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Global Village Peace Forum Flyer Intro Cover 1-E

 The 3rd Global Village Peace Forum Series

& CTBE SIG AERA Annual Conference Program

By the Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education (CTBE) SIG @AERA

Virtual Sessions

Jan 28th-April 2nd, 2026

8pm-9pm on Wednesdays (ET)

In-person Sessions

April 8th -April 12th, 2026

LA Convention Center 

 

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1-Background

Our world is developing quickly in terms of technology, with abundant resources and powerful AI tools. At the same time, however, it is regressing in terms of humanity. Racism, nationalism, prejudice, closed-mindedness, xenophobia, political tensions and even violence between countries are all on the rise.

Efforts to protect ourselves by building walls, closing borders, and restricting immigration fail to recognize that we are all connected as one world and one family. How can we awaken this awareness? How can we break through these walls? How can we work together to build a flourishing world and a harmonious human family?

To address this global crisis, we will relaunch the Global Village Peace Forum Series & CTBE SIG Pre-AERA L.A. Conference Virtual Reception which we first conducted in 2020. The theme for this year is One World, One Family.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Let us be the change. Let us scholars not just talk the talk, but more importantly, also walk the walk.

 

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2-Purpose

The purpose of the Global Village Peace Forum Series is a three-fold. 1) To have peaceful dialogues and generate solutions for today’s global crises. 2) To serve as the CTBE SIG Pre-AERA L.A. Conference Virtual Reception and provide a safe space for the scholars to come together as a “beloved community” of unity through meaningful conversation, mutual understanding, authentic connection, and constructive collaboration among the scholars.  3) To promote the CTBE SIG and encourage like-minded scholars to join this cause.

 

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4-Venue.

These series of forums are created based on the AERA CTBE presentation sessions. The whole format is intended to be very casual and relaxed as a virtual cozy fireside or reception.

Zoom Meeting

https:/us02web.zoom.us/j/81580788213?pwd=NQbmcgNmqwIQ7TVF8GHj14hG1sEcXg.1

Zoom Meeting ID: 815 8078 8213, 

Passcode: 20202050

Registration Link 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6Wo57lt9T8iuVJBsMaKYBA

 

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5-Time

Pre-AERA Virtual sessions (Zoom, Weekly)

8pm-9pm, Wednesdays (ET)

Jan 28th, 2026 to April 2nd, 2026

 

AERA in-person sessions (LA, Daily)

7am-10pm, everyday (PT)

April 8th, 2026 to April 12th, 2026

 

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6-Language

English with Chinese Subtitles

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7-Tentative Program

 Program I 

Pre-AERA Virtual Session

Jan 28th-April 2nd, 2026 

Time

Speaker

Moderator

Jan 28th

One World, One Family: Unspoken Presumptions of Unity in Japan's Cultural History

Dr. Mark Blum, University of California, Berkeley

The Great Unity (Datong) and Cosmopolitanism

Dr. David A. Palmer, The University of Hong Kong, P. R. China

Dr. Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association

Feb 4th

Mindless and/or Mindful Truth(s): Headless Currere with the Lost Luminous Mind,Dr. Jin Jr Shi, Dharma Realm Buddhist University, 

TBA

Dr. Pierce Salguero, the Penn State University

Dr. Jingshun Zhang,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Feb 11th

Culturally Adapting Simonton’s Creativity Framework: Assessing Japanese Creativity through Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism

Minh N. Kim, The George Washington University

Dr. Manh Tuan Kim, Vietnam National University

Dr. Wenjin Guo, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology

Feb 18th

Unforgetting Histories: Reimagining Education with Indigenous and Buddhist Philosophical perspectives from South and South-East Asia

Dr. Maung Ting Nyeu, University of California, Santa Barbara

Unforgetting Histories: Humans and their environments in ancient China

Dr. Brian Lander, Brown University

Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association

Feb 25th

A Flourishing Tree, A Beautiful Earth Introducing the Holistic K-16 Well-being Positive Psychology Education Model,

Dr. Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association

Rebuilding Trust: U.S.-China Relations in an era of rising nativism and protectionism

Ryan McElveen, School Board in Fairfax County, Virginia

Dr. Yubo Zhang,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

March 4th

Reframing Affective Injustice: On the Right to Anger and the Priority of Moral Reasons

Dr. Liz Jackson, The University of Hong Kong, China

Infusing Confucian values into teaching evaluation,

Dr. Adrian M. Blumenthal, University of Denver

Dr. Kerong Wu, Utah State Board of Education

Dr. Liz Jackson, The University of Hong Kong, China

March 11th

Dr. Wenjin Guo, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology

Dr. Siyu Gong, Chang’an University, P.R. China

Dr. Yubo Zhang,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

March 18th

Self-Cultivation in Meditation-Based Pedagogy for Classical Chinese: Effects on Emotional Resonance, Comprehension, and Retention

Dr. Rong Deng, The Education University of Hong Kong

From the Jinshi (經世) tradition to Individuality: how Confucian ideals shaped the academic disciplines of Chinese Students in the U.S (Late Qing-Early Republican Era)

Dr. James Yang, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University

Dr. Wenjin Guo, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology

March 25th

Confucian morality and influential teachers: Reflections from preschool pre-service teachers,

Dr. Zitong Wei, China Women's University

Core Humanistic Values from Five Spiritual Paths for Interfaith Curriculum in Multicultural Classrooms Settings,

Mr. Raj Kumar Baral, The George Washington University

Chinese Wisdom Traditions and Contemporary Education

Siwen Han, Qufu Normal University

Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association

April 2nd

Dr. Peter Bol, Harvard University, U.S.

Dr. Edward Wilson-Lee, Cambridge University, U.K.

Dr. Stephen Boyanton, Kennesaw State University, U.S.

Dr. Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association

April 8th

AERA LA Conference. See you in L.A.!

 

(Note: the April 2nd session will be between 2pm-3pm (ET) due to one speaker is located in the U.K.)

 

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Program II

in-person Sessions

AERA, LA Convention Center

Time

Type

Speaker/topic

Chair/Discussant

Venue

April 8th

(Wed)

1:45 to 3:15pm PDT

4:45 to 6:15pm EDT

Poster Session

Contemplative Environmental Education Across Traditions: Rekindling Love for Nature in Pakistan, China, and Beyond

Maha Shoaib, University of Maryland;

Jing Lin, University of Maryland;

Yueyue Wang, University of Maryland;

Denise L. McHugh, University of Maryland

n/a

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall - Exhibit Hall A

Poster Session

Does Educational Anxiety Inhibit Fertility Intention? An Empirical Study Based on CFPS,

Kaiwei Zhang, East China Normal University;

Feng Zhang, East China Normal University;

Li Liu, East China Normal University;

Lili Liu, East China Normal University

n/a

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall - Exhibit Hall A

Poster Session

“Less Is More”: Taoist Perspective to Rethink Extending Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to (International) Higher Education,

Wenjin Guo, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology;

Siyuan Gong, Chang'an University

n/a

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall - Exhibit Hall A

Poster Session

Micromomental Mindset towards Anticolonial Intentionality,

Sultan Turkan, Queen's University - Belfast;

n/a

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Poster Hall - Exhibit Hall A

Poster Session

The Humility/Confidence Paradox in Education

Liz Jackson, University of Hong Kong

n/a

 

