Michele McConnell

Michele McConnell serves as an Assistant Professor in the English Department within the College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Fresno, joining the faculty in 2023. Her teaching portfolio includes ENGL 131: Literacy Studies, ENGL 132S: Rhetoric, Grammar, and Writing Instruction, ENGL 250T: Special Topics in Writing Instruction, and CI 161: Materials & Methods English.

Her educational foundation comprises:

• Ph.D. from the University of San Diego
• M.Ed. from San Diego State University
• Single Subject Credential from Chapman University
• B.A. from the University of Washington
• A.A. from Highline Community College

Dr. McConnell specializes in literacies studies with emphases on adolescent development, critical analysis frameworks, and collaborative/participatory writing methodologies. Her seventeen years of K-12 teaching experience across California directly informs her research on literacy acquisition and instructional strategies, particularly within Central Valley educational contexts. She examines how writing practices intersect with student identity formation and social engagement through action research frameworks.

Her professional narrative centers on mentoring future English educators and supporting in-service teachers through master's-level action research projects. This work bridges theoretical scholarship with classroom implementation, focusing on practical applications of literacy pedagogy for pre-service teachers in the Central Valley region.