Melissa Hauber-Özer

Melissa Hauber-Özer is an Assistant Professor of Qualitative Inquiry in the Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum at the University of Missouri, College of Education & Human Development. She plays a leadership role in the Action Research Network of the Americas Knowledge Democracy Initiative and holds elected positions in TESOL International, including chair-elect of the Adult Education interest section and secretary of the Refugee Concerns interest section.

• PhD in International Education, George Mason University
• M.Ed. in World Language Education, Temple University

Her research centers on critical participatory, ethnographic, and narrative methodologies to explore educational access and equity for linguistically and culturally diverse learners, particularly refugees and immigrants. She is deeply engaged in advancing qualitative research methods and promoting democratic knowledge production in transnational contexts. Her expertise includes adult language and literacy learning, critical inquiry, and community-based research.

Her publications, including co-authored books with SAGE and Routledge and articles in leading journals, demonstrate a strong focus on participatory and critical methodologies in educational research. These works emphasize decolonizing practices, transnational collaboration, and equity-centered inquiry across diverse educational settings.

• Critical Participatory Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Guide (SAGE)
• The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Participatory Inquiry in Transnational Research Contexts
• Publications in International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
• Publications in Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy
• Publications in Action Research
• Publications in International Journal of Research and Method in Education

Melissa Hauber-Özer advises graduate students in qualitative research and teaches core courses such as Qualitative Research Methods in Education I & II, Philosophical Perspectives on Educational Research, and Critical Participatory Inquiry. She is affiliated with the Qualitative Research Consortium (QuaRC) and the Certificate in Qualitative Research (CQR) program, contributing to institutional capacity in qualitative methodology. While specific grants are not listed, her leadership roles and publications suggest active involvement in funded or collaborative research initiatives focused on equity and access.

She is actively involved in research networks such as the Action Research Network of the Americas and contributes to professional communities through TESOL International. Her work promotes knowledge democracy and participatory research models that empower marginalized voices in educational research.