanding of how Parkinson’s disease impacts both motor and non-motor functions.
TCU’s SAIL aims to enhance the educational success of children with specific language impairment by creating and validating language and literacy interventions. Additionally, the lab aims to increase the understanding of language and literacy skills among parents and teachers.
Student Research Opportunities
TCU’s Davies School offers many opportunities for students to get involved in research. Harris College is able to engage in innovative research because it maintains a very close connection between students and the community.
At the undergraduate level, students participate through the John V. Roach Honors College who explore a topic of their choosing alongside a professor to yield a research product such as a presentation or a paper. Some undergraduate students also volunteer in some of our research labs.
Graduate students can complete a thesis dissertation where they ask a research question that’s in line with their mentor’s line of research, and they’ll work carefully to answer it and contribute to the things that we know about health care.
At the graduate level, students have a thesis option where they write and present their research findings in lieu of the graduate comprehensive exams. Graduate students may also be awarded funding to work as graduate assistants where they work alongside faculty to conduct research, engaging in project planning, and data collection and analysis.