April 9th

(Thu)

2:15 to 3:45pm PDT (5:15 to 6:45pm EDT)

Symposium

Session Title:
Infusing Healing Energy into Education: Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian Insights

Chair: Xin Li, California State University - Long Beach

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308B

Symposium

Chinese Philosophical Therapies and Inner Healing

Leonard J. Waks

Temple University

Chair: Xin Li, California State University - Long Beach

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308B

Symposium

From Mud to Lotus: Transforming Dukkha into a Pedagogy of Love

Gaston Esteban Bacquet, University of Glasgow

Chair: Xin Li, California State University - Long Beach

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308B

Symposium

Harmonizing as Healing, Pedagogical Attunement: A Daoist Approach

Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

Chair: Xin Li, California State University - Long Beach

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308B

Symposium

Friends, Fools, and Foes: Restorative Buddhist Paradox and Transformation

Jin Jr Shi, Teachers College, Columbia University

Chair: Xin Li, California State University - Long Beach

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308B

Symposium

Daoism as an Intellectual Sanctuary of Healing for Personal and Social Cultural Trauma

Xin Li, California State University - Long Beach

Chair: Xin Li, California State University - Long Beach

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308B

Symposium

Returning to Who We Truly Are: Cultivating Qi Life Force for Healing Self and World

Jing Lin, University of Maryland

Chair: Xin Li, California State University - Long Beach

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308B

April 10th

(Fri)

11:45am to 1:15pm PDT (2:45 to 4:15pm EDT)

Roundtable Discussion

Culturally Adapting Simonton’s Creativity Framework: Assessing Japanese Creativity through Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism,

Minh N. Kim, The George Washington University; Manh Tuan Kim, Vietnam National University

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

Roundtable Discussion

A Way of Becoming Human in the East Asian Tradition: the Educational Role of Ritualized Body, Duck-Joo Kwak, Seoul National University

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

Roundtable Discussion

Meaning-Generative Learning: A Mind-Based Paradigm for the AI Era, Rooted in Eastern Wisdom, Yunfan Zuo, Central China Normal University; Yubei Chang, Central China Normal University

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

Roundtable Discussion

“Letting Learning Flow”: A Taoist Critique of Pedagogical Control in U.S. Elementary Bilingual Classrooms,

Yunlu Wang, Georgia State University

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

Roundtable Discussion

‘Passive Asian Students’? A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Humility in Education

Liz Jackson, University of Hong Kong

Emma E. Buchtel, The Education University of Hong Kong

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

April 11th

(Sat)

5:45 to 6:45pm PDT (8:45 to 9:45pm EDT)

Business Meeting

Invited Talks

One World, One Family: Constructing a New Vision of Education from the Asian Philosophical Perspective

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Liz Jackson

University of Hong Kong

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308A

Business Meeting

Invited Talks

China’s Higher Education System:

Domestic Demands and Global Aspirations

Gerard A. Postiglione

The University of Hong Kong

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Liz Jackson

University of Hong Kong

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308A

Business Meeting

Invited Talks

The Kingdom of God Is Within: Traditional Chinese Medicine as Pathway to Universal Wholeness

Jing Lin, University of Maryland, College Park

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Liz Jackson

University of Hong Kong

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308A

Business Meeting

Invited Talks

In the Daoist Cosmos of Oneness/Yi (壹)

Xin Li, Professor Emerita

California State University Long Beach

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Liz Jackson

University of Hong Kong

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308A

Business Meeting

Invited Talks

One World, One Family

Unspoken Presumptions of Unity in Japan's Cultural History

Mark L. Blum, University of California, Berkeley

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Liz Jackson

University of Hong Kong

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308A

Business Meeting

Invited Talks

Mindless and/or Mindful Truth(s): Headless Currere with the Lost Luminous Mind

Dr. Jin Jr Shi, Dharma Realm Buddhist University

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Liz Jackson

University of Hong Kong

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308A

Business Meeting

Invited Talks

Unforgetting Histories: Reimagining Education with Indigenous and Buddhist Philosophical perspectives from South and South-East Asia

Maung Ting Nyeu, University of California, Santa Barbara

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Liz Jackson

University of Hong Kong

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308A

Business Meeting

Invited Talks

A Flourishing Tree, A Beautiful Earth: Introducing the Holistic K-16 Well-being Positive Psychology Education Model

Dengting Boynton, Sino-American Educational Research Association

Chair: Dengting Boyanton,

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Discussant: Liz Jackson

University of Hong Kong

Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Room 308A

April 12th

(Sun)

9:45 to 11:15am PDT (12:45 to 2:15pm EDT),

Roundtable

Discussion

Chinese and Confucian Perspectives

Chair

Meixi , University of Minnesota

Discussant

Ketan ., University of Massachusetts - Amherst

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

Roundtable

Discussion

Self-Cultivation in Meditation-Based Pedagogy for Classical Chinese: Effects on Emotional Resonance, Comprehension, and Retention,

RONG DENG, The Education University of Hong Kong

Chair

Meixi , University of Minnesota

Discussant

Ketan ., University of Massachusetts - Amherst

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

Roundtable

Discussion

Beyond Anthropocentric Technology Ethics: A Chinese Cosmotechnical Approach to the “Teacher Subjectivity Crisis” in the Age of AI,

Min Lin, Beijing Normal University/Shen Zhen University

Chair

Meixi , University of Minnesota

Discussant

Ketan ., University of Massachusetts - Amherst

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

 

Roundtable

Discussion

From the Jinshi (經世) tradition to Individuality: how Confucian ideals shaped the academic disciplines of Chinese Students in the U.S (Late Qing-Early Republican Era),

Dr. James Yang, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University

Chair

Meixi , University of Minnesota

Discussant

Ketan ., University of Massachusetts - Amherst

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

 

Roundtable

Discussion

Infusing Confucian values into teaching evaluation, Adrian M. Blumenthal, University of Denver

Dr. Kerong Wu, Utah State Board of Education

Chair

Meixi , University of Minnesota

Discussant

Ketan ., University of Massachusetts - Amherst

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Floor: Gold Level, Gold 3

 

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Speakers

 

(Listed by alphabetic order of the last name)

