Dr. Alison Molina-Girón
Research Interests
- Citizenship and multicultural education
- Youth engagement
- Diversity and civic identity
- Citizenship and multicultural studies
- Social justice
Academic Qualifications
PhD. (University of Ottawa)
Biography
I was born and raised in Honduras where I worked as a school teacher and later as a university professor and researcher. As a Fulbright scholar, my past work has broadly focused on the provision of education for culturally diverse populations including indigenous, low-income, and peasant children and children with disabilities. I moved to Canada to pursue graduate studies. My positioning as an immigrant, Latina woman has led to further reflections on how youth from different social and cultural backgrounds understand and experience being an engaged citizen. My doctoral SSHRC-funded research investigated how schools prepare young people for democratic citizenship, and the extent to which citizenship instruction is responsive to the experiences of youth from different backgrounds. Currently, I am the principal investigator on a SSHRC grant: Digital citizenship: Investigating the Civic and political engagement of Canadian youth. My research is grounded in ethnographic methods, and engaged with theory from the fields of citizenship and multiculturalism as well as citizenship, democratic and social justice education.
Publications and Research Projects
Selected Publications
Refereed Journals Articles
Molina-Girón, L. A. (2016). “Civics is largely about politics:” The possibilities and challenges of a citizenship education pedagogy that embraces democratic politics and recognizes diversity. International Journal of Multicultural Education 18(1), 142-157.
Molina-Girón, L. A. (2013). ¿Cómo la escuela educa para una ciudadanía activa? Una experiencia de educación cívica ciudadana en Canadá [How do schools educate students to be active citizens:? A Case Study of Citizenship education in Canada]. Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research, 3(3), 296-326.
Llewellyn, K., Cook, S., & Molina-Girón, L. A. (2010). Civic learning: Moving from the apolitical to the socially just. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 42(6), 791-812.
Llewellyn, K., Cook, S., Westheimer, J., Molina-Girón, L. A., & Suurtamm, K. (2007). The state and potential of civic learning in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Policy Research Networks.
Book Chapters
Molina-Girón, L. A. (in press). The civic and political engagement of Canadian youth. In X. Chen, R. Raby, & P. Albanese (Eds.), The sociology of child and youth studies in Canada: A reader. Toronto, ON, Canada: Canadian Scholar’s Press.
Molina-Girón, L. A. (in press). How do majority and minority Canadian youth see themselves participating in public life? In P. Albanese & L. Tepperman (Eds.), Reading sociology: Canadian perspectives. Don Mills, ON, Canada: Oxford University Press.
Molina-Girón, L. A. (2013). Educating active citizens: What roles are students expected to play in public life? In L. E. Bass (Series Ed.) & S. K. Nenga & J. K. Taft (Vol. Ed.), Sociological studies of children and youth: Vol 16. Youth engagement: The civic-political lives of children and youth (pp. 47-72). Bingley, UK: Emerald.
Technical Reports
Westheimer, J., Cook, S., Suurtamm, K., & Molina-Girón, L. A. (2005). Strengthening Canadian democracy: Civic literacy in perspective. Ottawa, Canada: Democratic Reform Secretariat of the Privy Council Office, Government of Canada. Ottawa, Canada.
Molina-Girón, L. A. (1996). The Maya Chortí of Honduras: An educational ethnography of Copán and Ocotepeque. (Title translated from Spanish). Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Department of Indigenous Affairs.
Molina-Girón, L. A. (1996). A Culturally-based education for the people of Santa Ana de Hula, Honduras: An ethnography. (Title translated from Spanish). Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán.
Padilla, S., & Molina-Girón, L. A. (1995). The inclusive education process of students with special needs at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán’s experimental education center: Family, student, and teacher perspectives. (Title translated from Spanish). Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán.
Textbooks and Manuals
Molina-Girón, L. A. (2003). Teaching students with moderate and severe disabilities. (Title translated from Spanish). Textbook. Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán.
O’Reilly, K., & Molina-Girón, L. A. (2003). Transition and employment for persons with disabilities. (Title translated from Spanish). Textbook. Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán.
Molina-Girón, L. A. (2001). Participatory leadership. (Title translated from Spanish). Manual for kindergarten teachers. Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán.
Research Grants
Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SHHRC), 2016-2017 ($57,251). Digital Citizenship: Investigating the civic and political engagement of Canadian Youth. Principal investigator.
University of Regina President’s Research Seed Grant SHHRC, 2014 ($5000). Youth civic engagement: Investigating how youth see themselves participating in public life. Principal investigator.
Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SHHRC), 2005-2007, Doctoral Fellowship.
Fulbright LASPAU, 1997-1999, State Department, United States.