Elena Aydarova
Associate Professor
Office: 4002 Haley Center
Units: Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology
Campus Mail: 4036 Haley Center
Email: eza0029@auburn.edu
Phone: (334) 844-7784
Vita: view vita
Academic Areas
Educational Psychology
Foundations of Education
Short Bio
Elena Aydarova is an Assistant Professor of Social Foundations in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology. Her interdisciplinary scholarship lies at the intersections of anthropology of education, educational policy, teacher education, and comparative education. Dr. Aydarova’s research examines transformations in teaching and teacher education through the lens of equity, diversity, and social justice. The transformations she studies include technocratic policies that reorient teaching and teacher education, teacher preparation for work with racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students in the context of rising technocracy, as well as teacher educators’ policy advocacy in response to neoliberal reforms.Dr. Aydarova has authored and co-authored more than twenty journal articles and book chapters, including works published in the Handbook of Research on Teaching (5th ed.) and the SAGE Handbook of Research on Teacher Education. Aydarova’s book, Teacher Education Reform as Political Theater: Russian Policy Dramas (2019, SUNY Press), focuses on the theatricality of teacher education reforms and calls on teacher educators to look for creative ways to engage in policy dialogues. The book has been recognized with a 2020 Critics’ Choice Award from the American Educational Studies Association and an Outstanding Book Award from the Council on Anthropology and Education.
She received an American Fellowship from the American Association of University Women, Doug Foley Early Career Award (honorable mention) and the Concha Delgado Gaitan Presidential Fellowship from the Council of Anthropology and Education, as well as a Global Teacher Education Fellowship from the Longview Foundation. Her research has also won awards from Division K of the American Educational Research Association, the Comparative and International Education Society, as well as TESOL International. Dr. Aydarova’s teaching is based on the principles of feminist, decolonial, and critical pedagogies.
Dr. Aydarova’s personal and professional journey spans the globe. Born in Russia and raised in Ukraine, she spent several years teaching in China and the United Arab Emirates. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, reading, cooking, and swimming.
Education
Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education, 2015, Michigan State University
MA in Linguistics, 2005, University of South Carolina
BA in English, 2003, Odessa National University
Professional Experience
2022 - Present
Associate Professor, Auburn University
2017 - 2022
Assistant Professor, Auburn University
2015 - 2017
Postdoctoral Scholar, Arizona State University
2010 - 2015
Teaching Assistant, Michigan State University
2007 - 2010
English Faculty, Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates
2005 - 2007
English Instructor, College of Humanities and Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
Teaching Interests
Research Interests
Dr. Aydarova' research focuses on educational reforms in the context of global neoliberal transformations in education. Her projects explore privatization of teacher education, teacher preparation for culturally and linguistically diverse students, as well as internationalization of education in the United States. Research topics include:- Social justice and equity in education
- Global education policies
- Educational privatization
- Teacher education commodification
- Culturally and linguistically diverse students
- Internationalization of educational settings
Links
Elena Aydarova's Scholarship Website