Stephanie Masta
Professor
Curriculum Studies,
Curriculum and Instruction
Email:
szywicki@purdue.edu
Phone:
(765) 494-0803
Address:
Steven C. Beering Hall of
Liberal Arts and Education
100 N. University Street
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2098
BRNG 4154
Links:
LinkedInPersonal Website Google Scholar
About
Dr. Stephanie Masta is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie tribe of Chippewa Indians, and is a Professor in Curriculum Studies, with affiliate appointments in American Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Engineering Education. Much of her research focuses on the experiences of Brown and Black individuals in K-20 educational environments, with particular interest in Indigenous peoples and their relationships to academic spaces. Dr. Masta’s work is also invested in uncovering the intersections of colonialism and race within the academy. Her research is narrative-based, and she uses both Indigenous methodologies and critical race/decolonial theories in her work. Dr. Masta has received external funding from the National Science Foundation and the Spencer Foundation. She has published in journals such as Anthropology & Education Quarterly, the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, the Journal of Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, and Teaching in Higher Education. In 2022, Dr. Masta was the recipient of the College of Education Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award.
Education
- Ph.D. — Education, Iowa State University (2013)
- M.Ed. — Higher and Postsecondary Education, Arizona State University (2003)
- B.A. — Political Science, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (2001)
Career Experience
- 2025 — present
- Professor
- Curriculum Studies
- College of Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2021 – 2025
- Associate Professor
- Curriculum Studies
- College of Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2014 – 2021
- Assistant Professor
- Curriculum Studies
- College of Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2013
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Research Institute for Studies in Education
- Iowa State University, Ames, IA
- 2010 – 2013
- Research Assistant
- Iowa State University
Awards & Honors
- 2025 William Elgin Wickenden Award, Best Paper, American Society for Engineering Education
- 2024 National Excellence Training Institute Fellow, Purdue University
- 2024 ENE Excellence in Mentoring, School of Engineering Education, Purdue University
- 2021 Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor, College of Education, Purdue University
- 2021 Fellow, Spencer Foundation Convening Task Force on the Future of Indigenous Education
Research & Publications
My research interests include:
- Critical qualitative and Indigenous methodologies
- Experiences of racialized youth in schools
- Influence of colonialism in educational spaces
Selected Publications
- Masta, S. & Grant-Ashbaugh, J. (2025). Classrooms as sites of contestation. Journal of Curriculum & Pedagogy, 1-9.
- Griffith, C. & Masta, S. (2024). Rez dogs and reflections: How Decolonizing Methodologies informs Indigenous research. Qualitative Research Journal, 24(5), 491-499.
- Dickerson, D., Masta, S., Pawley, A., & Ohland, M. (2024). Is Carla grumpy? Analysis of peer evaluations to explore marginalizing behaviors in engineering student teams. Journal of Engineering Education, 113(3), 603-634.
- Grant-Ashbaugh, J.*, Masta, S., & DeBoer, J. (2024). Disrupting discipline of Black women in higher education from a Black Feminist perspective of Foucauldian discipline. Journal of Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, 6(1), 53-74.
- Masta, S., Grant, J.* & DeBoer, J. (2023) “Surveillance, Discipline, and Regulation: Understanding Black Women’s Experiences in the Academy.” Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence and ADVANCE Purdue Center for Faculty Success Working Paper Series 5(2): 50-61.
- Masta, S., Grant, J.*, & Holly, Jr., J. (2022). Theoretical intersections: Using CRT and Afropessimism to understand current bans on CRT. Journal of Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, 4(3), 49-63.
- Masta, S. (2022). Theory-to-practice: Researching Indigenous education in the United States. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 24(1), 1-15.
- Masta, S. & Holly, Jr., J. (2021). Making whiteness visible: The promise of critical race theory in engineering education. Journal of Engineering Education, 110(4), 798-802.
- Masta, S. (2021). Classroom counterspaces: Centering Brown and Black students in doctoral education. Teaching in Higher Education, 26(3), 354-369.
- Masta, S. (2021). “I needed to have this relief”: Engaging with critical and indigenous methodologies as developing scholars. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 34(10), 901-903.
Courses Typically Taught
- EDCI 61500 — Qualitative Research Methods in Education
- EDCI 61600 — Advanced Qualitative Research Methods in Education
- EDCI 68400 — Seminar in Curriculum Studies