SPARROWS

Grow your research skills—and your community

In SPARROWS, or the Student Participatory Action Research for Resources and Opportunity for Wellness and Success program, students engage in real-world social science academic research while building connections with peers and mentors.  

The goal is to offer data-informed insights into students’ lives, learning, and well-being to help educators, students, and the IU community enhance programming to better understand what supports and hinders student success, community, and wellness.

SPARROWS students build their research skills while also helping improve the college experience for students who come after them. Students can decide the extent of their participation based on other commitments since the project is self-paced.

This program introduces students to what research is, therefore no previous research experience is required. This is a great program for those who are unsure or would like to learn more about research. For those with prior experience, this program can provide space for you to work on your own interests, lead projects, and deepen your existing skills.

Applications are due on Friday, January 16. The program will run for the entire spring semester.

Apply for SPARROWS

Contact us

Dr. Nikeetha Farfan D'Souza
Associate Director of Bias Response and Student Support 
IU Office of Student Life 

Phone: (812) 855-1727
Email: nfarfand@iu.edu

Cedric Harris
Assistant Dean for Student Support and Bias Education

Phone: 812-855-8187
Email: cwharris@iu.edu

SPARROWS goals

SPAROWS students learn distinct types of social science research methods like interviews and surveys, along with various forms of both quantitative and qualitative analysis, through real-world engagement in authentic research studies they design and lead with consistent support from staff.

We hope to deeply understand student lives and their relation to learning and well-being using various social theories of culture and power as they engage with the university, particularly outside the classroom.

This program is designed to center equitable access, success, and wellness for all students through an intersectional disability justice lens that encourages nontraditional students. SPAROWS welcomes students with chronic illness, first-generation students, low-income students, international students, etc., to take partas they often don'thave access due to normative expectations. 

We hopeto inform the IU community (staff, students, faculty)and the community at large about students’ daily lives and give insight into what leads to learning, success, and wellness. Our goalis that thesedata-informed insights into students’ lives will guide programming and improve university structure.