Research Spotlight: Janine M. Schall
Q & A with Dr. Janine M. Schall, Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Bilingual and Literacy Studies
What are your research interests and research achievements?
My scholarship focuses broadly on how to improve literacy education and teacher preparation with an emphasis on culture, identity, and language. Within this broad area of interest, I have two major strands of scholarship; 1) how marginalized populations are represented in children’s literature and how children of all backgrounds can be connected with multicultural and global literature, and 2) the language and literacy practices of Latinx students in higher education, particularly within a Hispanic Serving Institution.
I am also a facilitator of the Hispanic Serving Institution Special Interest Research Group Initiative at our college. This initiative supports collaborative faculty research around the broad question of what it means to be a Hispanic Serving Institution and how we can make that designation meaningful. This work has resulted in an edited book published by Routledge in 2020, Teacher Education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Exploring Identity, Practice and Culture. I am the lead editor and co-author of four chapters.
How does your work align with UTRGV’s and CEP’s strategic plans?
UTRGV and the College of Education both prioritize student success, increased educational opportunities for the local community, and a focus on educating Latinx learners. Both strands of my research align with these priorities.
What are your current projects?
I have several ongoing projects:
- I am continuing to facilitate the Hispanic-Serving Institution Special Interest Research Group Initiative, which is now in its fifth cycle.
- I am collaborating with colleagues in a critical content analysis of children’s picture books with immigrant characters. We are also exploring a second study to examine depictions of the border in children’s picture books.
- In another collaboration, colleagues and I are completing several manuscripts using data from a study that explored the language and literacy practices of Latinx college students.