Gretchen B. Rossman (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1983)
gretchen@educ.umass.edu
Dr. Rossman is currently a Professor of Education in the Department of Educational
Policy, Research and Administration, and is associated with the Center for International
Education. She served as Visiting Professor at the Harvard University Graduate
School of Education and spent a recent sabbatical as Visiting Scholar at the
University of Hong Kong. Her domestic research interests focus on the close
examination of the school- and district-level elements necessary to create collaborative,
responsive learning settings. She has conducted multisite studies of systemic
change in high schools; of inclusion initiatives for students with disabilities
in rural, suburban, and urban districts; and of teachers' roles in systemic
reform. In recent international work she served as the Research and Evaluation
Specialist for a project called Strengthening the Education of Girls in India.
Gretchen also has strong interests in qualitative research design and methods:
her book, Designing Qualitative Research, now in its third edition, helps students
develop sound dissertation proposals. Her most recent book, Learning in the
Field (co-authored with Sharon Rallis) is an introductory text.
Given these interests, Gretchen teaches courses in qualitative research methods,
qualitative research design, and participatory action research methods. Other
courses offered in International Education include cross-cultural perspectives
on educational management.