Research in Focus

Join Gloria Nystrom, a Doctoral Candidate in Languages, Cultures and Literacies, and Dr. Ena Lee as they discuss the importance of interdisciplinary frameworks in English language education research. As women of colour born and raised in “multicultural” Canada, their lived experiences negotiating language, “culture”, and identity illustrate the role of sociopolitical/sociohistorical landscapes on linguistic ideology and citizenry. Their dialogue highlights the salience of “race” in the lives of multilingual and multicultural students in Vancouver and why more critical educational research is needed to address issues of racism and educational equity in Canada.

In this episode, Dr. Rina Zazkis, Canada Research Chair in STEM Teaching and Learning, shares insights from her book Lesson Play in Mathematics Education: A Tool for Research and Professional Development, co-authored with Dr. Peter Liljedahl and Dr. Nathalie Sinclair. The book outlines how play-writing engages teachers in considering vital issues in instruction, with an aim of enhancing learning experiences of students. This conversation also helps listeners understand Dr. Zazkis’ research into undergraduate mathematics education, focusing on mathematical content-knowledge of preservice teachers and ways this knowledge is acquired and modified.

Join Josh Coward in conversation with Dr. David Zandvliet and Dr. Shannon Leddy, co-chairs of the Institute for Environmental Learning (IEL). Dr. Zandvliet describes his new role as a UNESCO Chair in Bio-Cultural Diversity and elaborates on the IEL’s award-winning work with the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association. Dr. Leddy notes how Indigenous approaches to knowledge and the voices of Indigenous and BIPOC people have been missing. As Drs. Zandvliet and Leddy both agree, the work must continue.

In this episode, Dr. Kris Magnusson, Professor and former Dean of the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, reflects on the connections between career development and mental health. Dr. Magnusson's research interest lies in career development, and in particular, understanding models of career development and the application of research to career counselling practice. As a recipient of a SSHRC Partnership Development grant, Dr. Magnusson and his team are working towards understanding the relationship between the outcomes of effective career development practices and the determinants of adolescent mental health.

In this episode, Dr. Sean Chorney, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, proposes that mathematising aspects of our social world can help us to not only identify hidden problems, but to also formulate alternative conceptions of their causes and possible solutions. Dr. Chorney discusses the concept of gerrymandering, as a demonstration of how mathematics can raise awareness and imagination.

In this episode, Dr. Joel Heng Hartse and Dr. Ismaeil Fazel speak about two projects related to academic literacy, remote learning experiences and learning to identify and understand predatory academic publishers. Remote learning has become the norm during this particular time in our history and both researchers are seeking to understand and learn more about how stakeholders are taking on the new realities of higher education. Also aligning with their research interest in academic literacy, Dr. Heng Hartse and Dr. Fazel advocate for educating students and scholars about predatory academic publishers.

In this episode with Dr. Carolyn Mamchur, professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, discusses the process of writing. To write well at the university level, Dr. Mamchur advises knowing what the question you’re responding to is really asking, finding yourself and your particular interest in that question, doing your research and finding the connections amongst the ideas. She shares that writing is telling a story that creates a meaningful relationship with the readers or other researchers.

This past spring, Dr. Heesoon Bai delivered a research seminar at UBC on Soil, Soul, Society: Regeneration from the Vital-Core. Many of the ideas covered in that seminar came out of the collective experience of a group of educators formed by Dr. Bai that met continuously over 12 years. In this episode, we interview Dr. Bai to discuss some of the concepts that were covered in her seminar, including a proposal that all teachers should take what is akin to a Hippocratic Oath and the importance of cultivating a contemplative practice. Dr. Bai shares why self-reflection, self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-cultivation is an important part of being a teacher.

In this episode, Dr. Huamei Han shares her research in 1) language, religion and immigrant settlement; 2) youth and multilingual study and 3) multilingualism in Africa-China trade migration. Dr. Han also provides an exciting overview of an issue of Language Ideology, Christianity, and Identity: Critical Empirical Examinations of Christian Institutions as Alternative Spaces which features five articles by scholars from around the world.

In this episode, Dr. Pidgeon introduces herself and her work studying higher education, which includes her look at research ethics and her work studying Indigenous student experiences in higher education. Dr. Pidgeon describes some of her international and inter-university collaborations, as well the holistic methodological approach that informs her choices in research. She also speaks to SFU Education's recent five-year plan and how we might respond to the Faculty's new calls for Indigenous initiatives within the university.