Faculty Scholarship Highlights

Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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A Message from the Dean Faculty scholarship is the cornerstone of academic excellence and innovation in our college. The research, creative work, and professional contributions of our faculty not only enrich the educational experience for our students but also amplify the reputation and influence of the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences within the broader academic and professional communities.

In this special issue, we offer a glimpse into the depth and breadth of our faculty’s scholarly pursuits—work that inspires, informs, and shapes the future of our fields.

Their passion and dedication exemplify the intellectual vitality that defines our college.

Warmly, Xiao-lei Wang, Ph.D. Dean, Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Dolapo Adeniji-Neill Dolapo Adeniji-Neill (Professor) is an interdisciplinary and collaborative scholar whose research explores the sociological and cultural factors that shape educational opportunities for individuals and groups both in the U.S. and internationally. Her work focuses on the impact of class and gender in K–12 and higher education settings, immigrant education, Indigenous education, ethnography, African philosophy, and multiculturalism. She is a teacher educator, researcher, ethnographer, and poet.

Adeniji-Neill is particularly proud of several of her publications. Among them is her co-edited book, Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling, a collaboration with colleagues from both the African continent and the United States. She is also the author of Empowered Women: Nigerian Society, Education, and Empowerment, published by Peter Lang. Reflecting her interdisciplinary and collaborative spirit is another co-edited work, Illumination of Social Imagination: Learning from Maxine Greene (DIO Press, New York). Her chapter in that volume, “Egungun and Gelede Masquerades: Celebrating the Living and the Dead, a Sociological Imagination," highlights the Yoruba people's rich traditions around life and death in Nigeria. Her most widely read children’s book, Eileen: The Lonely Christmas Tree, is enjoyed around the world during the holiday season. For a deeper glimpse into her worldview through verse, her poetry collection Shamelessly Beautiful Morning offers a moving and lyrical perspective.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Clara Bauler Clara Vaz Bauler’s (Associate Professor) work is grounded in sociolinguistic and sociocultural theories that challenge dominant standard language ideologies in education. Her research focuses on affirming the multilingual and multimodal practices of students through culturally responsive pedagogy, digital literacies, and teacher education. Dr. Bauler is particularly interested in how digital tools such as podcasting and asynchronous platforms can create spaces for inclusive learning, foster intercultural dialogue, and validate students’ diverse linguistic repertoires.

In two upcoming publications, Dr. Bauler explores podcasting as a powerful reflective practice in teacher preparation, allowing pre-service educators to draw from their own linguistic and cultural knowledge while challenging monolingual norms. Her work on asynchronous communication within international virtual exchanges highlights how platforms like WhatsApp, video discussions, and Google Drive support sustained, meaningful interaction across time zones and languages. Through these innovative approaches, she promotes pedagogies that center linguistic diversity, critical reflection, and student empowerment. Across her teaching and scholarship, Dr. Bauler is dedicated to reimagining education as an inclusive, dynamic space that values all forms of language and communication.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Hannah Bo Hannah Huiyuan Bo (Assistant Professor) is a sport management scholar whose research focuses on consumer experience and service quality within the sport and entertainment industries. Her work lies at the intersection of sport marketing, fan engagement, and service design, with a particular emphasis on how consumers interact with different sport servicescapes – ranging from live event venues to digital platforms. She is especially interested in how artistic and entertainment elements can be integrated into sport experiences to enhance emotional connection, memory, and satisfaction.

She is particularly proud of her presentation at the 2024 Sport Marketing Association Annual Conference, titled “Exploring Consumer Demand in Sports Bar Servicescapes: A Qualitative Investigation.” This study draws upon the Servicescape and Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) frameworks to understand how spatial design, ambient cues, and social dynamics affect consumer behaviors such as word-of-mouth referrals and repeat visits. By combining qualitative interviews with observational fieldwork, the research uncovers how sports bars are not only consumption spaces but also cultural hubs that foster shared identity and community. The study offers practical insights for venue managers and marketers aiming to create more immersive and emotionally resonant fan experiences. It also contributes to the academic understanding of how consumption environments shape the sport fan journey beyond traditional arenas.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Wonseok Chey Wonseok Chey (Assistant Professor) is a scholar in physical education teacher education, specializing in content knowledge acquisition and pedagogical development. His research explores how preservice physical education teachers develop the knowledge and skills necessary for effective instruction in K–12 settings.

