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2025 AERA Annual Conference-CTBE Program, April 23-27, Denver
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2024 AERA Annual Conference-CTBE Program, April 13-14, Philly
My dearly beloved CTBE SIG scholars, friends, and family!
Congratulations on being accepted to present your work at the 2024 AERA Conference! Welcome to Philly!!!
On behalf of the AERA Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education (CTBE) SIG Executive Board, I would like to warmly welcome you all to the oldest, largest, and most prestigious education conference in the world—the 2024 American Educational Research Association Annual Conference!
Each year, over 16,000 educational scholars and practitioners from 190 countries gather together to share their research insights and innovative practices. The American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting is also a showcase for groundbreaking, innovative studies in an array of areas. With more than 2,500 sessions to choose from, the 2024 Annual Meeting will provide a dynamic experience with opportunities to learn from prominent scholars, discover the latest research, engage in stimulating conversations, and foster professional relationships.
The Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education (CTBE) SIG was established in 2008. The mission of this SIG is to bring together scholars and researchers who share a common interest in in-depth, cross-cultural, international dialogue on how Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism in both classical and contemporary schools of thought can inform educational theory and practice. CTBE SIG provides a forum within the AERA Association for the involvement of individuals drawn together by common interests in Eastern philosophy and education research. It provides opportunities for members to participate actively in the Association both through SIG activities and in leadership positions. CTBE SIG strives to become 1) a home for Asian philosophy related scholars, researchers and practitioners, 2) a bridge of idea-exchange and dialogue between the East and the West, and 3) a platform for advancing human civilization and social change.
This year, the Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education SIG (CTBE) will offer five sessions including 1) a business meeting, 2) an invited paper session, 3) a paper session, 4) a roundtable session, and a special reception at a tasty Chinese dim sum restaurant. Over 20 Speaker(s) from the U.S., China, Korea, India, and other countries will meet together sharing their innovative research projects and groundbreaking findings!
I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude for our program chair, Dr. Liz Jackson for her hard work in putting this conference together. I thank the trust, support, and hard work of all SIG Board members (Dr. Liz Jackson from The University of Hong Kong, Dr. Jason Cong Lin from the Education University of Hong Kong, Dr. Wenjin Guo from Chicago Loyola University), our SIG Board advisors (Dr. Seungho Moon from Chicago Loyola University, Dr. Jing Lin from University of Maryland, Dr. Hongyu Wang from the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Xin Li from California State University, Long Beach). I also thank all the presenters who submitted their proposals to our SIG and also all the scholars who have served as proposal reviewers, chairs, or discussants. They have all demonstrated great commitment, dedication, and sacrifice in building the community of scholars and also guiding the growth and development of our SIG.
We wish you a great conference experience and we very much look forward to meeting you in Philly. Have a safe trip!
Sincerely,
Dengting
Dengting Boyanton, Ph.D
Chair, 171 CTBE SIG, American Educational Research Association (AERA)
President, Sino-American Educational Research Association (S-AERA)
Former Wallace Grant Committee Member International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS)
Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, University of Virginia (2007)
ME.D. in Applied Positive Psychology, University of Pennsylvania (2023)
dengting@sas.upenn.edu
Session I: SIG Business Meeting
Session Time: Sat, April 13, 6:45 to 8:15pm
Session Venue: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Level 3, Room 303
Session Theme: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism in Education Business Meeting & Reception
Session Chair: Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association
Session Discussant: Jason Cong Lin, The Education University of Hong Kong
Session Invited Speaker(s)
Session Schedule:
Time
Speaker
Role
Affiliation
Title
6:45-6:50
Dengting Boyanton
Chair
Sino-American Educational Research Association
Opening, Welcome and introduction
6:50-7:10
CTBE Board
CTBE 2023 Annual Business Report
7:10-7:15
Chair 1
Welcome and introduction
7:15-7:25
Liz Jackson
Chair 2
The University of Hong Kong
7:25-7:35
Leonard J. Waks
Invited Speaker
Temple University
7:35-7:45
Sangmoo Lee
Seoul National University
7:45-7:55
On-cho Ng
Pennsylvania State University
Existential Concerns of Confucianism
7:55-8:05
Jing Lin
University of Maryland
Significance of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism for Our Troubled Time: Meditative Inquiry Leading to Embodiment of Love and Ontological and Social Transformation
8:05-8:15
Jason Cong Lin
Discussant
The Education University of Hong Kong
Title: Existential Concerns of Confucianism
Speaker: On-cho Ng
Abstract: The talk is a reflection on the practicality and contemporaneity of Confucianism, focusing on its existential concerns with ultimate truth, humanity, society, history, and nature. Such concerns embody a robust view of a flourishing life predicated on personal self-cultivation as well as communitarian well-being. Albeit different from archetypal modern western religo-philosophical thinking, the Confucian construal offers the western counterpart, which is based notions of atomistic individual freedom, a resonant contrapuntal response that may serve to question and thus complement students' conceptions of personhood and sense of sociality.