1.         Gaston Esteban Bacquet, University of Glasgow

2.         Raj Kumar Baral, The George Washington University

3.         Mark Blum, University of California, Berkeley

4.         Adrian M. Blumenthal, University of Denver

5.         Peter Bol, Harvard University, U.S.

6.         Robert Boruch, University of Pennsylvania

7.         Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association

8.         Stephen Boyanton, Kennesaw State University, U.S.

9.         Emma E. Buchtel, The Education University of Hong Kong

10.      Yubei Chang, Central China Normal University

11.      Joseph Aaron Decker, University of Missouri

12.      Rong Deng The Education University of Hong Kong

13.      Zhenyu Gao, Hangzhou Normal University

14.      Siyuan Gong, Chang’an University

15.      Wenjin Guo, Loyola University Chicago

16.      Siwen Han, Qufu Normal University, P.R. China

17.      Liz Jackson, University of Hong Kong

18.      Manh Tuan Kim, Vietnam National University

19.      Minh N. Kim, The George Washington University

20.      Duck-Joo Kwak, Seoul National University

21.      Brian Lander, Brown University

22.      Jason Cong Lin, the Education University of Hong Kong

23.      Xin Li, California State University - Long Beach

24.      Jing Lin, University of Maryland

25.      Min Lin, Beijing Normal University/Shen Zhen University

26.      Li Liu, East China Normal University

27.      Lili Liu, East China Normal University

28.      Ryan McElveen, School Board in Fairfax County, Virginia

29.      Denise L. McHugh, University of Maryland

30.      Meixi, University of Minnesota

31.      Maung Ting Nyeu, University of California, Santa Barbara

32.      David A. Palmer, The University of Hong Kong, P. R. China

33.      Gerard A. Postiglione, The University of Hong Kong

34.      Pierce Salguero, the Penn State University

35.      Dr. Jin Jr Shi, Dharma Realm Buddhist University 

36.      Maha Shoaib, University of Maryland

37.      Ketan, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

38.      Sultan Turkan, Queens’s University, Belfast

39.      Leonard J. Waks, Temple University

40.      Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa

41.      Yueyue Wang, University of Maryland

42.      Yunlu Wang, Georgia State University

43.      Zitong Wei, China Women's University

44.      Edward Wilson-Lee, Cambridge University, U.K.

45.      Kerong Wu, Utah State Board of Education

46.      James Yang, Chinese Language and Culture Center

47.      Feng Zhang, East China Normal University

48.      Hua Zhang, Hangzhou Normal University

49.      Jingshun Zhang, Sino-American Educational Research Association

50.      Kaiwei Zhang, East China Normal University

51.      Yubo Zhang, Sino-American Educational Research Association

 

52.      Yunfan Zuo, Central China Normal University

 

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Invited Speakers (in alphabetic order)

Dr. Peter K.  Bol

Harvard University

Peter K.  Bol

 Peter K. Bol is the Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. His research is centered on the history of China’s cultural elites at the national and local levels from the 7th to the 17th century. He is the author of "This Culture of Ours": Intellectual Transitions in T'ang and Sung China, Neo-Confucianism in History, and Localizing Learning: The Literati Enterprise in Wuzhou, 1100-1600, coauthor of Sung Dynasty Uses of the I-ching, co-editor of Ways with Words, and various journal articles in Chinese, Japanese, and English. He led Harvard’s university-wide effort to establish support for geospatial analysis in teaching and research; in 2005 he was named the first director of the Center for Geographic Analysis. As Vice Provost (2013/09-2018/10) he was responsible for HarvardX, the Harvard Initiative in Learning and Teaching, and research that connects online and residential learning. He also directs the China Historical Geographic Information Systems project, a collaboration between Harvard and Fudan University in Shanghai to create a GIS for 2000 years of Chinese history. In a collaboration between Harvard, Academia Sinica, and Peking University he directs the China Biographical Database project, an online relational database currently of over 640,000 historical figures that is being expanded to include all biographical data in China's historical record over the last 2000 years. Together with William Kirby he teaches ChinaX and the Return of China, two of the online HarvardX courses.

Dr. Mark Blum

The University of California, Berkeley

 

Mark Blum

 Dr. Mark Blum is a Professor in Japanese Program and Buddhist Studies and also the Shinjo Ito Distinguished Chair in Japanese Studies at The University of California, Berkeley. He received his M.A. in Japanese Literature from UCLA and his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies in 1990 from the University of California, Berkeley. He specialize

s in Pure Land Buddhism throughout East Asia, with a focus on the Japanese medieval period. He also works in the area of Japanese Buddhist Reponses to modernism, Buddhist conceptions of death in China and Japan, historical consciousness in Buddhist thought, and the impact of the Nirvana Sutra (Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra) in East Asian Buddhism. He is the author of The Origins and Development of Pure Land Buddhism (2002), and co-editor of Rennyo and the Roots of Modern Japanese Buddhism (2005) and Cultivating Spirituality (2011), and Volume 2 of his translation from Chinese of The Nirvana Sutra should appear by the end of 2025. He is currently working on completing Think Buddha, Say Buddha: a history of nenbutsu thought, practice, and culture.

Dr. Xin Li   

California State University Long Beach

 

3-Xin Li

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. Jing Lin  

University of Maryland, U.S.A

 

4-Jing Lin

Dr. 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. David Palmer

The University of Hong Kong

 

David Palmer

 Dr David A Palmer is a Professor jointly appointed by the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong, which he joined in 2008. After completing his Ph.D. at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (School for Advanced Research, Université Paris PSL), he was the Eileen Barker Fellow in Religion and Contemporary Society in the Department of Sociology of the London School of Economics and Political Science, and, from 2004 to 2008, director of the Hong Kong Centre of the French School of Asian Studies (Ecole Française d’Extrême-Orient), located at the Institute for Chinese Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is currently the President of the East Asian Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.  

Palmer’s interdisciplinary research and teaching is situated at the intersection of anthropology and sociology, and is informed by scholarly traditions in history, religious studies and Sinology. He is best known for his award-winning books The Religious Question in Modern China (Joseph Levenson Award of the Association for Asian Studies and PROSE award of the American Publishers’ Association, co-authored with V. Goossaert) and Qigong Fever: Body, Science and Utopia in China (Francis L.K. Hsu Award of the Society for East Asian Anthropology), both of which have become essential reading for studies on contemporary Chinese society and religion. His latest book Dream Trippers: Global Daoism and the Predicament of Modern Spirituality (co-authored with E. Siegler) was published in 2017 by the University of Chicago Press, and in Chinese by HKU Press. He has also published numerous articles, journal issues and edited volumes on Chinese religion, civil society, Daoism, the Bahá’í Faith, and modern and transnational religious movements. His writings have been published in journals such as Current AnthropologyAmerican AnthropologistEconomy and SocietyAmerican Journal of Cultural Sociology, the Journal of Asian Studies and Modern Asian Studies.

Dr. Palmer leads the “Asian Religious Connections” research cluster at the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, where he leads projects on Daoism among the Yao ethnic minority in Laos, and on the cultural and religious dimensions of interactions between Chinese and local actors in countries of the Belt and Road Initiative. He is also co-convenor of the “Culture, Community and Social Equity” research cluster in the HKU Faculty of Social Sciences; and co-convenor of the HKU Anthropology Research Network.

 

Dr. Gerard A. Postiglione

The University of Hong Kong 

6-Gerard A. Postiglione

Dr. Gerard A. Postiglione is Emeritus Professor, Honorary Professor in Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. He became an AERA Fellow in 2016 for his research in Asia. He took an academic post in the Faculty of Education of the University of Hong Kong where he became Chair Professor in sociology of education and higher education. His Faculty is ranked first in the world in education and education research by the US News and World Report's 2025 International Ranking. In 2025, Dr. Postiglione is in Stanford’s Top 2% Scientist List, which includes researchers from various institutions globally who have been recognized for their work in education-related fields. Dr. Postiglione have supervised nearly 40 doctoral dissertations, many of which have a Confucianist orientation. His most recent doctoral graduate is a Malaysian Chinese Buddhist monk who studied the benefits of meditation. China is one of the world's longest civilizations and a society with an education system that will be increasingly consequential for the United States and the world in 21st Century. The educational implications of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism remain salient and significant for the study of education worldwide. 
 

