Our Research

Critical Analysis of the Core Knowledge Language Arts Curriculum

Dr. Jones is part of a cross-institutional team with colleagues from Illinois State University, the University of North Carolina, and Johns Hopkins University engaged in a critical content analysis of the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum, a widely-used scripted knowledge-building curriculum. Grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy, the team is conducting in-depth investigations of the curriculum units to determine to what extent they adhere to culturally relevant and equity-oriented instruction.

Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacies (CHRL) and Reading Motivations

Dr. Jones is interested in exploring the relationship between participating in instructional contexts grounded in Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacies (CHRL) framework (2023) and students’ reading motivations. CHRL outlines five learning pursuits—identity, skills, intellect, criticality, and joy—that support a holistic approach to literacy teaching and learning. This research aims to understand in what ways students might be motivated to read within this instructional context.

Education Now Lab

Dr. Smith and doctoral students in the School of Teaching and Learning course Critical Perspectives on Technology-Based Learning launched the Education Now Lab in 2020. The Education Now Lab is a community-engaged research+practice lab that engages in and produces a range of scholarship (e.g., public, academic, new media) alongside community members. They are currently seeking community and school collaborators.

Cultural Perspectives on Indigenous Students’ Reading Performance: A Participatory and Exploratory Case Study at a Regional School in Australia

Despite substantial government investments, Indigenous students in Australia continue to lag behind in literacy achievement compared to the general population. Traditional educational systems and mainstream teaching strategies often fail to meet their unique learning needs. Dr. Yang-Heim’s book examines how cultural factors, framed by Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital, influence early literacy development among young Indigenous learners. A six-month participatory case study at a regional Australian school highlights the challenges these students face and how contextual elements affect their reading skills and performance. The findings aim to deepen public understanding of Indigenous culture’s pivotal role in shaping effective literacy instructions.

Educational Research and the Questions of Time

Dr. Yang-Heim’s edited book encourages the questioning of the universal timetable and looks to explore how notions of time in educational research can be conceived to achieve the merging of inquiry and actions with respect to understanding change and implementing research findings through practice. It is the contention of this volume that time has not been adequately considered as a significant dimension in and by educational research. In the global context of teaching and learning, this book inquires into time-based changes that need to happen to ensure a sustainable future for education.

Championing the Reevaluation and Decentralization of Prescriptive Pedagogical Paradigms in Literacy Instruction

Stagnant U.S. literacy rates have sparked ongoing debates about reading instruction, with the Science of Reading (SoR) recently gaining traction in K-12 settings. Proponents argue that mandating SoR is essential for improving literacy outcomes, while critics call for a more balanced, inclusive approach that respects diverse learner experiences. Unfortunately, teachers’ perspectives are often overlooked in these discussions and debates. Dr. Yang-Heim’s research explores how elementary literacy teachers perceive mandatory SoR programs and emphasizes the need to empower them to have the freedom to leverage students’ assets and differentiate their teaching practices, ensuring the success of all students.

Critical Metaphor Analysis of Media on the Science of Reading

Integrating Social Studies and Literacy: Creating and Implementing Contextually Relevant Instruction

Drs. MacPhee and Handsfield, along with a colleague at U-Mass Boston, have been engaged in ongoing analyses of media reporting on the “science of reading” movement, using critical metaphor analysis (CMA).

Positioning and Identity in Multilingual Classrooms

For the last 10 years, Dr. Handsfield’s research has explored positioning and identity in multilingual classroom contexts, with a current focus on how pre-student teaching bilingual teacher candidates position themselves and their bilingual elementary students as they plan and carry out interdisciplinary literacy instruction.

Writing Re-Imagined

Drs. Kang and Kline have an upcoming book out in 2025 titled, Writing Reimagined: Bridging Critical Theories and Pedagogical Practices in Elementary Classrooms. In it, they explore how to integrate theory into practice. They build upon this work in their Spencer grant application, “Investigating the Transformative Potential of Humanizing Writing Pedagogy in Teacher Education and Beyond Through Multi-State Collaborative Research.”