Title: Significance of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism for Our Troubled Time: Meditative Inquiry Leading to Embodiment of Love and Ontological and Social Transformation
Speaker: Jing Lin, University of Maryland
Abstract: Jing Lin will discuss the current crises humanity is in, and discuss how solutions to the challenges need to come from within, for which Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism have profound practical and embodied wisdom. Jing will discuss how meditative inquiry engaged in these wisdom traditions open up the heart to love and engender ontological and social transformations.
Session II: SIG Reception
Session Time: Sat, April 13, 8:30pm-10pm
Session Venue: Dim Sum Garden, 1020 Race St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
https://www.dimsumgardenphilly.com/ , +12158730258, 11am-10pm
Session Theme: Conversation on Connection, Community, Culture, and Contribution
Session Information
The Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education SIG (CTBE SIG) Executive Board warmly invites you to an evening reception at the 2024 American Educational Research Association in Philadelphia. Come meet distinguished scholars, old and new friends, make deep connections, forming research project partners, and have meaningful conversations on connection, community, culture, collaboration and contribution with scholars all over the world while enjoying tasty Chinese dim sum!
To register for the CTBE Reception: CTBE SIG Reception Registration
Session III: Roundtable Session
Session Time: Sun, April 14, 9:35 to 11:05am
Session Venue: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 200, Exhibit Hall B (Table 15)
Session Theme: Applied Perspectives on Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism in Education
Session Chair: Jason Cong Lin, The Education University of Hong Kong
9:35-9:40
9:40-10:00
Duck-Joo Kwak
An Exam-Obsessed Regime in Korean Education: Any Connection to the Confucian Tradition?
10:00-10:20
Daoist Cultivation Pathway Toward Healing, Happiness, and Freedom: Implications for Our Society and Education
Tom E. Culham
Simon Fraser University
Yishin Khoo
University of Windsor
10:20-10:40
Marina Basu
Arizona State University
Situating Non-Western Philosophies in Western Research Spaces: Considering the Tensions Within Autoethnography
10:40-11:00
All
Q & A with the audience
11:00-11:05
Closing, summary and discussion
Paper 1
Title: An Exam-Obsessed Regime in Korean Education: Any Connection to the Confucian Tradition?
Speaker(s):
Duck-Joo Kwak, Seoul National University
Abstract
This paper aims to show how exam-obsessed regime of modern education in Korea may be a distorted way of responding to modern education system, mediated by the culturally Confucian minded Korean public. What underlies the Confucian mind is its assumption that education is supposed to nurture moral virtue rather than intellectual achievement. The paper will explore how this Confucian emphasis on moral virtue in education has been ideologically exploited by modern education system in Korea, disguising its dark side and justifying its morally ambiguous social function. This task is to see if the healthy recovery of the old assumption may provide us with an alternative vision of education, leading into the weakening of the exam-regime in modern education in Korea.
Paper 2
Title: Daoist Cultivation Pathway Toward Healing, Happiness, and Freedom: Implications for Our Society and Education
This research proposal aims to delve into the Daoist cultivation pathways that lead to healing and the development of an Eco-Cosmic citizenship mindset. It seeks to explore the knowledge of the human body within Daoism and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and their inseparable connection. The cultivation of energy for healing and healthy living, as well as the integration of Daoist principles into various stages of healing, will be discussed. The proposal emphasizes the importance of a new form of learning that recognizes the unified energy field of qi, yin and yang balance, and holistic wellbeing. The role of meditation, the cultivation of qi, and the integration of healing and virtues will be explored.
Paper 3
Title: Situating Non-Western Philosophies in Western Research Spaces: Considering the Tensions Within Autoethnography
Speaker:
Marina Basu, Arizona State University
In this paper, my purpose is to interrogate the idea of the “Self,” specifically in Western research contexts, where the researcher’s worldview might differ from the Western individualistic approach. For researchers oriented towards or originating from non-Western philosophical traditions, what might be the implications of using a Western research methodology such as auto-ethnography? What does the auto-, the reflexive self, point to if we want to seriously engage in grappling with the idea of no-self as is found in Eastern thought? Is there a possibility of engaging in auto-ethnography while decentering the self? These are the questions I explore in this conceptual/methodological paper through a set of narratives, Eastern philosophy, and blended methodology.
Session IV: Invited Speaker Session
Session Time: Sun, April 14, 1:15 to 2:45pm
Session Venue: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Level 4, Room 408
Session Theme: From the East to the West, From Psychology to Philosophy: Constructing Educational Possibilities and Solutions
Chairs:
Discussants:
Abstract:
Education today faces many complex problems and challenges that require us not to neglect but to face in the pursuit of education. Racism and inequality have both impacted educational practices and quality for centuries. In this cross-country, cross-culture, and cross-discipline symposium, a total of seven educators, researchers, practitioners, and psychologists will imagine boldly what education spaces free of racial injustice and economic inequality could look like in the United States and in China. This global dialogue will enhance our comprehension and solution through research-informed action and to imagine, create, instigate, and be a catalyst of change.
