Around the globe, student populations have become increasingly diverse. At the same time, endemic and persistent inequalities in educational opportunities, access, and outcomes coupled with acute political polarization pose an ongoing challenge to teacher education communities and the teaching profession. In light of these pressing challenges, this line of my research focuses on how and under what conditions educators learn to teach culturally and linguistically diverse learners for a more inclusive, equitable, and just society. What is the role of critical reflection in teachers’ journey of learning to teach, especially regarding their view of knowledge and knowledge construction, interpretive frame to see learners and themselves, and their professional identity? How do teachers negotiate with standard-based, performance-driven, top-down systems to enact equity- and justice-oriented teaching practice?
Publications
Chang, W.-C., & Cochran-Smith, M. (2026). Learning to teach for equity, social justice, and diversity: Do the measures measure up? Journal of Teacher Education, 77(1), 8-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224871221075284
Chang, W.-C., & Lim, L. (2025). Toward equity-centered teaching in a centralized, meritocratic system: A tale from Singapore. In S. A. Robert, & N. Bascia (Eds.), Handbook on teachers’ work: International perspectives on research and practice (pp. 449-466). Routledge.
Chang, W.-C. (2024). Education practitioners’ epistemological beliefs and their understanding of evaluation: A preliminary study in Singapore. Asia-Pacific Journal of Education, 44(3), 641-658.
Chang, W.-C. (2023). Developing a Rasch-Guttman Scenario scale to capture the complexity of equity-centered teaching practice: A reflective essay. Rasch Measurement Transaction, 36(1), 1861-1876.
Chang, W.-C. (2022). Teacher professionalization in Singapore: Equity-centered social justice teaching for a multicultural society. In W. O., Lee, P. Brown, A. L., Goodwin, & A., Green (Eds.), International handbook of education development in Asia Pacific (pp. ##-##). Springer Press.
Chang, W.-C., & Viesca, K. M. (2022). Preparing teachers for culturally responsive teaching: A critical review of research. Teachers College Record, 124(2), 1-28.
Chang, W.-C., Ludlow, L. H., Grudnoff, L., Ell, F., Haigh, M., Hill, M., & Cochran-Smith, M. (2019). Measuring the complexity of teaching practice for equity: Development of a scenario-format scale. Teaching and Teacher Education, 82, 69-85.
Awards
2024 World Educational Research Association Best Poster Award
2017 George Madaus Graduate Student Research Award
Grants
2025 – 2027 Education Research Funding Programme (ERPF) Tier 1 Grant (S$196,170)
2023 – 2025 NIE Start-Up Grant (S$49,000)
2019 – 2020 Education Research Funding Programme (ERPF) Planning Grant (S$8,625)