Dr. Edward Wilson-Lee

The University of Cambridge

 

Edward Wilson-Lee

 Edward Wilson-Lee is the 1596 Foundation Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where his research looks broadly at literature and the history of the book in the early modern period. He is the author of Shakespeare in Swahililand (2016); The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books: Young Columbus and the Quest for a Universal Library (2018), which is published or forthcoming in nine translations;  A History of Water, being an account of a murder, an epic, and two visions of global history (2022), which translations in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese; and, most recently, The Grammar of Angels (2025). Together with José María Pérez Fernández, he has co-edited Translation and the Book Trade in Early Modern Europe (CUP, 2014) and co-written Hernando Colón's New World of Books: Towards a Cartography of Knowledge (Yale University Press, 2021). His research has been supported by a 

British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship (2016), a Leverhulme Fellowship (2019) and a Guggenheim Fellowship (2022).

 Dr. Brian Lander

Brown University 

 

8-Brian Lander

Dr. Brian Lander is an environmental historian of China. He uses textual, archaeological and paleoecological evidence to study the long history of how humans gradually transformed the forests and wetlands of the core regions of Chinese civilization into farmland. This involves studying long-lost ecosystems and their disappeared wildlife as well as the history of agriculture, silviculture and aquaculture. 

He is currently interested in the environmental history of China’s early empires, namely the Qin, Han and the Three Kingdoms. While these empires are comparable in size, population, and historical significance to the Roman Empire which ruled the other end of the continent, scholars have done far less work on their environments. From the densely populated plains of the Yellow River valley to colonial frontiers that stretched across vast regions, the empire had a substantial environmental impact. Lander is particularly interested in the lowlands of the Yangtze River valley, whose indigenous cultures were swamped by Han Chinese culture but whose swampy agriculture resisted colonization as wet rice paddies were instead incorporated into Chinese culture and cuisine. 
Lander received his PhD from Columbia University in 2015 and held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard University Center for the Environment before taking up his position at Brown University, where he teaches environmental history. He spent five years in China along the way. He is currently co-editing a book called China’s Environmental History: A Reader, forthcoming from Columbia University Press.
Publications link: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/blander#Publications
 

Dr. Maung Ting Nyeu

University of California, Santa Barbara

 

Maung Ting Nyeu

 Dr. Maung Ting Nyeu received his Ed.D. from Harvard University. He currently works as an Assistant Professor in the department of Department of Education of the Gervirtz School at the University of California, Santa Barbara. For more info, please visit https://education.ucsb.edu/research-faculty/bio?first=Maung%20Ting&last=Nyeu

Dr. Pierce Salguero

Penn State University

 

Pierce Salguero

 Dr. Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary scholar fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between health, spirituality, and cross cultural exchange. He has a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2010), and teach courses in Asian history, religions, and health humanities at Penn State University’s Abington College, located near Philadelphia. He has also been the editor in chief of the journal Asian Medicine: Journal of the International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine since 2016.

Mr. Ryan McElveen

The U.S.-China Education Trust

 

Ryan McElveen

 Mr. Ryan McElveen is a Nonresident Fellow at the Centre on Contemporary China and the World — the preeminent center on China studies in Hong Kong at the University of Hong Kong. He serves as managing director of the US-China Education Trust, where he oversees organization operations, programming, communications, and development. Ryan previously served for 12 years as associate director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, where he supported a team of resident and nonresident scholars and research staff; launched and coordinated the U.S.-China Leaders track II dialogues; hosted major public events, retreats, and study tours in the U.S. and Asia; managed donor relations; and oversaw longstanding global partnerships. Ryan is serving in his third term as an at-large member of the School Board in Fairfax County, Virginia. Ryan is also the founder and managing director of the Global Leaders of Fairfax County program. He holds a Master’s of International Affairs in human rights from Columbia University and a B.A. in Anthropology and East Asian Studies from the University of Virginia. To learn more: https://cccw.hku.hk/team/mcelveen-ryan/ 

 

Dr. Stephen Boyanton

Kennesaw State University

Stephen Boyanton

 Dr. Stephen Boyanton received his Ph.D. in East Asian History from Columbia University in 2015 and his M.A. in Chinese Religions from the University of Virginia in 2004. He was a Fulbright Scholar at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in 2011-12 and lived in China for more than 10 years. His most recent publications include “The Canonicity of the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic: Han through Song,” in the Routledge Handbook of Chinese Medicine and “Genre and Medicine in the Tang and Song: Toward a Medical Poetics” in the forthcoming From Tang to Song: Transitions and Creations in China’s Middle Period. Dr. Boyanton currently lives and teaches in the Atlanta area where he focuses on the importance of history as a resource for understanding the present and creating a better future, the topic of a podcast—The History Evolution (historyevolution.org) he will begin publishing this spring.

 

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CTBE SIG Speakers

in alphabetic order of the last name

Dr. Gaston Esteban Bacquet

University of Glasgow

 

37-Gaston Esteban Bacquet

Dr. Gaston Esteban Bacquet is an educator from Chile currently based in Scotland. He is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the University of Glasgow, where he convenes the course Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Education and teaches on the postgraduate programme in Education Studies, as well as the Buddhism section for the undergraduate course Religions in Asia.

His work focuses on nonviolence education and its integration into pedagogical and curricular practices. This includes the use of contemplative approaches, moral education, and the integration of spiritual and political perspectives—particularly Buddhist philosophy, international wisdom traditions, and decolonial studies—into nonviolence education as a means of fostering individual and collective transformation.

 

Mr. Raj Kumar Baral

The George Washington University

 

Raj Kumar Baral

 Mr. Raj Kumar Baral is from Nepal and is the author of the Shiksha Vimarsha (Education Discourse) book series (Volumes I–III). He has also authored and edited several works on knowledge systems and the agendas of subaltern groups in Nepal, including Indigenous and Dalit communities, as well as issues related to women, children, conflict, and peace. He is currently a PhD student in Curriculum and Instruction at The George Washington University, focusing on an Interfaith Reparative Curriculum for early grade education that integrates shared scientific, humanistic, and spiritual values across major world religions.

 

Dr. Adrian-Michael Blumenthal

The University of Denver

 

Adrian-Michael Blumenthal

Dr. Adrian-Michael Blumenthal received his doctoral degree from the University of Denver in Curriculum & Instruction, specializing in qualitative research methods. For his dissertation research, he conducted a study called Cultivating Dialogic Feedback, using Taoist principles to create clear stages of growth for educators to fully nurture their growth. This study demonstrated a more humanizing approach to teacher evaluation. Dr. Blumenthal is passionate a

bout education, and has been an educator for 24 years, teaching writing skills, building dual enrollment programs with local community colleges, and mentoring peer teachers. He has become fascinated in the ideals of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism with a strong passion, merged with his educational philosophy invested in CTBE. His first submission at CTBE AERA was accepted as a paper presentation. That experience was invaluable for pursuing his professional interests. He has recently co-authored a paper with another CTBE colleague. Dr. Blumenthal hopes to further the significance of Eastern philosophical ideals in education, and demonstrate the need for Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist ideals for educators to have a deeper ontological approach to learning. Dr. Blumenthal has found himself a spiritual home at CTBE and would love to join the board to serve the community.

 

Dr. Dengting Boyanton

Sino-American Educational Research Association

 

Dengting Boyanton

 Dr. Dengting Boyanton currently serves as President of Sino-American Educational Research Association (S-AERA), Dean of Flourish Positive Psychology Institute, member of Wallace Grant Committee, International Society of the Learning Sciences. She was the immediate past Chair for the Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Education SIG of American Educational Research Association (AERA).