1:15-1:20
Welcome and introduction of the program
1:20-1:25
Xin Li
California State University
Welcome and introduction of the Speaker(s)
1:25-1:35
Carol Lee
Northwestern University
1:35-1:45
Shaun R. Harper
University of Southern California
1:45-1:55
James Pawelski
The University of Pennsylvania
Rethinking the Ultimate Aim of Education
1:55-2:05
Gerard Postiglione
The educational possibilities of a particular form of Buddhist Meditation for better Brain and Heart functions
2:05-2:15
Discussion
2:15-2:25
2:25-2:35
2:35-2:40
Summary
2:40-2:45
Gratitude and Wrap-up
Session V: Paper Session
Session Time: Sun, April 14, 3:05 to 4:35pm
Session Venue: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Level 4, Room 403
Session Theme: n/a
3:05-3:10
3:10-3:20
Hongyu Wang
Oklahoma State University – Tulsa
A Daoist Approach to Emptiness and Pedagogy
Ying Ma
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
3:20-3:30
Lai Yin Leong
Dharma Realm Buddhist University
Awakening Currere: Buddhist Parables Reconnect the Individual and the Social
3:30-3:40
Julie M. Milner
Long Island University – Brooklyn
Heaven Education: Why Gifted Education Is Culturally Relevant for Chinese Americans
3:40-3:50
Steven Haberlin
University of Central Florida
Meditation in the Higher Education Classroom
3:50-4:05
Confucianism and Teachers’ Conceptions of Gratitude in China
Mark G. Harrison
Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Ji Ying
Education University of Hong Kong
Fei Yan
4:05-4:25
Q & A
4:25-4:35
Summary and Wrap-up
Title: A Daoist Approach to Emptiness and Pedagogy
This presentation begins with introducing the concept of Daoist emptiness through the three intertwining features—generative, transcendent, and inclusive—that are important for rethinking pedagogy. Then it moves to four major pedagogical implications: emptiness as opening pedagogical possibilities, pedagogical relationships in an empty space, self-transformation and self-transcendence in teaching and learning, and a playful pedagogy beyond dualism.
Title: Awakening Currere: Buddhist Parables Reconnect the Individual and the Social
Speaker(s): Lai Yin Leong, Dharma Realm Buddhist University
The limitations of institutionalized religion is evident, yet it has enriched lives of individuals and communities. In reconceptualizing currere, this paper uses the autobiographical methodology. The privilege of inner work is connected to the Buddhist notion of the awakened nature inherent in all beings—a source of wisdom. It is a moral journey as the student and teacher take charge, contemplate the chaotic inner and outer world, and witness the tensions between social and personal, through Buddhist parables and artistic reinterpretations. When the commonly disregarded subjectivities in religion and education are connected with objectivities of curriculum, the wise and the beautiful qualities that are currently lost in our scientific culture will enrich curriculum, teaching, and scholarship.
Title: Heaven Education: Why Gifted Education Is Culturally Relevant for Chinese Americans
Speaker(s): Julie M. Milner, Long Island University – Brooklyn
Chinese American parents in NYC are fighting to keep gifted education for their children. This mixed methods study examines why gifted education is culturally relevant for this historically marginalized group and why parents desire it for their children. Chinese American parents of gifted children ages Pre-K through 8th scored higher on the Asian Value Scale than a general Asian population. This indicates that these parents adhere strongly to traditional Confucian values, especially the idea that talent and hard work will lead to success. These parents also scored highest for the needs of achievement and autonomy on the Needs Assessment Questionnaire, suggesting that they incorporate typical Western values with their deeply rooted Asian values to achieve the American Dream.
Paper 4
Title: Meditation in the Higher Education Classroom
Speaker(s): Steven Haberlin, University of Central Florida
College students are experiencing record-high stress and anxiety rates, and due to technological advances, there are more distractions in the classroom than ever. With these challenges comes the need to explore additional, non-traditional pedagogical strategies that can help students de-stress, become centered, and feel more deeply connected to content. Brief meditation (1-3 minutes) may help students de-stress, focus, and connect (Haberlin, 2022). A facilitation guide could help faculty implement classroom meditation practices (Haberlin et al., 2023), however, additional research is needed to determine how to best train faculty, what meditation techniques work best with students, how to handle resistance, etc.
Paper 5
Title: Confucianism and Teachers’ Conceptions of Gratitude in China
Gratitude has recently received increasing attention as a virtue worth cultivating in schools. However, previous research has often been based on experiences in Western societies, while moral values and moral cultivation are understood in different ways across cultural contexts. This exploratory qualitative study examines teachers’ conceptions of gratitude and their experiences of cultivating gratitude in schools in mainland China. Based on semi-structured interviews, the findings highlight Chinese teachers’ culturally distinctive conceptions of gratitude and its cultivation, namely its role in developing relationships and maintaining social harmony, and the importance of acts of reciprocity. This study develops a more substantive cross-cultural understanding of the nature of gratitude and practices of moral cultivation in schools.
