Prospective Undergrad Students

If you have not already done so, please click here for important information about undergraduate students who are part of the ERPAS team.


If you are interested in joining our team, continue reading to learn more. Note that many undergraduate student team members are psychology majors at North Carolina State University, but whenever possible, we welcome involvement from students of any university and of any discipline (as long as your interests and goals align with our overall project goals).


What are some reasons to join the ERPAS group?

  • You will engage in service and research activities that meaningfully help children, families, and teachers in your community.

  • You will obtain valuable experiences to prepare you for jobs and/or graduate school. Many past team members say that their experiences on the team directly and specifically helped them advance to the next career stage.

  • You have the opportunity to work closely with psychology graduate students and/or university faculty member. This experience is particularly relevant for those interested in obtaining letters of recommendation, references for jobs, etc.

  • You will learn more about research and practice in psychology and education.

  • You can probably earn course credits (usually 3) that will count toward your graduation requirements as a psychology major. The course is PSY 499: Independent Study in Psychology


What responsibilities are expected of undergraduate students on our team?

Most undergraduate team members spend approximately 7-11 hours per week on project activities. Roles and responsibilities relate to our service and applied research projects. Activities often include:

  • Using structured tutoring activities with children to help improve critical academic skills—in particular, most team members learn to use at least one of the programs we have developed.

  • Administering brief reading assessments with school-aged children.

  • Working with teachers and/or parents to improve educational outcomes for children.

  • Reading scholarly articles and chapters related to educational research, educational theory, social justice, and community-engaged scholarship.

  • Scoring and interpreting reading assessments.

  • Attending group meetings to learn more about and discuss our work.

  • Developing materials for research and service projects.

  • Assisting with data management duties (e.g., data entry, data filing, data organization, etc.).


How do I apply to become a member of the ERPAS Group?

All undergraduate team members must apply to work with our group. To apply, please complete the following instructions:

  1. Send a 1-2 paragraph statement indicating:

  • Your reasons for wanting to be involved with our team.

  • Any previous work or volunteer experiences you have had with children, with research, and/or in school-based settings.

2. At the top of your statement, please indicate each of the following:

  • Your NCSU student ID number (if you are a NCSU student)

  • Your major(s) and year in school

  • Your current grade-point average

  • Number of credit hours you plan to take in the coming semester (note that by working with our team, you would be registered for 3 credit hours; so when you specify your total number of hours for the coming semester, please include the 3 hours for the PSY 499 experience).

  • The month and year you anticipate graduating with your Bachelor's degree

  • Whether you have off-campus transportation (having your own means of transportation is not required for consideration as a member of our team, but it helps to know who on the team has off-campus transportation)

Submit questions and/or applications to Dr. John Begeny: john_begeny@ncsu.edu