Dr. Boyanton received her Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Virginia in 2007, and her Master’s degree in positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2023. She studied from Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology. Her research interests lie in well-being, life flourishing, positive emotion, positive relationships, engagement, motivation, instructional pedagogy, curriculum design and positive psychology. As the founder of mutual value theory, Dr. Boyanton has given over 200 national and international presentations and workshops on mutual value theory.

Dr. Boyanton has over 20 years of classroom teaching experiences and 11 years of teacher training experiences both in the U.S. and in China. She 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.

She is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and 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, Centra China Television, 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 over 20 countries.

Contact: dengting@sas.upenn.edu

 

 Dr. Emma E. Buchtel

The Education University of Hong Kong

 

38-Emma E. Buchtelt2

Dr. Emma E. Buchtel Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at The Education University of Hong Kong. She received her PhD in cultural psychology (social/personality area; quantitative minor) from the University of British Columbia in 2009, and her B.A. from Yale University in 1999. In between, she spent four years in Changsha and Beijing, teaching English at the high school and university levels and learning Mandarin Chinese. Her research aims to contribute to peaceful cross-cultural understanding and improve the representation of non-Western cultures in psychology research, my research seeks to explore and deepen our understanding of Chinese cultural influences on psychology, including moral concepts, values, motivation and reasoning styles, and their implications for Western theories. I use interdisciplinary approaches, multiple/mixed methods with cross-cultural data (e.g. psychophysiological data, qualitative data, quantitative surveys and experiments) and adopt open-science practices. Please see updated publications and projects at: https://repository.eduhk.hk/en/persons/emma-ellen-kathrina-buchtel
 

Ms. Yubei Chang 

Central China Normal University

39-Yubei Chang

Ms. Yubei Chang is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the field of Educational Technology at Central China Normal University, P.R. China. Her research interests include technology-enhanced collaborative argumentation, peer feedback, and learning analytics.
 

Dr. Rong Deng

The Education University of Hong Kong

 

Rong Deng

Dr. Deng Rong is a PhD researcher in meditation-based classroom pedagogy for Classical Chinese education, fully funded by the Hong Kong University Grants Committee (UGC). Her research examines the effects of contemplative teaching practices on students’ text comprehension, memory retention, emotional resonance, and cultural engagement in Classical Chinese learning. Her work draws on traditional Chinese self-cultivation practices and contemporary mindfulness approaches to inform culturally grounded and text-centered pedagogical design. With more than a decade of sustained engagement in integrating meditation into humanities education, her work is informed by a practice-based insight into the pedagogical use of contemplative practices.

 

Dr. Wenjin Guo

Xi’an University of Architecture & Technology

 

Wenjin Guo

Dr. Wenjin Guo earned her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Loyola University Chicago. Her research examined the influences of Chineseness on Chinese international students’ learning experiences in U.S. higher education. Dr. Guo has taught extensively in both the U.S. and China, including positions as Clinical Assistant Professor, Adjunct Faculty, and Postdoctoral Fellow at Loyola University Chicago, and most recently as Assistant Professor at Xi’an University of Architecture & Technology. Dr. Guo’s scholarship directly intersects with the intellectual commitments of SIG 171. Her work has advanced curriculum theorizing through the I-Ching and Tao Te Ching, offering philosophical foundations for social transformation and intercultural pedagogy.

 

Ms. Siwen Han

Qufu Normal University, P.R. China

Siwen Han

 

Siwen Han is a Doctoral Student of Education, and she is from the Faculty of Education of Qufu Normal University in China. Her research focuses on comparative philosophy of education, the intersection of Confucian ethics and modern pedagogy, or global citizenship education]. She is currently leading a project on the contemporary enlightenment of Confucian wisdom on individual self and morality. Dr. Han is passionate about exploring how traditional wisdom can inform the development of a harmonious global community.

 

Dr. Liz Jackson

The University of Hong Kong

 

Liz Jackson

Dr. Liz Jackson is Karen Lo Eugene Chuang Professor in Diversity and Equity, Assistant Dean (Research) at the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong. She currently serves as the President of Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong (CESHK), she is the Fellow and Past President of Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia. She is Deputy 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. Dr. Jackson serves as President of the Philosophy of Education Society of Austral asia, Editor of the book series New Directions in the Philosophy of Education (Routledge), and Deputy Editor for the leading journal in the field, Educational Philosophy and Theory. For more info: https://www.lizjackson.org.

 Mr. Keran

University of Massachusetts – Amherst

40-Keran

Mr. Ketan is currently a PhD student in the Research, Educational Measurement, and Psychometrics (REMP) program. Born and raised in Delhi, Ketan completed his master's degree in England before working in the nonprofit educational sector. He was an assessment lead for the People's Action for Learning (PAL) Network, working in Nairobi, Kenya, for almost 3 years. Ketan decided to pursue his PhD in order to gain more technical training and expertise. Ketan specializes in large scale assessments, working to determine how to make tests more fair for test takers. He is also interested in the question of missing responses, and their impact on the reporting of test results. Ketan works as a research assistant in the Center for Educational Assessment, too, assisting Distinguished University Professor Stephen Sireci on the Adult Skills Assessment Project.
 

Mr. Minh N. Kim

The George Washington University

Minh N. Kim

Minh Kim is a Ph.D. student in Comparative and International Education whose research focuses on creativity in cross-cultural and policy contexts. He examines how educational systems and cultural value frameworks shape the conceptualization, cultivation, and assessment of creativity across settings. He also investigates the implications of digital technologies and generative AI for educational research and practice.

 

Dr. Manh Tuan M. Kim

Vietnam National University

 

Manh Tuan M. Kim

Dr. Kim Manh Tuan is a lecturer at the Faculty of Educational Management, Vietnam National University – University of Education, and a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University School of Education. He is Co-founder of AIE CREATIVE (AI Education for All) and Head of Strategic Advisory at the Vietnam Center for Creative Education (VCCE). With over fifteen years of teaching and research experience, his work focuses on educational leadership and applications of AI in education. He manages two education-related Facebook communities totaling nearly sixty thousand members, and has published international book chapters and ISI/Scopus-indexed articles.

 

Dr. Duck-Joo Kwak

Seoul National University, Korea 

 

41-Duck-Joo Kwak

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. Jason Cong Lin 

The Education University of Hong Kong

42-Jason Cong Lin

Jason Cong LIN is an Assistant Professor 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. His research has been published in well-regarded journals, such as Daedalus, Journal of Contemporary China, and Studies in Philosophy and Education.
Jason’s research has received grants from governments and institutions around the world. These include the Spencer Foundation, Institute of International Education, Fulbright Scholarship program, Association for Moral Education, Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia, Comparative & International Education Society, Korean Association for Multicultural Education, the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, and the Hong Kong Research Grants Council. 
Jason is the secretary/treasurer of the AERA SIG 171, an Editor of the Routledge Local/Global Issues in Education series, a Regional Editor of the Bloomsbury Education and Childhood Studies, an Associate Editor of the European Journal of Education and Cogent Social Sciences, an Assistant Editor of the Brill Research Perspectives in Philosophy of Education Series, and an Advisory Editor of The Social Educator. He is also on the editorial board for British Educational Research Journal, Compare, Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, Multicultural Education Review, and The Curriculum Journal.
 