Listed in the Order of Presentation in the Conference
Business Meeting Speaker(s)
Dr. Leonard J. Waks
Affiliation: Temple University, U.S.A
Bio: Dr. Leonard J. Waks is Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at Temple University, USA. He was Distinguished Professor of Educational Studies at Hangzhou Normal University from 2018-2021. Waks attended the University of Wisconsin (B.A philosophy, 1964; Ph. D. philosophy 1968) and taught philosophy at Purdue University and Stanford University. He taught educational studies at Temple University and earned an Ed.D. in Organizational Psychology from Temple and a professional psychotherapy certificate from the Albert Ellis Institute in 1984. Waks is the author of Education 2.0: The Learningweb Revolution and the Transformation of the School (Paradigm, 2013), and The Evolution and Evaluation of Massive Open Online Courses: MOOCs in Motion (Palgrave, 2016), as well as numerous scholarly articles and book chapters. He is a past president of the John Dewey Society, and has been awarded the Dewey Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is founding editor of the journal Dewey Studies.
Email address: ljwaks@yahoo.com
Webpage: http://www.leonardwaks.net/
Dr. Jing Lin
Affiliation: University of Maryland, U.S.A
Bio: Prof. Lin Jing is Professor in International Education Policy at University of Maryland. She received her doctorate from the University of Michigan. She has done extensive research on peace education and environmental education, which result in books entitled Love, Peace and Wisdom in Education: Vision for Education in the 21st Century (2006), Educators as Peace Makers: Transforming Education for Global Peace (2008), Spirituality, , and Peace Education (2010), and Transformative Eco-Education for Human and Planetary Survival (2012). She is the co-editor of two book series, one on Peace Education, and the other on Transforming Education for the Future. Professor Lin is also an expert on Chinese education. She has published five books on Chinese education, culture and society, systematically examining educational changes in China in the last three decades. Dr. Lin teaches courses on Education for Global Peace, Ecological Ethics and Education, World s and Implications for Education, Culture and Education in a Global Context, Gender and Education, International Higher Education, and Modes of Inquiry. Her research interest lies in Peace education, environmental ethics and education, world’s and spirituality education; Chinese education, culture and society; East-West Dialogues in education and culture.
Dr.
Affiliation: Seoul National University, Korea
Bio: Dr. Sang-Moo Lee currently works as an Assistant Professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Seoul National University, Korea. He received his Ph.D. in Satellite Meteorology from Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, 2018. He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Electrical Computer Energy Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, USA. He was also a visiting Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Boulder. He was a BK21+ Research Assistant Professor, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Korea, 2019. He also worked as a senior Research Scientist, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Korea, 2018-2019. To learn more about Dr. Lee, visit, https://learning.snu.ac.kr/snu__professor/%EC%9D%B4%EC%83%81%EB%AC%B4/
Dr. On-cho Ng
Affiliation: Pennsylvania State University
Bio: Dr. On-cho Ng serves as Head of the Asian Studies Department at Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii and specializes in the intellectual history of late imperial China. With abiding interests in Confucianism as a dynamic and multifaceted tradition, his work is situated at the intersection of various fields: history, philosophy and religious studies. Apart from Cheng-Zhu Confucianism in the Early Qing: Li Guangdi and Qing Learning (2001), and Mirroring the Past: The Writing and Use of History in Imperial China (2005), he has edited several volumes, and published dozens of book chapters and articles in a variety of academic periodicals, including Journal of the History of Ideas, Journal of Chinese Religions, Philosophy East and West, Journal of Chinese Philosophy and Journal of World History.
Dr. On-cho Ng also works with various academic publishers and organizations in multiple editorial and administrative capacities. He is the co-editor of the book series on ‘History of Chinese Thought,’ National University of Taiwan Press. He serves as Associate Editor and Book Review Editor with the Journal of Chinese Philosophy, and sit on the editorial board of Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy. He is the vice-president of the International Association for Yijing Studies (Beijing), and a member of the Steering Committee the ‘Confucian Tradition Group’ of the American Academy of Religion. For almost two decades, he has been chairing and co-chairing the University Seminar on Neo-Confucian Studies at Columbia University.
Dr. Liz Jackson
Affiliation: The University of Hong Kong
Bio: Dr. Liz Jackson is Professor and Assistant Dean of Research at the University of Hong Kong. She is currently the President of the Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong. Additionally, she is a past president and Fellow of the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia and a former director of the Comparative Education Research Centre at the University of Hong Kong. She is the Editor for the journal Educational Philosophy and Theory. Her recent authored books include Contesting Education and Identity in Hong Kong (Routledge, 2021), Beyond Virtue: The Politics of Educating Emotions (Cambridge University Press, 2020), and Questioning Allegiance: Resituating Civic Education (Routledge, 2019). Her current research is focused on comparative views of emotions and virtues in philosophy and education. For more info: https://www.lizjackson.org
Dr. Jason Cong Lin
Affiliation: The Education University of Hong Kong
Bio: Jason Cong LIN is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Education at the Education University of Hong Kong. He holds a PhD from the University of Hong Kong, and was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University. He is the author of National Education in Hong Kong in the New Era (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025), and Multiculturalism, Chinese Identity, and Education: Who Are We? (Routledge, 2022). His research has been published in well-regarded journals, such as Journal of Contemporary China, Daedalus, Globalization, Societies and Education, Educational Philosophy and Theory, and Asia Pacific Education Review.
