Faculty Research - Dr. Stephanie Daza
The role of education in producing a socially (un)just world
Dr. Stephanie Daza, assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, has six active research projects that in general seek to contribute to understanding education’s role in society and particularly the role education plays in producing a socially (un)just world. Two projects are described below.
First, Dr. Daza is the co-principal investigator on a National Science Foundation Grant of $511,456.00 for 3 years, that began in 2008.The overarching goal of the project is to involve high school teachers in engineering research in order to bring knowledge of engineering to pre-college classrooms and to bring students who have been traditionally underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields to those fields. This project currently involves 19 STEM teacher-participants from area high schools, along with their students. Dr. Daza serves as the expert on research methodology, education, and diversity. Data for the project includes pre and post surveys from teachers and students, modified lesson plans, classroom observations, program assessment surveys, focus group conversations, and teacher-generated work such as field notes and reflective essays. Data collection and analysis are ongoing. Dr. Daza anticipates that this project will yield several publications, including co-authoring an article with Dr. Yvette Weatherton, from the College of Engineering. Finally, the co-PIs plan to apply for additional NSF funds to extend the project.
Dr. Daza also is collecting data for a mixed-method, five-year study of her online diversity courses. This research examines how pre-service and practicing teachers resist, accept, and (re)interpret issues of diversity, multicultural curriculum, and teaching for social justice. It analyzes the gap between what professors teach and what students learn. This research has implications for how to work with students in teacher education programs and for how pre-service and practicing teachers will teach diverse student populations about diversity and social justice.
For more information on Dr. Daza’s research, please visit the following sites: