Virginia L. Navarro, Ph.D.Navarro's research interests focus on qualitative research methods, urban education, and intercultural experiences, particularly as they relate to identity formation and sociocultural forces. For five years, Virginia co-directed the Career Transition Certification Program (CTCP), a partnership with St. Louis Public Schools to develop urban teacher-leaders in critical need areas; the program was supported by DESE and Parsons-Blewett grants. Urban education continues to be a focus area. In 2011-2013 Navarro co-edited the Journal of Urban Teaching, Learning & Research, a publication sponsored by the Urban Teaching, Learning & Research SIG in AERA. With Naraian and Brown (2011), she published "Readiness for change: Appropriation of external resources in two urban schools" in Education and Urban Society as well as articles on "Acculturating into urban schools: Voices from the field" in Urban Learning, Teaching, & Research and a book chapter called "Context matters: Situated assessment practices in urban teaching." As part of the Urban Network to Improve Teacher Education, Navarro also co-edited a book of case studies on school/university partnership.
Teaching in Wuhan, China; Seoul, South Korea; and co-leading a doctoral exchange program with Phranakhon Rajabhat University has resulted in studies on the impact of intercultural opportunities. She teaches research design courses for graduate students' exit courses as well as seminars on sociocultural theory and gender language & identity. As a qualitative researcher, Virginia has written and published on qualitative methods: "Constructing a teacher of qualitative methods" in International Journal of Social Research Methodology and, more recently, "Action research on action research: Reflections on shaping teacher-researchers" in Teacher Education and Practice. She founded the Qualitative Action Research Conference (QuARC) that has grown over the years into a major regional conference in qualitative methods. Dr. Navarro teaches exit courses for both doctoral and masters students involved in designing and implementing their own research projects. She currently serves on some 20 doctoral committees and teaches seminars in sociocultural theory and gender, language & identity. As chair of the Masters in Education Oversight Committee, Virginia is part of the NCATE team to document advanced program assessment processes.
