Stephanie Anne Shelton, Ph.D., the UNC School of Education’s Donald G. Tarbet Faculty Scholar in Education and co-coordinator of the School’s Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Studies, has been elected chair of the American Educational Research Association’s Qualitative Research Special Interest Group for the 2026-2029 term.
With more than 150 special interest groups in AERA, the Qualitative Research SIG is the largest of these groups and the primary professional space for qualitative scholars in the nation.
“When I first began attending AERA as a doctoral student, the Qualitative Research SIG was an immediate space of welcome, kindness, generosity, and support,” Shelton said. “It has been an intellectual home for so many qualitative researchers across the U.S. and globe, and to be trusted to serve a group that I deeply value and respect is powerful and pushes me to do what is possible to continue to support this vibrant, brilliant group of scholars.”
Shelton, a qualitative methodologist, specializes in interview- and focus group-based research, with feminist and queer theories regularly informing her scholarship as she examines methodological concepts such as reflexivity, informed consent, bias, and subjectivity.
A former K–12 teacher with a commitment to student learning, Shelton also explores pedagogical practices in qualitative inquiry, including how students learn to design and implement qualitative studies that center equity and social justice as core methodological tenets. Her research also explores LGBTQ+ issues in educational settings, particularly in sociopolitically restrictive contexts.
Previously within AERA, Shelton served in several leadership roles, including secretary, treasurer, and program chair of the Queer Studies SIG; program chair for Division D (Section 3: Qualitative Research); treasurer of the Arts-Based Educational Research SIG; and secretary of the Qualitative Research SIG.
“The various leadership roles that I’ve had within AERA have been important to ranges of relationships, collaborations, and organized efforts that remain valuable to me,” Shelton said. “I’ve also gained a deeper appreciation for the methodological, contextual, professional, and personal diversities that shape an organization as large as AERA and a professional group as large as the Qualitative Research SIG. I am grounded in the ways that this role is important to the SIG, to larger academic communities, and to the ranges of individuals who create and sustain them.”
Shelton noted that she is committed to continuing the Qualitative Research SIG’s longstanding support for graduate students and early-career scholars, while also working within and beyond the SIG to encourage ongoing dialogue about how AERA can further support varied forms of research and researchers.
“My primary roles within the UNC School of Education directly support a vibrant and growing qualitative community,” Shelton said. “I look forward to my work as chair within the Qualitative Research SIG, extending these connections and possibilities in ways that advantage and support School of Education students, faculty, and the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Studies, while also continuing to help me develop as a leader who serves and supports others.”
To learn more about the School’s Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Studies, click here.