About Gabriel M. Kennedy

I am a teacher educator and education researcher with professional experience spanning school teaching, university teacher education, and graduate-level academic work. I currently serve as an Instructor in the Department of Secondary Education, William V. S. Tubman College of Education, University of Liberia, and am pursuing a Ph.D. in Teacher Education, Policy, and Practice at Beijing Normal University, China. My work focuses on teacher preparation, professional learning, and education policy, particularly in Liberia and other post-conflict educational contexts.

My teaching career began in Liberia, where I worked under the Ministry of Education from 2011 to 2018. This period provided practical experience of school teaching and a foundation for my subsequent engagement with teacher education. In 2021, I joined the University of Liberia as an Instructor, moving from school-based teaching into the preparation of prospective teachers. These experiences have given me perspectives on both classroom practice and the professional preparation that precedes it. They provide an important context for my interest in how teacher education connects theoretical knowledge, practical experience, and professional learning.

My academic development has also been shaped by graduate study and teaching experience in China. I earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Education Management and a Master of Education in Education Leadership and Policy from East China Normal University. Between 2023 and 2024, I undertook a teaching internship at Shenghua Zizhu Bilingual School. My subsequent doctoral studies at Beijing Normal University, together with graduate teaching assistance, have extended my engagement with educational research and university-level teaching. Across these experiences, my academic focus has broadened from classroom teaching to questions concerning teacher preparation, educational institutions, professional identity, and policy.

My research interests include teacher preparation and professional learning, STEM teacher education and professional identity, digital pedagogy and inclusion, and education policy and equity. A central concern connecting these areas is the relationship between teachers’ professional development and the institutional conditions in which they learn and work. I am particularly interested in how university-based preparation relates to school-based practice, how teachers develop and negotiate their professional identities, and how educational policies and institutional arrangements influence professional opportunities. Liberia’s educational context remains central to much of this work, including my interest in teacher education and educational change in post-conflict settings.

Alongside teaching and research, I contribute to scholarly communication through academic publications and peer review. My published work addresses teacher education, educational technology, and education policy, while my scholarly reviewing contributes to the evaluation of research in education and related fields. Looking ahead, I hope to continue developing research that connects the experiences of teachers with broader questions of professional preparation, institutional support, and educational equity. I also welcome opportunities for academic collaboration and scholarly exchange on these issues.