Jason’s research has received grants and awards from governments and institutions around the world. These include the Spencer Foundation, Fulbright Scholarship program, Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia, Comparative & International Education Society, Korean Association for Multicultural Education, the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, and the Ministry of Education. His works focus on incorporating intercultural knowledge, skills, and values in education; providing minority and Global South perspectives on educational issues; and working with schools and policy-makers to improve education for all students.
Jason is the secretary/treasurer of the AERA Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education SIG, an Assistant Editor of the Brill Research Perspectives in Philosophy of Education Series, and an Associate Editor of the Cogent Social Sciences and Journal of Modern Educational Research. He is also on the editorial board for Compare, Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, Multicultural Education Review,and The Curriculum Journal.
Dr. Dengting Boyanton
Affiliation: Sino-American Educational Research Association
Bio: Dr. Dengting Boyanton currently serves as President of Sino-American Educational Research Association (S-AERA) and chair for the Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education SIG of American Educational Research Association (AERA). As a Chinese American who lived in the U.S. for 14 years, Dr. Boyanton has nearly 20 years of classroom teaching experience and 11 years of teacher training experience both in the States and in P. R. China. Dr. Boyanton once worked as an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas (Brownsville) and Long Island University, Post, where she served as the Director of the Childhood Education Program and the Co-Director of the TEDxLIU Conference. Dr. Boyanton received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Virginia. Her research interests lie in classroom teaching and learning, student-teacher relationships, engagement, motivation, instructional pedagogy and curriculum design. Dr. Boyanton was the founder of mutual value theory and has given over 200 national and international presentations and workshops on mutual value theory. Dr. Boyanton is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Boyanton is also the founding president of Sino-American Educational Research Association (S-AERA). Her work has been featured in such publications as China Daily, China News, Xinhua News, and Yangtze Evening. Dr. Boyanton’s book Towards a Mutual Value Theory: Teachers and Students as Co-Learners was published by New York Peter Lang Publishing in 2014 and is now available in more than 20 countries.
Invited Paper Session Speaker(s)
Dr. Carol Lee
Affiliation: Northwestern University
Bio: Dr. Carol D. Lee is Professor Emeritus of Education in the School of Education and Social Policy and in African-American Studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She is a past president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), AERA’s past representative to the World Educational Research Association, past vice-president of Division G (Social Contexts of Education) of the American Educational Research Association, past president of the National Conference on Research in Language and Literacy, and past co-chair of the Research Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English. She is a member of the National Academy of Education in the United States, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a fellow of the American Educational Research Association, a fellow of the National Conference on Research in Language and Literacy, and a former fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences. She is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the National Council of Teachers of English, Scholars of Color Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Educational Research Association, the Walder Award for Research Excellence at Northwestern University, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Illinois-Urbana, The President’s Pacesetters Award from the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and an honorary doctorate from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She has led three international delegations in education on behalf of the People to People’s Ambassador Program to South Africa and the People’s Republic of China. She is the author or co-editor of three books, the most recent Culture, Literacy and Learning: Taking Bloom in the Midst of the Whirlwind, 4 monographs, and has published over 62 journal articles and book or handbook chapters in the field of education. Her research addresses cultural supports for learning that include a broad ecological focus, with attention to language and literacy and African-American youth.
Dr. James Pawelski
Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A
Bio: Dr. James Pawelski is Professor of Practice and Director of Education in the Positive Psychology Center. Since 2005, he has served as the founding director of Penn’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses on positive interventions and on the humanities and human flourishing, and for which he has received the Liberal and Professional Studies Award for Distinguished Teaching in Professional Graduate Programs.
Having earned a doctorate in philosophy, James is the author of The Dynamic Individualism of William James, editor of the philosophy section of the Oxford Handbook of Happiness, co-editor of The Eudaimonic Turn: Well-Being in Literary Studies, and co-editor of On Human Flourishing: A Poetry Anthology. He has also co-authored Happy Together: Using the Science of Positive Psychology to Build Love That Lasts with his wife, Suzann Pileggi Pawelski.
As the founding director of the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project (which has been designated a National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab), James is leading collaborative efforts to integrate approaches from the humanities and the social sciences for understanding, assessing, and cultivating human flourishing. He is editor of the Oxford University Press book series on the Humanities and Human Flourishing and co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities.
An international keynote speaker, James has given talks in over 20 countries on six continents. He is the founding executive director of the International Positive Psychology Association, a past president of the William James Society, and the recipient of a Practice Excellence Award from the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, as well as the Humanitarian Innovation Award for the Humanities, Arts, and Culture from the Humanities Innovation Forum at the United Nations.
Dr. Gerard A. Postiglione
Affiliation: The University of Hong Kong, P.R. China
Bio: Dr. Gerard A. Postiglione is Emeritus Professor, Honorary Professor in the University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Education. He is former Associate Dean for Research, Chair Professor in Higher Education, and Coordinator of the Consortium of Higher Education Research in Asia. His scholarship includes 20 books and over 150 articles and chapters. His books include: Education and social change in China; China’s rural education in transition; Crossing borders in East Asian higher education; Improving transitions: From school to university to workplace; The changing academic profession in Hong Kong: Governance, productivity, and global integration. He is general editor of four book series and a member of 20 journal editorial boards.
