Working Alterity: The Impossibility of Ethical Research With Youth

In this article, my goals are to speak theoretically and methodologically about researching with, for, and about queer youth in ways that trouble identities as people represent them. I do so within examinations of (hetero)normativity and exploring the promise of queering qualitative methodologies. Opening with a brief contextualization of the ethical conundrums inherent in a qualitative research methodology, I am particularly interested in methodologies that emanate from epistemologies that attempt both to be ethical, and to acknowledge the very impossibility of such a move. Next, possibilities for data collection, analysis, and representation that are particularly important when working with queer youth are outlined. Last, I engage in the difficult conversation about who ought be engaging in research with, by, and for queer youth.     

Un/Fixing the Fiend: Queering Pedagogy and Dangerous Desires

The notion of desire in theorizing pedagogical relations has a long tradition within foundations of education. Contemporary scholarship on desire in educational theory is informed by sexuality studies and queer theory. This article both builds and expands contemporary dialogue on desire as informed by some of the debates within sexuality studies, and feminist and queer theory. In this article, I investigate elements of desire that are considered dangerous in pedagogical contexts such as “excess” and “devotion.” I then provide an interpretation of the productive nature of conflict and desire in pedagogical encounters. Finally, I explore the pleasure and pain of desires, tension, and conflict as necessarily dangerous and dangerously necessary elements of learning and pedagogical encounters.     

The Role of Educational Psychology in Teacher Education: Three Challenges for Educational Psychologists

Data-driven decision making has become an essential component of educational practice across all levels, from chief state school officers to classroom teachers, and has received unprecedented attention in terms of policy and financial support. It was included as one of the four pillars in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009), indicating that federal education officials seek to ensure that data and evidence are used to inform policy and practice. This article describes the emergence of data-driven decision making as a topic of interest, some of the challenges to and opportunities for data use, and how the principles of educational psychology can and must be used to inform how educators are using data and the examination of its impact on educational practice.