Like many others, Rory Cantwell ’25, from Lancaster, Pa., remembers a teacher from her youth who had profoundly impacted her life. That teacher influenced Cantwell’s decision to major in liberal studies and pursue a career in elementary education. Now, as a rising senior, Cantwell is contributing to the field of education through a summer project titled “Summer Literacy Intervention on Improving Attitudes Towards Reading and Writing” with Associate Professor of Education Dr. Jenny Martin.
This project’s inception came during an ordinary conversation between teacher and student when Cantwell mentioned her desire to study educational psychology. Martin suggested that Cantwell get involved with Camp Curious, a literacy summer camp in Orkney Springs, Va., which nurtures a love for reading and writing in local third- through sixth-grade students. After that, Cantwell’s literacy project blossomed and became a reality thanks to funding from The Research Experience @ Bridgewater (TREB), a donor-funded initiative that supports Bridgewater College faculty and undergraduate student pairs in conducting summer research.
Cantwell’s overarching goal is to assess the impact of Camp Curious on attendees’ attitudes and perceptions toward reading and writing. While it does not involve data collection and analysis, this project allows Cantwell and Martin to gain valuable knowledge about how Camp Curious operates, making it a first step toward conducting a main research study in 2025. Through this process, Cantwell hopes to “learn about how students come to love to read and how a teacher can promote this in the most fun way possible for students.”
Martin and Cantwell looking at books for children and adolescents in the John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons.
Martin, who helped Camp Curious get off the ground in her role as President of the Virginia Association of Teachers of English (VATE), sees Cantwell’s project as a win-win. Camp Curious gains another teacher to instill a love for reading in local youth along with an eventual formal evaluation of the program’s effectiveness. Cantwell gains valuable hands-on experience in both the research process and educational psychology, Martin’s own area of expertise. Cantwell shares this perspective, emphasizing the difference between conducting research and simply learning about it.
“While it is one thing to learn about the general steps involved [in research] in a research methods class, there are many elements in the actual process which I’ve been grateful to have a mentor for,” Cantwell explained. “I hope to continue to learn more about the process of doing research from [Martin], see how to combat any issues that may arise, and eventually [learn about] the process of publication.”
Once her project is complete, Cantwell may submit an article to the Virginia English Journal. She also wants to showcase her work at VATE’s 2024 Fall Conference and during Bridgewater’s ASPIRE before continuing her project next summer. But beyond publications and conferences, Cantwell hopes that, in the end, understanding attitudes toward literacy will help her make a memorable impact on her students as an educator.
“I want to make a difference in the lives of others,” Cantwell said.