Dr. Postiglione has received numerous awards including Outstanding Research Supervisor Award (University of Hong Kong); Humanities and Social Science Prestigious Fellowship (Research Grants Council); Lifetime Contribution Award for Studies in Higher Education (Comparative and International Education Society); Two Best Book Awards (Comparative and International Education Society); and Fellow of the American Educational Research Association for his contribution to research. Professor Postiglione’s autobiography is published in Leaders in the Sociology of Education. And a collection of his research papers was published by Routledge Press. In 2019, he co-received the China National Education Outstanding Achievement Award in Empirical Research.
He has been a consultant to the Asian Development Bank, Department for International Development (UK), Institute of International Education (US), International Development Research Center (CA), Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the World Bank. He advised international foundations, including the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching on the international academic profession. He was a senior consultant to the Ford Foundation on educational reform and cultural vitality in China. His policy reports were received by China’s National Reform and Development Commission, State Education Commission, and Ministry of Education. He was invited to the Great Hall of the People to hear the president speak on building world-class universities.
In the media, Dr. Postiglione appeared on CNN and China’s CCTV, wrote for The New York Times and The Washington Post, and has been quoted in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other publications such as Science, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Shanghai Education, Times Higher Education, University World News, and he has written for Hong Kong’s English and Chinese language press. He wrote on higher education in Asia for the American Council on Education. He was invited to brief the Office of the Secretary of the US Department of Education, was invited to the White House Rose Garden, and is a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations.
Professor Postiglione held visiting appointments at the Yale University Council on East Asian Studies, Columbia University Institute for East Asian Studies, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Stanford University School of Education, George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development, New York University Steinhardt School of Education, Chinese Academy of Social Science, Peking University, Shanghai Jiaotong University. He is a member of the Council of the Southern University of Science and Technology’s Institute of Higher Education Research, and an Independent Non-Executive Director of China Education Group Holdings Limited.
Dr. Shaun Harper
Affiliation: University of Southern California
Bio: Shaun Harper is one of the nation’s most highly respected racial equity experts. He is a Provost Professor in the USC Rossier School of Education and the USC Marshall School of Business. In 2022, he was appointed University Professor, a distinction bestowed only to 27 of 4,700 USC full-time faculty. Dr. Harper also is the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership; founder and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center; and chair of the University Committee on Appointments, Promotion and Tenure. He served as the 2020-21 American Educational Research Association president and the 2016-17 Association for the Study of Higher Education president. Additionally, he was inducted into the National Academy of Education in 2021 and appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden to the National Board for Education Sciences in 2022.
Dr. Harper’s research focuses primarily on race, gender, and other dimensions of equity in an array of organizational contexts, including K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporations. He has published 12 books and over 100 other academic publications. Review of Research in Education, Teachers College Record, Harvard Educational Review, American Journal of Education, Journal of Higher Education, and Review of Higher Education are some journals in which he has published. His research has been cited in more than 23,000 published studies across a vast array of academic fields and disciplines. Atlantic Philanthropies and the Bill & Melinda Gates, Lumina, Ford, Kellogg, ECMC, College Futures, Kresge, Sloan, and Open Society Foundations have awarded him nearly $22 million in grants. His center has also procured more than $15 million in contracts.
The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Chronicle of Higher Education, and hundreds of other news outlets have quoted Professor Harper and featured his research. He has interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, ESPN, and NPR. He also has testified twice to the United States House of Representatives and spoken at numerous White House convenings. Dr. Harper served on President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council; on the national education policy committee for the Biden-Harris Campaign; and on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s statewide task force on higher education, racial equity, and COVID-19 recovery.
The recipient of dozens of top awards in his field and four honorary degrees, Professor Harper has been repeatedly recognized in Education Week as one of the 10 most influential scholars in the field of education; he was ranked #4 in 2023. To learn more about Dr. Shaun Harper, visit https://www.shaunharper.com/
Dr. Xin Li
Affiliation: California State University Long Beach
Bio: Dr. Xin Li is co-founder and past chair for the Confucianism, Taoism, and Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (CTE). She currently working as a Professor in the College of Education at California State University Long Beach. She teaches at levels of doctoral, Master's, teaching credential, and undergraduate courses in education. Subjects Courses are mainly in the educational foundations and research methods. Her research interests include narrative inquiry, action research, experience of immigrant students and teachers, arts-based instruction, Daoism and its educational implication and application, cross-cultural education, etc. She serves at various university self-governance committees at levels of the Department of Teacher Education, College of Education, and campus-wide. Outside of the campus, she has also served as chair and program chair at national and international professional organizations, such as American Educational Research Association. Reviewing research articles for peer-reviewed academic journals, book manuscripts, research conferences, are part of her service. And she serves as external examiner for doctoral dissertations internationally.
Dr. Li is the current chair for Lives of Teachers Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (LOT AERA). Dr. Li is also an editor for the Journal of Curriculum Theorizing (JCT). Dr. Li received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto.
