Postdoctoral Fellow at University of British Columbia
About
Dr. Kyung-Hwa Yang, born and raised in South Korea, moved to the United States in 1997. Then, she studied film/video production and worked as a multimedia specialist for teaching and learning languages at the University of Chicago. She is passionate about teaching people how to share their stories and experiences through the creation of visual media. This drove her doctoral study in education at McGill University.
Dr. Yang's dissertation focuses on a methodological insight into ‘participatory video’, a research approach that aims at engaging people in creating a video about their lives. Since 2008, she has partnered with the Illinois Humanities Council to offer socioeconomically underserved adult learners an opportunity to develop creative skills and share their experiences through video making and photography. Some of their work can be viewed at https://sites.google.com/site/videotelling/.
Current Work:
Dr. Yang's current research focuses on two areas. One is to understand the ways in which pre- and in-service teachers conceptualize what it is to teach for social justice. She looks at this issue within specific social contexts and also comparatively across countries. She conducted research project under this umbrella in South Africa and the United States. Dr. Yang will be working with teachers in Canada this year. The other area is to explore the potential of participatory visual methods for promoting participatory culture among adult learners.
Research Area(s):