 Ms. Li Liu

East China Normal University 

43-Li Liu

Ms. Liu Li is currently a Master’s candidate at East China Normal University in Shanghai, P.R. Chian. Her primary research interests are Teacher Education, Principal Leadership, and Educational Equity. She can be reached at l9956211@gmail.com. 
 

Dr. Meixi

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

44-Meixi

Dr. Meixi is Assistant Professor of Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. She received her Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Human Development and her M.Ed. in Educational Psychology both from the University of Washington- Seattle. 
Her research interests lie in land-based education, culture, learning, well-being, and human development, global teaching collectives, stories and STEAM Education, indigenous Southeast Asia, community-engaged design research, and organizational Leadership, Policy and Development. In the past 10 years, Meixi has engaged in community-based grassroots educational movements and land-based education with young people, families, and schools through participatory design research, leading an educational non-profit in Southeast Asia, and research and policy with community schools in México. She comes to this work as a Hokchiu/Hokkie non-Indigenous scholar, learning scientist, and former middle school math teacher.
 

Dr. Jin Jr Shi

Dharma Realm Buddhist University

Jin Jr Shi

Dr. Jin Jr Shi currently serves as the Associate Dean of Academics and Professor at Dharma Realm Buddhist University in Ukiah, California. She received her Ed.D in Curriculum & Teaching from the Teachers College of Columbia University and her M.A. from the Stanford University. Dr. Shi 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. Dr. Shi hopes that this sensibility will continue to find expression among coming generations.

Ms. Maha Shoaib

University of Maryland, College Park

45-Maha Shoaib

Ms. Maha Shoaib is a PhD student in the field of International Education Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Research Consultant at the Special Olympics Global Center for Education. She has extensive experience in advocacy, program design, evaluation, and research across South Asia and the United States, and previously served as a Senior Fellow at the Global Campaign for Education–US. Her work centers on inclusive social-emotional learning (SEL) and strengthening the capacity of education systems to support the holistic well-being of children and youth.
 

Dr. Sultan Turkan

Queens’s University, Belfast, U.K.

 

46-Sultan Turkan

Dr. Sultan Turkan is currently working as a senior lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at the Queens’s University, Belfast. Her research is guided by the view of language as a resource for effectively teaching immigrant learners. As the lead author of influential papers, she has argued that the work of teaching in mainstream classrooms draws on specialized knowledge base and skills to attend to multilingual learners' translanguaging practices. She has over two decades teaching experience in higher education and foreign/second language contexts with culturally and linguistically diverse groups. To learn more about Dr. Turkan, please visit: https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/persons/sultan-turkan 
 

Dr. Leonard J. Waks

Temple University, U.S.A

47-Leonard J. Waks.

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. Dr. Waks 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. Hongyu Wang

Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, U.S.A

 

48-Hongyu Wang.639049876554148139

Dr. Hongyu Wang is a professor in Curriculum Studies at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. Her main areas are curriculum theory, nonviolence education, East/West inquiry. Examples of published books related to this SIG topic are Awakenings to the Calling of Nonviolence in Curriculum Studies (2024), Contemporary Daoism, Organic Relationality, and Curriculum of Integrated Creativity (2021), Cross-cultural Studies in Curriculum: Eastern Thought, Educational Insights (with Claudia Eppert) (2008), The Call from the Stranger on a Journey home: Curriculum in a Third Space (2004). 
 

Ms. Yueyue Wang

University of Maryland, College Park

 

49-Yueyue Wang.

Ms. Dora Yueyue Wang (王岳玥) is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests focus on countering deficit-based teaching and learning for and with bilingual teachers and approaching bilingual education from a humanizing stance. Her recent project is a researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP) that explores the use of Humanizing-Pedagogy-informed Core Practices (CPs) for multilingual learners in teacher development with an international school in China, aimed at both humanizing the teacher education experience and supporting teachers in developing humanizing understandings of multilingual learners in their classrooms. Another strand of her work examines how local bilingual teachers (also termed as host nation teachers) in internationalized schools make sense of and negotiate their professional identities in relation to global, national, and institutional narratives. She is currently the instructor for TLPL 665, Methods for Teaching Multilingual Learners. Ms. Dora Wang received her B.A. in International Studies from the University of Richmond, Virginia, and her M.A. in International Educational Development and Comparative Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

  

Dr. Zitong Wei

China Women’s University

 

Zitong Wei639041848965991248

Dr. Zitong Wei earned her Ph.D. from Indiana University Bloomington, majoring in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Early Childhood Education. She is currently working as an associate professor at China Women’s University. She has been a member of AERA since 2011. She has served as a reviewer for the Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Education SIG since 2016, reviewing over 50 proposals in total. Dr. Zitong Wei worked for 

six years as a student assistant with the East Asian collection manager, processing, transliterating, and claiming serials at the library. She teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses and supervises practicums at the School of Child Development and Education at China Women’s University. Her research interests include cross-cultural studies, constructivism, and qualitative research. Her research on traditional philosophies focuses on both Confucian culture and Daoist traditions. Drawing on her cross-cultural experiences, she published a book titled “Constructivism and Teachers in Chinese Culture: Enriching Confucianism with Constructivism” (2019). This research has implications for cross-cultural learning and teacher education globally. Dr. Wei is confident that she will be able to strengthen the CTBE networks and serve the research community well given her expertise and experience.

Dr. Kerong Wu

Brigham Young University

 

Kerong Wu

Dr. Kerong Wu is a language educator and education researcher with international experience in higher education, K–12 instruction, and policy-oriented research. She has served as a foreign language teacher at Sun Yat-sen University, taught Chinese in the United States, and worked as a research consultant for a state education office. Currently self-employed, she conducts independent research and consulting focused on language assessment and cross-cultural education philosophies and practices.

Dr. James Yang

Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University

 

James Yang

Dr. James Zhixiang Yang is an Associate Professor in the School of General Education at Beijing Normal University–Hong Kong Baptist University. He received his Ph.D. from the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at the University of Oklahoma in 2016. His research focuses on comparative educational philosophy, particularly the dialogue between Confucian thought and John Dewey, as well as Chinese intellectual history and education during the Republican period. He is the author of When Confucius “Encounters” John Dewey: A Cross-Cultural Inquiry into Dewey’s Visit to China, an interdisciplinary study that examines the intellectual significance of Dewey’s engagement with China and reveals its deeper connections with the Confucian tradition. Since its publication, the book has been collected by numerous university libraries in the United States and has received positive attention in the international academic community.

 Mr. Feng Zhang

East China Normal University

 

50-Feng Zhang.

Mr. Feng Zhang is a PhD student supervised by Professor Daoji Li in East China University. His majority is marine biology, now focusing on the microplastic with marine organisms. Being an environmentalist, my research is motivated to protect the environmental and human health from hazardous substances. I am enthusiastic to understand and predict the sources, transport, fate, and contribution of MPs to affect local and regional environment.
 