His work focuses on common content knowledge (CCK), which pertains to the ability to perform activities, and specialized content knowledge (SCK), which involves the instructional strategies required to teach those activities.

His recent study, “Evaluating the Impact of Content Knowledge Instruction on Preservice Teacher Content Knowledge of Volleyball and Basketball,” examined how a targeted physical education course influenced preservice teachers’ content knowledge in two team sports. Conducted in collaboration with researchers from The Ohio State University, Hofstra University, and Wilberforce University, the study assessed preservice teachers’ understanding across four domains— movement, performance, content development, and error analysis—before and after completing the course. Results demonstrated significant gains in knowledge across all domains, with large effect sizes in most areas. However, posttest scores indicated only moderate proficiency, suggesting the need for further refinement in teacher preparation programs.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Steven Cox Steven Cox (Associate Professor) is a scholar in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders whose research lab, the Voice and Quality of Life Lab (VQLL), investigates clinically based research questions focused on the human voice and how voice concerns can impact individuals’ physical, psychological, and social functioning.

Cox’s scholarship places an emphasis on voice production and perception in individuals who undergo treatment for head and neck cancer, quality of life concerns among these individuals, and the health disparities that negatively affect the ways individuals with voice concerns access, experience, and receive healthcare. Cox’s recent scholarship focuses on voice and speech production among Cantonese alaryngeal speakers, addressing disparities in voice and laryngology with telehealth, examining the health literacy and inclusivity of mobile apps in voice and laryngology, and the use of low- to no-cost mobile applications by speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Matthew Curinga Matthew X. Curinga (Associate Professor) is a researcher and software developer who studies the social and political impact of technological systems.

He’s particularly interested in the interactions between software design—algorithms and architectures—and social and political aims.

In March 2025, Curinga and his colleagues shared preliminary results from a new research project investigating the translanguaging behaviors of Large Language Models (LLM) and generative AI systems (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek) in a paper, “ChatGPT Translanguaging for multilingual learners,” at the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) annual conference. This ongoing study investigates the ways that LLMs act as bilingual/multilingual agents, using multimodal communications (text, automatic speech recognition, neural speech synthesis voices, computer vision, and image generation) to communicate in Spanish-English and Chinese-English academic conversations.

His ongoing research projects include “Spatial Justice as a Bridge to Responsible Computing (20232025),” a Mozilla Foundation project exploring responsible computing in undergraduate education and “Mapping School Buildings” (2023-2026), funded by the Spencer Foundation. Both of these projects take advantage of Curinga’s open source Python libraries that facilitate geospatial and visual analysis of large open data sets from sources like the NYC Open Data Portal and United States Census. This work brings together Dr. Curinga’s interests in the ways that deepening our understanding of technical systems through computer science education, intersects with understandings of education, community, and justice.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Elizabeth de Freitas Elizabeth de Freitas (Professor) is a leading scholar in mathematics education, spatial research, and epistemic imaginaries. Her work critically examines the intersections of mathematics, colonial legacies, and socio-ecological concerns, contributing to global conversations on education and knowledge production.

In January 2025, de Freitas delivered a keynote address at the International Commission on Mathematics Instruction (ICMI) conference in Manila, Philippines.

The conference, themed Mathematics Education and the Socio-Ecological, brought together scholars from around the world to explore the role of mathematics in shaping environmental and societal futures. In addition to her keynote, she contributed two papers to the conference proceedings: “Rethinking Measurement in Socio-Ecological Terms and Modeling and Worlding: How to Imagine More-than-Human Mathematics.” These works challenge conventional mathematical frameworks, advocating for an expanded, interdisciplinary approach to mathematical modeling and measurement.

Her ongoing research includes projects such as “Mapping School Buildings” (2023-2026), funded by the Spencer Foundation, and “The Colonial Legacy of European Mathematics in the Americas” (2024-2026), funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Her research in Science and Technology Studies (STS) includes a recent article investigating the nature of large language models in terms of their language facility, called “Fragile texts and machine readers: Trans/in/dividual reading tactics in a complex technical milieu,” published in The International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. She also has a signed book contract with University of Minnesota Press on this topic, with the title: Learning under Algorithmic Conditions: Contingency, constraint, creativity, coming out soon.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Tracy Hogan Tracy Hogan (Professor) is a scholar in science education whose research explores innovative approaches to teacher preparation, interdisciplinary STEAM education, and the development of teacher expertise. Her work examines how pedagogical strategies and alternative certification pathways influence both teacher effectiveness and student learning outcomes.