Paper Session Speaker(s)
Dr. Hongyu Wang
Affiliation: Oklahoma State University
Bio: Dr. Hongyu Wang is a professor in Curriculum Studies at the School of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Sciences at Oklahoma State University. She had a Master's degree from East China Normal University and a PhD in Curriculum Theory at Louisiana State University. Her major teaching and research areas are nonviolence education, cross-cultural curriculum dialogues, social justice education, subjectivity and personhood, college curriculum and teaching, international wisdom traditions, and philosophy of curriculum. Currently she is passionate about reformulating the principle of nonviolence in the context of curriculum studies.
She has published extensively in curriculum studies, including several important books, "The Call from the Stranger on a Journey Home: Curriculum in a Third Space" (2004), "Cross-cultural Studies in Curriculum: Eastern Thought, Educational Insights" (2008) (co-edited with Claudia Eppert; AESA Critics' Choice award, 2009; AERA Outstanding Book Recognition, 2010), "Nonviolence and Education: Cross-cultural Pathways" (2014). Her upcoming book focuses on the formulation of integrative creativity from the lens of Daoism in dialogue with Western thought. She has received research awards at OSU (2006) and OSU-Tulsa (2018) as well as OSU-Tulsa President's Outstanding Teaching Award (2019).
Dr. Ying Ma
Affiliation: Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Canada
Bio: Dr. Ying Ma is an instructor in the Department of Educational Studies at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She received her Ph.D. from The University of British Columbia. Her research interests lie in educational Philosophy; Curriculum studies; Comparative research; Narrative inquiry; Teacher identity; Teacher education; Pedagogies; Ethics. Prior to pursuing graduate studies at UBC, she taught high school for seven years in Beijing, China. With experience teaching in diverse cultural settings, Dr. Ma brings a unique perspective to her role as a teacher.
Dr. Ma's background in both secondary and post-secondary education in China and Canada informs her research and teaching pedagogies. Her research interests include educational philosophy, curriculum studies, comparative research, narrative inquiry, teacher identity, teacher education, and ethics. Her focus on examining the intersection of philosophy, culture, ethics, and education provides valuable insights for developing culturally responsive, equitable, and dynamic teaching practices.
Dr. Steve Haberlin
Affiliation: The University of Central Florida
Bio: Dr. Steve Haberlin currently works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Learning Sciences and Educational Research at the University of Central Florida. As an assistant professor in the College of Community Innovation & Education at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Haberlin currently researches meditation practices with undergraduates. He has authored three books: one that serves as a guide for higher education faculty who want to implement meditation in the classroom, a second (available this December by Rowan &Littlefield) that explores a mindfulness-based approach to preparing and coaching teachers, and a third (due out in September 2024) that coaches k-12 educators in embedding mind-body practices in the classroom to help students with stress and anxiety. Dr. Haberlin also trains faculty in facilitating meditation through workshops and professional development.
Dr. Mark Harrison
Affiliation: Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Bio: Dr. Mark Harrison currently works as an Assistant Professor at Hong Kong Shue Yan University. His research interests lie in School Counselling and Wellbeing in Schools. He received his EdD in Developmental and Educational Psychology from the Education University of Hong Kong, and received his Master of Counselling from Monash University, Australia.
Dr. Julie M. Milner
Affiliation: Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus
Bio: Dr. Julie M. Milner
Dr. Julie Milner currently works in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Leadership
Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus. Her research interests lie in gifted education, teacher education, culturally responsive education, urban education, and special education.
Dr. Fei Yan
Bio: Dr. Fei Yan currently works in Department of International Education and Lifelong Learning (IELL) at the Education University of Hong Kong. He earned his PhD from the Institute of Education, UCL. Following the completion of his doctorate, he worked in universities in mainland China and Hong Kong. Recently, he has been involved in a research project that investigates the portrayal of ethnic minorities in textbooks in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. His research interests encompass national identity education, minority nationality education, citizenship education, and curriculum and textbook studies. Dr. Fei Yan's contributions to the field have been published in journals such as Comparative Education, Citizenship Teaching & Learning, and Asia Pacific Journal of Education, among others.
Dr. Ji Ying
Bio: Dr. Ji Ying
Dr. Ji Ying currently works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership (EPL) at the Education University of Hong Kong. She is working on a project called Preparing ‘globally competent’ teachers in Hong Kong: a mixed-method study. To learn more about Dr. Ji Ying’s work, please visit https://pappl.eduhk.hk/rich/web/person.xhtml?pid=280713&name=YING, Ji.
Dr. Lai Yin Leong
Affiliation: Dharma Realm Buddhist University
Bio: Dr. Jin Jr Shi is the Associate Dean of Academics and Professor at Dharma Realm Buddhist University in Ukiah, California. She is drawn to bringing Buddhist thought into educational scholarship. She is eager to explore the potential that Buddhist liberal studies education offers for developing personhood among democratic citizens of the world. She has taught courses in Music Classics, Chinese Classics, Pali Texts, the Avatamsaka Sutra, and Buddhist Hermeneutics. She is especially drawn to the Avatamsaka Sutra, which is useful in reminding us of the light that imbues all of us, even during times of chaos and confusion. She hopes this sensibility will continue to find expression among coming generations. She is alma mater of Stanford University and Teachers College Columbia University.
