Researcher Spotlight: Dr. Simmee Chung
Faculty of Education
At Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE), impactful research often begins with a question grounded in lived experience.
For Dr. Simmee Chung, that question is: What are the experiences of teachers of colour in Canadian prairie schools, and why do they remain underrepresented?
Dr. Chung is the Principal Investigator of A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Teachers of Colour in Canadian Prairie Schools. This national, multi-institutional study is supported by a $221,876 Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Over the next three years, Dr. Chung and her co-investigators — Dr. D. Jean Clandinin (University of Alberta), Dr. Jinny Menon (Concordia University of Edmonton), Dr. Yi Li (University of Manitoba), and Dr. Lee Schaefer (University of Saskatchewan), will engage with teachers of colour across the Prairies. The study explores teachers’ narratives of experience, including their motivation for entering the profession, the challenges they face, and what sustains them.
While teacher diversity has received growing international attention, little is known about the experiences of teachers of colour within Canadian school systems, particularly in Prairie contexts. As student populations across the Prairie provinces become increasingly diverse, teachers of colour remain disproportionately underrepresented in the profession. Dr. Chung and her team aim to co-compose knowledge that can inform policies and practices to foster more inclusive and equitable educational environments, both to recruit teachers of colour and to support their long-term sustainability in the profession.
Relational Research: Narrative Inquiry
At the heart of this work is Dr. Chung’s commitment to narrative inquiry, a relational research approach that examines how people live, tell, and make meaning of their experiences. As a narrative inquirer for over two decades, her research has illuminated the lived experiences of individuals and communities who are often marginalized. Central to this methodology is relational ethics, as she comes alongside participants over time, attending closely to how temporality, relationships, and place may shape their narratives. Dr. Chung believes that meaningful educational change begins with understanding and honouring lives through their stories, rather than focusing solely on measurable outcomes.
Narrative Beginnings
Dr. Chung’s research is informed by her own experiences. Growing up as a Chinese immigrant child in small Alberta communities, she and her siblings were often the only visible minorities in their school. Throughout her K–12 education, she never had a teacher of colour. These early experiences stayed with her through 15 years as a classroom teacher and into her current role as a teacher educator at CUE, where she has worked with pre-service and in-service teachers for nearly a decade. Dr. Chung notes,
“As a teacher and teacher educator of colour, I have experienced firsthand the unique challenges and opportunities that shape diverse educators’ journeys, and the persistent underrepresentation of students of colour in teacher education programs. My personal and professional experiences are a source of wonder for this research program, where I seek to learn from and alongside other teachers of colour. “
By amplifying the voices of teachers of colour and attending closely to their lived and told experiences, this study led by Dr. Chung strives to deepen understanding of these educators’ journeys and inform practices that are more responsive to diverse lives and communities. It contributes to broader national and international conversations about teacher education, educator diversity, and equity.
Mentoring the Next Generation
Mentorship is a cornerstone of Dr. Chung’s teaching and research. She views students as developing co-researchers. Currently, two doctoral students are active in the SSHRC-funded project, with an additional graduate student expected to join. Students are involved in every stage of the research process, from developing research ethics applications and conducting research conversations with participants to narrative analysis, writing, and dissemination. Dr. Chung finds collaborating with students in these various capacities extremely rewarding.
The research study above is sponsored, in part, by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