Hogan’s research focuses on three core areas. First, she investigates innovative teacher preparation models, particularly teacher residencies and alternative certification pathways, to understand their impact on teacher retention and classroom effectiveness. Second, she explores STEAM education, examining pedagogical practices that promote interdisciplinary thinking and authentic problemsolving, with the goal of enhancing students' ability to integrate concepts across science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Finally, she studies the teacher expert-novice continuum, analyzing how educators’ mental representations of educator practices evolve over time and shape instructional decision-making. Her work provides valuable insights into teacher expertise development and informs more effective approaches to teacher education and professional development.

Hogan’s recent scholarship includes the forthcoming book chapter “Problems of Assessment and Reform in STEAM” (2025), co-authored with Craven, Bello, and Rosoff, as part of the International Handbook of Research on STEAM Curriculum and Praxis (Routledge). She is also co-authoring Within Reach: Supporting Educational Equity through Sustainable Teacher Residencies (in preparation) with DeMoss, Gordon, and LaCelle-Peterson, to be published by Harvard Education Press.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

MingHsuan Wu Ming-Hsuan Wu (Associate Professor) researches sociolinguistics, bilingual education, second language acquisition, and linguistic justice. Her work examines language policies, multilingual identities, and translanguaging practices in education, with a focus on immigrant and minority communities. She has published extensively in these areas, contributing to discussions on language education, identity, and policy.

Her research on Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 policy explores how educators adapt global bilingual frameworks to local educational contexts. Using a glocalization lens, this work highlights teachers’ agency in navigating top-down language policies and developing bilingual pedagogies suited to their classrooms. She has also studied how translanguaging fosters intercultural competence, particularly in bilingual summer programs that connect Taiwanese and Taiwanese American youth.

Another area of her work focuses on transnational identity and belonging. Through narrative inquiry, she has examined how transnational Chinese adoptees negotiate their linguistic and professional identities while teaching English in Taiwan. These studies explore how adoptees navigate the complexities of home and “homeland,” shedding light on the intersections of race, language, and migration in shaping identity.

Her scholarship extends to faculty experiences in academia, particularly how Asian American women navigate professional and racialized identities. Using autoethnographic and narrative inquiry methods, this work contributes to broader conversations on faculty diversity, academic gatekeeping, and institutional labor.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Emily Kang Emily Kang (Professor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs) is an expert in science education, with a research focus on effective professional development models for science teachers and supporting multilingual learners in science. Dr. Kang has been a NYS P-12 Science Learning Standards professional development provider since 2013, serving 40 school districts, three BOCES, and community science organizations across Long Island, NYC, and Westchester County.

She is particularly proud of her recent book chapter “Plastic Pollution: What Happens to the Plastics We Use Every Day?,” co-authored with Alison Haas, Stephanie O’Brien, Scott E. Grapin, Tanya Rosado-Barringer, Yanira Stoker, Chris Leece, and Okhee Lee. This chapter presents an innovative science unit designed to engage middle school students in investigating the physical science concepts through the context of plastic pollution. Through an inquiry-based approach, students explore the environmental and health impacts of plastics, examine the social justice dimensions of pollution, and develop solutions to reduce plastic waste in their communities.

By integrating science with equity-focused instruction, Dr. Kang’s work contributes to the growing field of sustainability education, equipping students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to address pressing societal issues in the 21st century.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Courtney Lee Weida Courtney L. Weida (Professor) is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research explores the intersections of girlhood studies, expressive arts, and healing. She contributes extensively to the field through books, articles, and chapters for organizations such as the National Art Education Association and the International Society for Education Through Art. In addition to her written scholarship, she exhibits her artwork in New York City galleries and art spaces and is an accomplished poet.