Dr. Jingshun Zhang

Sino-American Educational Research Association

 

Jingshun Zhang

Dr. Jingshun Zhang is a full professor in Research, Evaluation & Measurement at Florida Gulf Coast University (State), USA, with 26 years of teaching, research and management experience in China, Canada and the United States. He obtained his bachelor degree in Mathematics from Beijing Normal University, first master of Education Management from Tsinghua University, his second master of Educational Statistics from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, and Ph.D. in Project Evaluation and Testing at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.  Dr. Zhang worked in Tsinghua University for 14 years in teaching, research and management (1987-2001). Dr. Zhang is a reviewer for several educational research journals, the American Educational Research Association ( Division D   Measurement and Research Methodology, Division H School Accountability and Evaluation, SIG-Survey Research).  As a board member of the Association of Chinese Education Research and Development (CAERDA) (2014-2020), he chaired the two annual CAERDA conferences (2018 in New York and 2019 in Toronto). Dr. Zhang Jingshun has extensive and long-term cooperation with many scholars from China, Canada and the United States. His teaching and research spans multiple areas: educational research methods (quantitative and qualitative), classroom evaluation, cognitive evaluation, online surveys, online instructional design and evaluation, project evaluation, educational statistics and measurement.

 Mr. Kaiwei Zhang

East China Normal University

 

51-Kaiwen Zhang.

Mr. Kaiwei Zhang is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Economics and Management of Education at the East China Normal University P.R. China. His research focuses on the impact of digital transformation and labor market dynamics on household educational decision-making. Additionally, he examines the intersection of culture and demographic development, with a specific interest in how Confucian-influenced educational anxiety shapes fertility intentions.

 

Dr. Yubo Zhang

Sino-American Educational Research Association

 

Yubo Zhang

Senior Manager II, Program Improvement and Data Team, Office of Operations, Strategic Planning and Communications, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)

Founder/co-founder, HowSheLeads

Vice President, Sino-American Educational Research Association (S-AERA)

Board member at-large, Families of Children from China (FCC) 

Co-chair, and Gainesville District Representative, the Superintendent's Advisory Council on Equity (SACE) 

General Federation Women’s Club Juniorettes Club Chair

Dr. Yubo Zhang has been working in both the public and private sector of the educational field for 18 years. Currently, she serves as the senior manager of program improvement and data team, Fairfax County Public Schools (the 10th largest school district in the United States), she and her team support the publication and execution of 40 program improvement and innovation plans (including Math, English language Arts, Science and Social Studies. World Languages, Counseling, Early Childhood Education, Get2Green, Global Classroom, Educational Technology and Service learning etc.). She is the founder and NGO of the program of HowSheLeads. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a M.Ed. in educational psychology (2003) and a Ph.D. in research, statistics and evaluation (2007), Dr. Zhang’s expertise includes large-scale assessments, accountability in education, educational statistics, research and evaluation. She is married with a supporting husband and two lovely kids. Her hobbies include photography, traveling and music.

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List of Speakers

1. SIG Chair: Dr. Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association, dengting@sas.upenn.edu  
2. Program Chair: Dr. Liz Jackson, Program Chair, Professor, The University of Hong Kong) lizjackson@eduhk.hk
3. Secretary: Dr. Jason Cong Lin, Secretary/Treasurer, Assistant Professor, The Education University of Hong Kong, jclin@eduhk.hk
4. Communication Chair: Dr. Wenjin Guo, Communication Chair, Clinical Assistant Professor, Loyola University Chicago, wguo1@luc.edu
5. Immediate Past Chair: Dr. Seungho Moon, Professor, Loyola University Chicago, 171 SIG Chair, AERA (2020-2023)
6. Advisor Board Member: Dr. Jing Lin, Professor, University of Maryland, Past 171 SIG Chair, AERA (2020-2023)
7. Advisor Board Member: Dr. Hongyu Wang, Professor, Oklahoma State University, Founder and Past 171 SIG Chair, AERA (2008-2011)
8. Advisor Board Member: Dr. Xin Li, Professor, California State University, Founder and Past 171 SIG Chair, AERA (2008-2011)
 

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For More Information

 
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2026 CTBE Pre-AERA + AERA LA Full Program
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2026 AERA LA Conference Info
2026 AERA LA Conference Registration
Contacts Dengting Boyanton dengting@sas.upenn.edu
Liz Jackson lizj@hku.hk
Jason Cong Lin jclin@eduhk.hk
Wenjin Guo wguo1@luc.edu
 

1-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.
 

2-About CTBE

 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).
 

3-About S-AERA

 The Sino-American Educational Research and Association is an NGO initiated and founded by several Chinese alumni of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Since its establishment in New York State in 2017, S-AERA has drawn inspiration from the “One World” vision of Confucius, the great, ancient Chinese educator. It has been guided by the principle that “education should serve society” (not just the individual), as put forward by Mr. Thomas Jefferson, founding president of the University of Virginia. With the joint efforts of all S-AERA members, we are committed to building a cooperative and educationally innovative "global village." In this Global Village all educators are treated as equals—with mutual respect, trust, honesty, encouragement, support and collaboration. In keeping with Confucius' vision of a world in Great Harmony, we firmly believe that "the earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens." All human beings, regardless of color, race, nationality, or language—whether Chinese, American, Italian, British, French, German, Indian, etc.—are equally the product of one life process. We are all drops of one ocean and leaves of one tree. We are all the children of this earth.

 

Previous Events

/Portals/38/docs/SIGs/SIG171/2025 CTBE SIG Conference Program-publicity EV1.pdf?ver=jNszKHCXpp7-ce3_FiNZpw%3d%3d

2025 AERA Annual Conference-CTBE ProgramApril 23-27, Denver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the complete program ,visit

2025 CTBE AERA Denver Program
 

Facebook

CTBE Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568086835385

CTBE Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/410128165526933

 

Website

http://www.aera.net/SIG171/Confucianism-Taoism-Buddhism-and-Education-SIG-171

 

 

2024 AERA Annual Conference-CTBE Program, April 13-14, Philly

2024 AERA CTBE Flyer-Program COVER-CEV1

 

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

2024 AERA CTBE Flyer-Business Meeting-V1

 

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)

  1. Liz Jackson, The University of Hong Kong
  2. Leonard J. Waks, Temple University
  3. Sangmoo Lee, Seoul National University
  4. On-cho Ng, Pennsylvania State University
  5. Jing Lin, University of Maryland

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

Dengting Boyanton

Chair 1

Sino-American Educational Research Association

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

Invited Speaker

Seoul National University

 

7:45-7:55

On-cho Ng

Invited Speaker

Pennsylvania State University

Existential Concerns of Confucianism

7:55-8:05

Jing Lin

Invited Speaker

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

 

2024 AERA CTBE Flyer- Reception-V1

 

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

 

2024 AERA CTBE Flyer- Roundtable-V1

 

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

Session Schedule:

Time

Speaker

Role

Affiliation

Title

9:35-9:40

Jason Cong Lin

Chair

The Education University of Hong Kong

Opening, Welcome and introduction

9:40-10:00

Duck-Joo Kwak

Speaker

Seoul National University

An Exam-Obsessed Regime in Korean Education: Any Connection to the Confucian Tradition?

