Research Interests

My scholarship and teaching are based in the social foundations of education, and the critical role professional educators play in advancing a just and equitable society. The social foundations of education are action oriented and interdisciplinary, bringing together diverse disciplines including political science, economics, education studies, and education policy studies. My scholarship focuses on two strands within education policy studies: examination of the neoliberal and economic forces shaping inequities in education systems; and social change through advancement of educator professionalism as informed by research utilization. More recently, I have used self-determination theory to help challenge change approaches that often exacerbate inequities through competitive extrinsic reward and punishment systems, instead focusing on intrinsically driven change that can help build capacity and resist inequities brought about by competition.

Keywords

Social Foundations of Education; Research Utilization; Use Studies; Information Utilization; Research and Development; Institutional Research; Educational Policy; Government Policy; Information Policy; Policy; Policy Analysis; Policy Formation; Policy Statements; Public Policy, Motivation, Self-Determination Theory

Research Highlights