She is particularly proud of her recent co-authored chapter, “Feminist Arts Education Heroines: Maker Mermaids, Poet Princesses, Fiber Art Fairies, Weaving Witches, and Unschooling Unicorns,” published in 2024. This work examines imaginative feminist figures in arts education and their pedagogical significance. Additionally, she delivered a conference presentation in January 2025, “The Legacy of M.C. Richards' Centering Practice and Craftsmanship on Inclusive, Interdisciplinary Arts and Humanities Education,” which highlights the enduring influence of poet, potter, and philosopher M.C. Richards on educational philosophies such as crafts/handcraft education, Waldorf education, and eco-education. Through these projects, Weida continues to contribute to critical conversations on feminist arts education and interdisciplinary teaching methodologies.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Kevin Mercier Kevin Mercier (Professor, Chair of the Department of Health and Sport Sciences) is a scholar whose research explores the intersection of physical education, teacher attitudes, and professional wellbeing. His early work focused on investigating how teachers and students perceive physical education and fitness testing, with an emphasis on promoting lifelong physical activity. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift in his research toward examining its impact on physical education instruction and teaching methodologies.

His recent scholarship has centered on the psychological factors influencing physical education teachers' well-being, including perceived mattering, professional beliefs, teacher motivation, emotions, and professional identity. One of his latest studies, “It's Complicated: Exploring Relationships Between Emotions and Career Stages Among Physical Educators,” published in the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education (2025), investigates how educators' emotions toward teaching evolve throughout their careers. Another recent publication, “Preservice Physical Education Teacher Beliefs: Examining the Relationship Between Professional Beliefs, Emotional Experiences, and Identity Formation,” featured in the European Physical Education Review (2025), explores how beliefs and emotions shape professional identity development during student teaching.

Through his research, Mercier contributes to a deeper understanding of the emotional and psychological dimensions of physical education instruction. His work informs teacher training and professional development, aiming to support educators in fostering motivation, resilience, and wellbeing throughout their careers.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Michael O’Loughlin Michael O’Loughlin (Professor) is a scholar whose work critically examines the intersections of education, psychoanalysis, and social justice. His research focuses on the challenges posed by populism, misinformation, and systemic shifts in educational policies, particularly concerning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). His scholarship also explores the impact of the anti-trans movement, the demonization of migrant children, and the broader implications of free speech debates within universities.

He is particularly proud of his forthcoming contribution to a special issue of Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society, an international journal he co-edits. The issue, set for release in March 2025, delves into pressing concerns surrounding academic freedom, offering an in-depth exploration of free speech challenges in contemporary education. His own article, “Academic Freedom: Challenges to Cultivating a Revolutionary Unconscious in Neoliberal Times,” critically examines the ideological and structural forces shaping discourse in higher education. Available through open access, his work contributes to the urgent dialogue on preserving academic freedom in an era of political and cultural upheaval.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Hariklia Proios Hariklia Proios (Professor, Chair of Communications Sciences and Disorders) brings extensive experience in healthcare, blending research, teaching, and clinical expertise with a strong focus on driving global change.

She has a proven track record of successfully leading teams, designing curricula, creating strategic plans, and fostering partnerships with diverse stakeholders. She thrives in both nonprofit and commercial healthcare settings. Her research interests include adult aphasia and is dedicated to the development and application of theoretical frameworks for evaluating neurological conditions, as well as expanding and advancing international research initiatives in communication disorders. She currently serves her second term as President of the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) for the 2024-2028 period.

She is particularly proud of her upcoming faculty invitation to present on "Speech and Language Rehabilitation: Evidence-Based Insights on Long-Term Recovery Post-Stroke" at the European Stroke Organization Congress in Helsinki, Finland, in May 2025. Additionally, she chaired the "Aging and Cognition" session at the International Conference on Aging and Gerontology in Tokyo, Japan, in March 2025 where she presented on "Protecting Our Brain to Reduce the Burden of Stroke: SAFE" that critically examined a revised SAFE stroke prevention website to help persons reduce the burden of disability after stroke.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Paul Rukavina Paul Rukavina (Professor) a Kinesiology scholar, focuses on practical ways to improve school physical education programs. His research includes promoting school-wide physical activity, ensuring inclusive physical education for K-12 students who are overweight and obese, and using non-linear pedagogy to teach motor skills. To guide program improvement in these areas, he applies Fullan's School Change Theory, Improvement Science, and Community of Practice models, helping school leaders to enhance physical literacy and health.