10:00-10:20

Jing Lin

Speaker

University of Maryland

Daoist Cultivation Pathway Toward Healing, Happiness, and Freedom: Implications for Our Society and Education

10:00-10:20

Tom E. Culham

Speaker

Simon Fraser University

Daoist Cultivation Pathway Toward Healing, Happiness, and Freedom: Implications for Our Society and Education

10:00-10:20

Yishin Khoo

Speaker

University of Windsor

Daoist Cultivation Pathway Toward Healing, Happiness, and Freedom: Implications for Our Society and Education

10:20-10:40

Marina Basu

Speaker

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

Jason Cong Lin

Chair

The Education University of Hong Kong

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

Speaker(s):

  1. Jing Lin, University of Maryland
  2. Tom E. Culham, Simon Fraser University
  3. Yishin Khoo, University of Windsor

Abstract

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

Abstract

 

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

 

2024 AERA CTBE Flyer- invited Speaker-V1_1

 

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:

  1. Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association
  2. Xin Li, California State University

Speaker(s):

  1. Dr. Carol Lee, Northwestern University
  2. Dr. Shaun R. Harper, University of Southern California
  3. Dr. James Pawelski, University of Pennsylvania
  4. Dr. Gerard Postiglione, The University of Hong Kong

Discussants:

  1. Dr. Liz Jackson, the University of Hong Kong
  2. Dr. Jason Cong Lin, The Education University of Hong Kong

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.

Session Schedule:

 

Time

Speaker

Role

Affiliation

Title

1:15-1:20

Dengting Boyanton

Chair 1

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Welcome and introduction of the program

1:20-1:25

Xin Li

Chair 2

California State University

Welcome and introduction of the Speaker(s)

1:25-1:35

Carol Lee

Speaker

Northwestern University

 

1:35-1:45

Shaun R. Harper

Speaker

University of Southern California

 

1:45-1:55

James Pawelski

Speaker

The University of Pennsylvania

Rethinking the Ultimate Aim of Education

1:55-2:05

Gerard Postiglione

Speaker

The University of Hong Kong

The educational possibilities of a particular form of Buddhist Meditation for better Brain and Heart functions

2:05-2:15

Liz Jackson

Discussant

The University of Hong Kong

Discussion

2:15-2:25

Jason Cong Lin

Discussant

The Education University of Hong Kong

Discussion

2:25-2:35

All

   

Q & A with the audience

2:35-2:40

Xin Li

Chair 2

California State University

Summary

2:40-2:45

Dengting Boyanton

Chair 1

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Gratitude and Wrap-up

Session V: Paper Session

2024 AERA CTBE Flyer- Paper session-V1E

 

Session Time:  Sun, April 14, 3:05 to 4:35pm

Session Venue: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Level 4, Room 403

Session Theme: n/a

Session Chair: Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association

Session Schedule:

Time

Speaker

Role

Affiliation

Title

3:05-3:10

Dengting Boyanton

Chair

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Welcome and introduction of the program

3:10-3:20

Hongyu Wang

Speaker

Oklahoma State University – Tulsa

A Daoist Approach to Emptiness and Pedagogy

3:10-3:20

Ying Ma

Speaker

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

A Daoist Approach to Emptiness and Pedagogy

3:20-3:30

Lai Yin Leong

Speaker

Dharma Realm Buddhist University

Awakening Currere: Buddhist Parables Reconnect the Individual and the Social

3:30-3:40

Julie M. Milner

Speaker

Long Island University – Brooklyn

Heaven Education: Why Gifted Education Is Culturally Relevant for Chinese Americans

3:40-3:50

Steven Haberlin

Speaker

University of Central Florida

Meditation in the Higher Education Classroom

3:50-4:05

Liz Jackson

Speaker

The University of Hong Kong

Confucianism and Teachers’ Conceptions of Gratitude in China

3:50-4:05

Mark G. Harrison

Speaker

Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Confucianism and Teachers’ Conceptions of Gratitude in China

3:50-4:05

Ji Ying

Speaker

Education University of Hong Kong

Confucianism and Teachers’ Conceptions of Gratitude in China

3:50-4:05

Fei Yan

Speaker

The Education University of Hong Kong

Confucianism and Teachers’ Conceptions of Gratitude in China

4:05-4:25

     

Q & A

4:25-4:35

Dengting Boyanton

Chair

Sino-American Educational Research Association

Summary and Wrap-up

Paper 1

Title: A Daoist Approach to Emptiness and Pedagogy

Speaker(s): 

  1. Hongyu Wang, Oklahoma State University – Tulsa
  2. Ying Ma, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Abstract

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.

Paper 2

Title: Awakening Currere: Buddhist Parables Reconnect the Individual and the Social

Speaker(s):  Lai Yin Leong, Dharma Realm Buddhist University

Abstract

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.

Paper 3

Title: Heaven Education: Why Gifted Education Is Culturally Relevant for Chinese Americans

Speaker(s):  Julie M. Milner, Long Island University – Brooklyn

Abstract

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

Abstract

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

Speaker(s): 

  1. Liz Jackson, University of Hong Kong
  2. Mark G. Harrison, Hong Kong Shue Yan University
  3. Ji Ying, Education University of Hong Kong
  4. Fei Yan, The Education University of Hong Kong

Abstract

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.

 

3-Speaker(s)

Listed in the Order of Presentation in the Conference

Business Meeting Speaker(s)

Dr. Leonard J. Waks

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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.

CTBE Speaker_Sang-Moo Lee

 

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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

CTBE Speaker_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

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_Julie M_ Milner

Affiliation: Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus

Bio: Dr. Julie M. Milner

Long Island University – Brooklyn

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

 

CTBE Speaker_Fei Yan

Affiliation: The Education University of Hong Kong

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

 

CTBE Speaker_Ji Ying

Affiliation: The Education University of Hong Kong

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

 

CTBE Speaker_Jin Jr Shi

 

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

 

CTBE Speaker_Duck-Joo Kwak

Affiliation: Seoul National University, Korea

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

 

CTBE Speaker_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

CTBE Speaker_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

 

CTBE Speaker_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.

Dr. Jing Lin 

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 studentsapproximately 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

  1. SIG Chair: Dr. Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association, dengting@sas.upenn.edu 
  2. Program Chair: Dr. Liz Jackson, Program Chair, Professor, The University of Hong Kong) lizjackson@eduhk.hk
  3. Secretary: Dr. Jason Cong Lin, Secretary/Treasurer, Assistant Professor, The Education University of Hong Kong, jclin@eduhk.hk
  4. Communication Chair: Dr. Wenjin Guo, Communication Chair, Clinical Assistant Professor, Loyola University Chicago, wguo1@luc.edu
  5. Immediate Past Chair: Dr. Seungho Moon, Professor, Loyola University Chicago, 171 SIG Chair, AERA (2020-2023)
  6. Advisor Board Member: Dr. Jing Lin, Professor, University of Maryland, Past 171 SIG Chair, AERA (2020-2023)
  7. Advisor Board Member: Dr. Hongyu Wang, Professor, Oklahoma State University, Founder and Past 171 SIG Chair, AERA (2008-2011)
  8. Advisor Board Member: Dr. Xin Li, Professor, California State University, Founder and Past 171 SIG Chair, AERA (2008-2011)

 

CTBE_Exective Board

CTBE_Board Advisors

 

5-For More Info

Facebook

CTBE Facebook

Website

CTBE Website

Program Updates

Conference updates

Contacts

SIG Committee contacts

  1. Dengting Boyanton dengting@sas.upenn.edu
  2. Liz Jackson lizj@hku.hk
  3. Jason Cong Lin jclin@eduhk.hk
  4. Wenjin Guo wguo1@luc.edu

 

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