Letitia Fickel

Emeritus ProfessorLetitia Fickel

Rehua 222
Working toward equitable and culturally sustaining education.

Qualifications & Memberships

Research Interests

Prof Fickel is an experienced academic, researcher and program evaluator in the area of teacher professional development and learning (PLD), with a focus on the development of culturally responsive practice, pedagogical innovation, and enhanced student learning. In particular, her scholarship focuses on the design and implementation of innovative, research-informed models of initial teacher education and professional development, and subsequent evaluation and examination of the practice that emerges. Prof Fickel has been both lead researcher and co-researcher on a range of collaborative projects reflective of this research stance. Currently she is Principal Investigator (PI) for a Teaching & Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) project entitled, Co-constructing a culturally and linguistically sustaining, Te Tiriti -based Ako framework for socio-emotional wellbeing in education. Previously, she was the external evaluator for a multi-year PLD project funded by the Ministry of Education, was Co-PI for programme research and evaluation of the Exemplary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Programme Initiative, and was a member of the Huakina Mai Project team. Prior to coming to UC, Prof Fickel worked in Alaska where she served as PI on four large scale, US government-funded projects focused on innovative educational programmes to expand teacher learning and practice, develop school-university collaborative models of teacher and leadership education, and implement research-informed strategies to assist schools in enhancing education outcomes for Alaska Native youth.

Recent Publications

  • Denston A., Martin R., Fickel L. and O'Toole V. (2022) Strengthening Socio-Emotional Learning in Aotearoa New Zealand: Teacher and Whānau Understandings of Wellbeing. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40841-022-00261-4.
  • Denston A., Martin R., Fickel L. and O'Toole V. (2022) Teachers’ perspectives of social-emotional learning: Informing the development of a linguistically and culturally responsive framework for social-emotional wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education 117 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103813.
  • Lim J., Fickel L. and Greenwood J. (2022) Mapping the landscape of professional inquiry as a form of teacher learning in New Zealand: a narrative inquiry into one teacher’s experience. Professional Development in Education 48(1): 120-133. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1689526.
  • Lim J., Fickel L. and Greenwood J. (2022) Meaningful teacher accountability through professional inquiry: A narrative interpretation of one teacher’s experience. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 50(2): 202-214. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2021.1914319.
  • Jones K-L., Fickel L., King J., Torepe T., Fletcher J. and Macfarlane S. (2021) Teachers and stakeholders’ perceptions about Māori partial immersion environments contribution to Kaupapa Māori (Māori medium) education. Set: Research information for teachers (1): 3-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.18296/set.1.2021.