Research
Background
The overarching purpose of my research is to inform and inspire work that endeavors
to dismantle systems of oppression, rather than promote mere survival within them.
To do this, my interdisciplinary scholarship connects insights from the field of
comparative and international education; the anthropologies of education, childhood,
and development; and forced migration studies. Using mixed methods and the tools
of critical and post-critical analysis, I examine how discourses, programs, and policies
intersect with the lived experiences of marginalized communities and those affected
by humanitarian crises and displacement. I explore the historical and contemporary
rise, and transnational dissemination, of largely Western pedagogies (e.g. social
emotional learning, play-based learning, mindfulness, trauma-informed practice) and
how recipient countries and communities make sense of, co-opt, embrace, and/or
reject them. I pay particular attention to knowledge-production processes and how
neocolonial practices, neoliberal assumptions, deficit discourses, trauma narratives,
and resiliency rhetoric—mainstreamed through these pedagogical practices—
influence and shape individual and collective concepts of the self, identity, culture,
and future. My research interests are rooted in my commitment to working towards
more genuinely inclusive, just, and equitable education systems and opportunities for
the world’s most marginalized and vulnerable learners.
Tools & Methods
Software & Applications: NVivo, Kobo Toolbox, CommCare, Tangerine
Data Collection Tools: EGRA & EGMA (USAID); SERAIS (IRC); ACES (CDC); Choices (Harvard); Kiddy-KINDL (Ravens-Sieberer & Bullinger); TIPPS (NYU); MELE (Multilateral); IDELA (Save the Children)
Methods Specialization: Qualitative, ethnographic, critical, and visual methods
Research Projects
Principal Investigator (October 2022 – current)
(Re)shaping Knowledge and Practices of Child Development Through Social Emotional Learning: An Ethnography with Burundian Refugees in Tanzania
Currently conducting my dissertation research on social emotional learning (SEL) with Burundian refugees in Tanzania. I am exploring if/how this community conceptualizes SEL and if/how NGO education initiatives incorporating SEL have influenced conceptualizations, attitudes, practices, and behaviors related to SEL and child development.
Research and Learning Advisor (July 2020 – March 2023)
Worked with Plan International and the PlayMatters Consortium on the design and implementation of multiple quantitative and qualitative research projects through the PlayMatters refugee education initiative in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Principal Investigator (March 2021 – November 2022)
Perceptions of Play: A Photovoice Study with Refugee and Host Community Children in Northern Uganda
Conducted a photovoice study as part of the PlayMatters Consortium research agenda. Led on the design and execution of the study with refugee and host-community children in the Adjumani District of Northern Uganda. Findings indicate that refugee and host-community children in the study locations conceptualize play as highly social, largely physical, joyful, a method of learning, and a potential contributor towards social cohesion. However, this study also demonstrated the problematic nature of “child-led” or “participatory-led” research activities in refugee contexts.
Principal Investigator (February 2022 – April 2022)
Critically Examining Social and Emotional Learning with Refugees in East Africa
Conducted a qualitative study with Dr. Kassa Michael Weldeyesus from the Addis Ababa University - College of Education and Behavioral Sciences to understand how Education in Emergency practitioners working with refugee and displaced communities in East Africa conceptualize, understand, and implement social emotional learning (SEL) initiatives. Findings indicate that Western conceptualizations of, approaches to, and materials for SEL dominate the East Africa refugee education landscape with little contextualization or understanding of if/how refugee and displaced communities conceptualize, understand, value, and practice SEL.
Research Consultant (July 2020 – September 2020)
Best Practices On Effective SEL/Soft Skills Interventions In Distance Learning
Contracted by Management Systems International & USAID to support research on distance learning modalities for SEL during the time of COVID-19. Methods included secondary data review, document analysis, and interview.
Principal Investigator (April 2019 – March 2020)
Social Emotional Learning in Humanitarian Contexts: An Exploratory Study in the Global North
Interviewed scholars, donors, and Education in Emergency (EiE) practitioners working at the forefront of social emotional learning (SEL) in emergencies. Findings indicate that EiE actors generally believe SEL is inherently rooted in culture and context and that SEL interventions in emergencies should be highly contextual to avoid ineffectiveness and potential risks of harm. However, systemic pressures imposed by the humanitarian architecture have: 1) limited explorations of local understandings of SEL and the development of “local” SEL approaches without the influence of existing source materials, and 2) conducting deep contextualization of globally generic SEL frameworks, materials, and approaches. Findings also indicate that limited conceptualizations of context and gaps in knowledge on how emergencies and critical factors (e.g. gender, race, privilege, power, history, and conflict) impact—and are impacted by—SEL interventions appear to render current contextualization processes as lacking nuance and largely ineffective.
Principal Investigator (September 2018)
Mindful Learning: Early Childhood Care and Development for Refugee Children in Tanzania
Conducted a mixed methods study to understand how mindfulness influenced early learning in the Burundian refugee community in Tanzania. Methods included focus group discussions and open-ended survey response. Findings indicate that mindfulness had a positive influence on children’s learning outcomes and behavioral development.
Principal Investigator (August 2016 – December 2016)
Fair Financing: Education Finance Policy for Equity – A Literature Review
Conducted a literature review and secondary data analysis on global education financing policy as it relates to equity targeting: girls, refugees, IDPs, youth, and the severely impoverished.