Dr. Rukavina is deeply committed to his research on inclusion for k-12 students with overweight and obesity. He recently published a review paper that identifies weight bias as a critical social justice issue. In it, he asserts that society, particularly schools, must acknowledge the detrimental impact of weight bias and actively work to create inclusive physical activity environments. These spaces should foster a sense of welcome, promote body acceptance, and empower everyone to lead healthy, active lives. Building on this, Dr. Rukavina also authored a paper in the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, which offers practical, research-backed strategies for implementing these inclusive practices within physical education.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Yula C. Serpanos Yula C. Serpanos (Professor) has received several distinctions including the American SpeechLanguage Hearing Association (ASHA) Fellowship, the 2019 NYSSLHA Honors of the Association Award, and 2009 NYSSLHA Distinguished Achievement Award. She is a Professor of Audiology in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the New York Doctor of Audiology (AUD) Consortium of Adelphi, Hofstra, and St. John’s Universities. Dr. Serpanos has published in several areas, including audiology practice, audiology screening, sound-induced hearing loss, hearing health promotion and loudness perception.

She considers the highlight of her research focused on audiology practice. Several of her scholarly publications have contributed to the emerging literature on the use of mobile applications (apps) in hearing services. These works offered recommendations for using apps in accurate hearing assessment (Serpanos, 2018) and for measures in test rooms to verify background noise levels (Serpanos et al., 2018; 2021). The article “Adapting Audiology Procedures During the Pandemic: Validity and Efficiency of Testing Outside a Sound Booth” (Serpanos et al., 2022), provided outcomes from a clinical perspective on the validity and efficacy of a wireless automated audiometer system that could be used in multiple settings when a sound booth is not accessible.

This work offered an effective alternative when circumstances require more transportable hearing assessment technology or do not allow for standard manual audiometry in a sound booth such as the global situation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Rachel Taniey Rachel Taniey (Assistant Professor) is a registered dietitian and nutrition researcher whose work explores food security, health behaviors, and campus-based nutrition interventions. Her scholarship focuses on understanding the dietary needs and challenges of college students, particularly those utilizing campus food pantries.

She has published her research studies on food insecurity and food assistance usage among college students.

Dr. Taniey’s recent study, "Understanding the Vital Role of Campus-Based Food Pantries: Insight into Usage Patterns, Characteristics, and Eating Behaviors Among Private University Students," was published in the Journal of American College Health (2025) in collaboration with two recent Adelphi University nutrition graduates. This qualitative research examined the demographics, food security status, and experiences of students utilizing a private university's campus food pantry. The study revealed that 50% of participants experienced high food security, while 33.3% reported low food security, and 16.67% faced very low food security. Notably, 43% of pantry users were international students, highlighting their unique dietary and cultural needs. Key themes emerging from the study included stigma related to food assistance, pantry usage patterns, and student-driven suggestions for pantry improvement.

Dr. Taniey’s research underscores the importance of campus food pantries in addressing food insecurity and supporting student well-being. Her work informs university policies and intervention strategies, advocating for culturally relevant food options, hygiene products, and ready-to-eat items to better serve diverse student populations.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Suraj Uttamchandani Suraj Uttamchandani’s (Assistant Professor) work centers on political and relational dimensions of equitable learning, in learning environments as diverse as LGBTQ+ youth development, undergraduate STEM education, technologymediated instruction, and arts education. His research has appeared in venues such as Journal of the Learning Sciences, International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, and Discourse, Context, & Media.

Recently, he has been conducting studies in the area of choral education. Building on relational perspectives on learning, these studies examine how learning unfolds in ensemble settings: those where individuals, no matter their level of talent, cannot complete the activity on their own and thus must learn to work together. He explores how a choir conductor uses instructional strategies to change students’ relational orientations to one another, that is, to get them to hear, see, and relate to one another in new ways. For example, by physically rearranging students from singing in rows to singing in a circle or arc, the conductor successfully supports them in learning to make their own sound blend with others to form a coherent choir piece. This study illuminates the possibilities of conceptualizing learning as the process by which people change relationships to one another.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Rita Verma Rita Verma (Professor and Director of Critical Peace Justice and Human Rights Studies) is a scholar whose work examines global citizenship, immigrants in schools, peace education and social justice. Her research focuses on how transformative pedagogy can serve to interrupt forms of hate and oppression that curtail human dignity and democracy. Discourse around critical peace education and global perspectives from teacher- activists have been a cornerstone of her inquiry. Her work is featured in peer reviewed journals and she has authored four books that have received numerous awards and recognition.