Roundtable Session Speaker(s)
Dr. Duck-Joo Kwak
Bio: Dr. Duck-Joo Kwak is Professor of Philosophy of Education in the Department of Education at Seoul National University and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Asia Pacific Education Review from the beginning of 2024. Duck-Joo’s academic research started with a humanistic tradition of the West (hermeneutics and existentialism), but now attempts to cover comparative studies between the West and the East on their humanistic traditions on education (hermeneutics and Confucianism). While being a long-term member of Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia and serving as the President of Korean Philosophy of Education Society from 2020 to 2021, she is in a good position to see how a comparative look at the two traditions can be hugely beneficial in searching for a new direction for future education on this earth. Since Duck-Joo has tried to build up a close link among the scholars in the field in the East Asia for the last 20 years, her contribution well represents the East Asian questions on modernity, especially its troubled relation to the tradition. Her publications on this topic tend to focus on a new interpretation of Confucianism for liberal democratic citizenship.
Dr. Tom Culham
Affiliation: Simon Fraser University, Canada
Bio: Dr. Tom Culham is currently principal of his consulting firm, Culham Business Solutions Ltd. and since 2008, a sessional instructor of supply chain and ethics courses at the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia. Also, since 2011 he has taught supply chain courses in the summer term at the Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, China. Dr. Culham’s research interests include embodied learning, and evaluating the ethics pedagogy described in his thesis and book. He is encouraged by the support he has received to continue this research with the UBC Faculty of Education, the Sauder School of Business, and the Chinese Executive Leadership Academy of Pudong. Dr. Culham completed his PhD in 13 terms with straight A grades, and was tirelessly active in academic pursuits, from coauthoring a paper and three book chapters to presenting at conferences to developing and teaching courses. In 2010 he was awarded the Paul Tai Yip Ng Memorial Award for best graduate student paper on an aspect of Canada-Asia relations.
Dr. Culham was able to use his thesis, Ethics education of business leaders, as the basis for a book, Ethics education of business leaders: Emotional intelligence, virtues and, contemplative learning, which is currently in press with Information Age Publishing. Dr. Culham is awarded the Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal during the summer 2013 Convocation Ceremony.
Dr. Yishin Khoo
Affiliation: The University of Windsor, Canada
Bio: Dr. Yishin Khoo currently works as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Windsor as an educator and scholar committed to personal and planetary healing. She has a Ph.D. degree in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. She also holds a Master’s degree in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is experienced Postdoctoral Researcher with a demonstrated history of working in community and school settings as well as in the higher education industry. Skilled in Program Development, Curriculum Development, Teaching, and Nonprofit Organizations. Strong research professional with a Doctor of Philosophy - PhD focused in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Trained in the engaged mindfulness tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Dr. Marina Basu
Affiliation: Arizona State University
Bio: Dr. Marina Basu (Doctoral Candidate, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University)
Marina Basu is a doctoral candidate at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University (ASU). She has a master’s degree in education and in philosophy from Louisiana State University. Basu’s research interests include Eastern philosophies, non-Western research and educational paradigms, arts-based research methods, and mathematics teacher education. Prior to joining ASU, she was a teacher at The Valley School-Krishnamurti Foundation India, Bangalore, for several years, and then a teacher educator at a private institution in Bangalore, India. With a background in teaching and teacher education in non-traditional settings, including a Krishnamurti Foundation India (KFI) school, Marina has rich experiences in creative and integrated curriculum and pedagogy. Her research interests span mathematics pedagogy, teacher education, feminist philosophy and critical qualitative research, including art-based research practices.
Affiliation: University of Maryland
Bio: See Business Meeting Speakers Session above
4-Organizations & Sponsors
About AERA
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) was founded in 1916. It is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.
AERA's more than 25,000 members are faculty, researchers, graduate students, and other distinguished professionals with rich and diverse expertise in education research. They work in a range of settings from universities and other academic institutions to research institutes, federal and state agencies, school systems, testing companies, and nonprofit organizations. Based on their research, they produce and disseminate knowledge, refine methods and measures, and stimulate translation and practical application of research results.
AERA is international in scope. Nearly 14% of members, representing over 96 countries, reside outside the United States. Over 30% of AERA members are students—approximately 7,750 graduate students and 230 undergraduate students. Over three-quarters (78%) of AERA members report that education is the field of their highest degree. Other disciplines represented by AERA members include psychology, statistics, sociology, history, economics, philosophy, anthropology, and political science.
About CTBE SIG
CTBE Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education SIG (CTBE SIG) was established in 2008 to bring together scholars and researchers who share a common interest in in-depth, cross-cultural, international dialogue on how Confucianism Taoism, and Buddhism in both classical and contemporary schools of thought can inform educational theory and practice. CTBE SIG provides a forum within the AERA Association for the involvement of individuals drawn together by common interests in eastern philosophy and education research. It provides opportunities for members to participate actively in the Association both through SIG activities and in leadership positions. CTBE SIG strives to become 1) a home for Asian philosophy related scholars, researchers and practitioners, 2) a bridge of idea-exchange and dialogue between the East and the West, and 3) a platform for advancing human civilization and social change. The CTBE SIG Executive Committee (EC) is comprised of six members who serve staggered three-year terms (2023-2026).
CTBE Executive Board
5-For More Info
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