New Books Network

About Pengfei Zhao

Pengfei Zhao is a critical researcher and qualitative research methodologist based at the University of Florida.

NBN Episodes hosted by Pengfei:

Education April 20, 2021

Equity and Quality in Digital Learning

Realizing the Promise in K-12 Education

Carolyn J. Heinrich, Jennifer Darling-Aduana, and Annalee G. Good

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
The COVID19 pandemic has profoundly changed the landscape of K-12 education in our society. Last March, many states closed their brick-and-mortar schools and shifted to remote education. The massive shift …
Education January 11, 2021

Walking with Strangers

Critical Ethnography and Educational Promise

Barbara Dennis

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Barbara Dennis of Indiana University on her new ethnography, Walking with Strangers: Critical Ethnography and Educational Promise, published in 2020 by Peter Lang …
Communications July 30, 2020

Looking for Insight, Transformation, and Learning in Online Talk

T. Paulus and A. Wise

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Trena Paulus of East Tennessee State University and Dr. Alyssa Wise of New York University on their new book, Looking for Insight, Transformation …
American Studies July 17, 2020

On My Own

The Challenge and Promise of Building Equitable STEM Transfer Pathways

Xueli Wang

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Xueli Wang from the University of Wisconsin-Madison on her new book, “On My Own: The Challenge and Promise of Building Equitable STEM Transfer …
African American Studies June 5, 2020

Schooling for Critical Consciousness

Engaging Black and Latinx Youth in Analyzing, Navigating, and Challenging Racial Injustice

Scott Seider and Daren Graves

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Scott Seider from Boston College and Dr. Daren Graves from Simmons University on their new book, Schooling for Critical Consciousness: Engaging Black and …
African American Studies May 13, 2019

Raising Race Questions

Whiteness and Inquiry in Education

Ali Michael

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
In this episode, I talked with Ali Michael on her award-winning book, Raising Race Questions: Whiteness and Inquiry in Education (Teachers College Press, 2015). According to a 2014 report by …
Literature May 3, 2019

Spark

Patricia Leavy

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
In this episode, I talked with Patricia Leavy on her new book, Spark (The Guilford Press, 2019). The book is a highly original novel about an unexpected yet extremely fruitful …
Anthropology November 27, 2018

Understanding Narrative Inquiry

The Crafting and Analysis of Stories as Research

Jeong-Hee Kim

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
In today’s episode, I talked with Dr. Jeong-Hee Kim about her new book, Understanding Narrative Inquiry: The Crafting and Analysis of Stories as Research (Sage Publications, 2016). The book offers …
Critical Theory November 16, 2018

Just Research in Contentious Times

Widening the Methodological Imagination

Michelle Fine

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
What can a researcher do to promote social justice? A conventional image of a researcher describes her staying in the ivory tower for most of the time, producing papers filled …
Communications September 13, 2018

Discursive Perspectives on Education Policy and Implementation

Jessica Lester, Chad Lochmiller, and Rachael Gabriel, eds.

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
The study of education policy is a scholarly field that sheds light on important debates and controversies revolving around education policy and its implementation. In this episode, we will be …
Anthropology June 18, 2018

The Responsible Methodologist

Inquiry, Truth-Telling, and Social Justice

Aaron M. Kuntz

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
In this episode, I speak with Aaron M. Kuntz about his book, The Responsible Methodologist: Inquiry, Truth-Telling, and Social Justice (Left Coast Press, 2015). This book offers a thorough and …
Literature May 16, 2018

Low-Fat Love Stories

Patricia Leavy and Victoria Scotti

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
Patricia Leavy and Victoria Scotti's Low-Fat Love Stories (Sense Publishers, 2017) is a collection of short stories and artistic portraits focusing on women’s dissatisfying relationships. What makes these stories different …
Anthropology February 27, 2018

Love in the Time of Ethnography

Essays on Connection as a Focus and Basis for Research

Lucinda Carspecken, ed.

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
Love in the Time of Ethnography: Essays on Connection as a Focus and Basis for Research (Rowman and Littlefield, 2017) is edited by Lucinda Carspecken, anthropologist and lecturer in the …
Israel Studies November 18, 2017

Youth Encounter Programs in Israel

Pedagogy, Identity and Social Change

Karen Ross

Hosted by Pengfei Zhao
In her new book, Youth Encounter Programs in Israel: Pedagogy, Identity and Social Change (Syracuse University Press, 2017), Karen Ross conducts an in-depth analysis of Jewish-Palestinian youth encounter peace-building programs …