Currently, she plans to work on the second edition of her book, Disrupting Hate In Education: Teacher Activists, Democracy and Global Pedagogies of Interruption with Routledge Publishing.

She has also been invited to develop a chapter on critical activist work in a book honoring the lifetime scholarly contributions of renowned educational theorist Dr. Michael Apple. Rita Verma is also Editor-In-Chief of the international peer-reviewed- journal for emerging youth scholars. Her research and work continue to evolve to understand the subsequent call for activism within shifting global and national narratives about education and democracy.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Xiao-lei Wang Xiao-lei Wang (Professor, Dean) is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research expertise falls under the broad umbrella of language acquisition, extending into various branches, including multilingual development, nonverbal communication (with a focus on gestures), and parent-child interactions, particularly in neurodivergent populations such as individuals with Down syndrome, ADHD, and Autism. She has published extensively in these fields.

She is particularly proud of her recent longitudinal study, which explores two multilingual siblings' retrospective reflections on their multilingual upbringing and its influence on their self-awareness, identity, and multilingual competence. This study employs the phenomenological approach, a qualitative research method rooted in the works of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, aiming to understand individuals' lived experiences from their own perspectives. Through phenomenological analysis, the study reveals the profound and complex ways in which multilingual upbringing shapes the ethos of multilingual individuals. Notably, this is the only existing study that systematically follows the same pair of siblings over nearly 30 years, offering a rare and in-depth perspective on long-term multilingual development.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Meredith Whitley Meredith Whitley (Professor) is a dedicated scholar whose research explores the intersection of sport, resilience, and social impact, with a particular focus on communities facing economic hardship. Her work aims to understand and measure resilience in the context of poverty, examining how sport-based interventions can foster individual and community well-being. She is particularly proud of her recent project, “Measuring Resilience in the Context of Poverty,” which has been recognized with an Adelphi Faculty Development Grant. This research seeks to develop more precise methods for assessing resilience among individuals in underprivileged settings, with implications for both policy and practice in sport-for-development initiatives. Her work has been praised for its strong connection to ongoing research and its potential to secure future external funding.

Through her scholarship, Dr. Whitley contributes to a growing body of knowledge on the role of sport in promoting social resilience and equity, advancing both theoretical frameworks and practical applications in the field.

Faculty Scholarship Highlights

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Leatrice Whitney Leatrice O. Whitney (Adjunct Professor) is a scholar and educator whose research bridges ethnographic inquiry, performing arts education, and decolonized pedagogy.

Her work examines the intersections of curriculum development, cultural storytelling, and African-centered pedagogies, with a focus on integrating diasporic narratives into arts and literacy education. She has contributed extensively to discussions on culturally responsive teaching, equity in education, and the transformative power of performance in learning spaces.

She is particularly proud of her capstone project, Black Wadada: The Scars of Implicit Biases in the Classroom, which critically examines curriculum gaps in New York City education and the exclusion of Black and diasporic narratives. Her postgraduate research in Ghana, conducted at the Dagara Music Center and The National Theater of Ghana, deepened her commitment to African-centered pedagogies. Through immersive fieldwork, she studied Dagara music, dance, and storytelling, collaborating with griots and performance artists who use oral traditions as tools for cultural preservation and sociopolitical activism. These experiences informed her work as the founder of Children of the Diaspora LLC, an education consultancy that supports NYC educators in designing culturally responsive instruction.

At Adelphi University, Whitney integrates digital storytelling and West African oral traditions into arts education, encouraging students to reimagine The 1619 Project through an African diasporic lens. Her courses emphasize embodied learning, call-and-response techniques, and decolonized performance methodologies, fostering student engagement and institutional change. Through her scholarship and teaching, she continues to redefine arts pedagogy, ensuring that students see themselves as knowledge creators and cultural contributors. Her work aligns with Adelphi’s mission of equity, diversity, and inclusion—a commitment she has championed as a student, educator, and adjunct professor.

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Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

This special publication of the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences is presented by the Dean's Office and was designed by Jessica Mannhaupt (2025).

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