Research

My research agenda focuses on how students from nondominant social groups experience school, how educators treat and teach them, and how policies and broader social factors shape their educational outcomes. Evidence suggests that students from these groups occupy marginalized positions or are underrepresented in education and that these positions result from policies and practices that educators can influence. I study how this marginalization occurs and also how inclusivity and belonging can be enacted at the classroom and school levels and beyond. This research has implications for educator professional learning, which is a key lever for change. A growing strand of my research focuses on how educators understand, learn about, enact, and reflect upon marginalization and belonging in schools. A desired outcome of my work is not only that all groups and individuals feel included in school but also that discriminatory or exclusionary ways of “doing school” are changed. I have particularly specialized in middle level education and understanding how classroom management and school discipline shape student experiences. Selected publications I have authored related to this first and primary strand of my research agenda can be found on the Publications page under the heading Selected Publications on Student Marginalization, School Discipline, and School Exclusion/Inclusivity.

To study these topics, I use a variety of approaches, particularly those that focus on interaction as well as those that can engage and reflect the experiences of those in a minority or with nuanced and complex experiences to convey.  These approaches tend to be qualitative, and I develop and write about qualitative inquiry as an additional strand of my research agenda.  You can find selected publications I have authored related to this strand of my research on the Publications page under the heading Selected Publications on Qualitative Inquiry and Research Methodology. I am currently exploring the use of theory-methods packages in research, with a specific focus on process philosophy, practice theories, and situational analysis. You can learn more about my vision for research here.

As an education scholar, I also explore my role in bridging research, theory, and practice. I find Boyer’s four domains of scholarship particularly relevant in defining my values and roles as a scholar. Boyer argued that scholars should be evaluated not only based on their fundamental research but also on the integrations and applications of their research as well as on their teaching. In the third strand of my research, I investigate the intersections of research and practice and study my own teaching. Selected publications related to this strand are listed on the Publications page under the heading Selected Publications on the Role of Scholars and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.