Associate professor Sarah Barrett is the recipient of the 2022 Faculty of Education Dean鈥檚 Research Impact Award (Established stream). Barrett was recognized and presented with the award at an internal Faculty event this past December.
The Dean鈥檚 Research Impact Award is awarded annually to a tenure stream member of the Faculty of Education in the Emerging and Established scholar streams, whose sustained programs of research displayed significant impact, broadly defined and relative to their career stage. The award recognizes research excellence, leadership, and innovation, including sustained and significant contributions to the field, exceptional research achievements, and leadership in research.
鈥淚n nominating you for this award, your colleagues were inspired by the interdisciplinary nature of your work, spanning as it does cultural studies, feminist theory, science education, and teacher education鈥, said Dean Robert Savage. 鈥淭hey were particularly moved by your recent report, Emergency Distance Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic, highlighting that it is one of the first of its kind to offer a comprehensive analysis of teachers鈥 experiences at one of the most difficult times in the profession.鈥
As one of Barrett鈥檚 nomination letter writers commented, 鈥渢he report amplified the voices of teachers whose frustrations, hopes, creative ideas, and fears had not been adequately captured or mirrored back to them.鈥 Another letter writer noted that Barrett鈥檚 approach to research generates 鈥渢he hope of building something more鈥 while another faculty colleague recognized the power of Barrett鈥檚 research to engage 鈥渨hat needs to be done to ensure socially just conditions of learning both during COVID-19 and re-imagine education in the coming years.鈥
Barrett鈥檚 research focuses on teachers' experiences of how their values and beliefs influence their practice; the ethical aspects of environmental education; teaching science for social justice; science teacher education; and developing more inclusive high school science curricula. Her current research revolves around teachers' experiences of teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has authored several articles on teachers' experiences of their unions and workplaces, teacher education and teacher identity and presented at several national and international conferences.