Michelle Bauml, Ph.D.

Michelle Bauml is the Clotilda Winter Professor of Education and a Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning Sciences with an emphasis in social studies education. A former elementary teacher, Dr. Bauml’s research and teaching reflect her beliefs that children need ample opportunities for creative expression, play, and meaningful instruction in today’s schools. She conducts qualitative research aimed at helping teachers navigate professional complexities to make thoughtful, effective curricular and instructional decisions in order to promote student learning.

Dr. Bauml’s research focuses on early childhood/elementary teacher education and social studies curriculum and teaching. Among her publications, she has addressed teachers’ use of curriculum guides, content integration, civic education, and beliefs about teaching. For her case study of five first-year early childhood teachers making curricular and instructional decisions, Dr. Bauml received the John Laska Dissertation Award in 2012 and was a finalist for the American Educational Research Association’s Dissertation Award (Division K) in 2011.

As a core member of TCU’s Center for Public Education and Community Engagement, Dr. Bauml strives to make an impact through teaching, research, and community outreach. Since 2016, she has directed the annual TCU iEngage Summer Civics Institute, a 5-day civics camp designed to teach middle schoolers about civic engagement through inquiry. Here, she studies connections between civic education and student learning while leading teams of TCU students to empower youth for active citizenship.

Prior to joining the faculty at TCU, Dr. Bauml taught at a Title 1 elementary school in the Houston area and coached beginning teachers in Houston ISD. She has extensive experience working with prospective and early career teachers, and she enjoys teaching undergraduate courses for the Early Childhood Education (EC-6) program and graduate courses in Curriculum and Instruction. In 2021, Dr. Bauml received a university Deans Teaching Award for excellence in teaching. She was also granted the Honorary Leon Jaworski Award for Teaching Excellence in Law Focused Education by the State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association in 2016.

Education

Ph.D., Curriculum & Instruction
The University of Texas at Austin
2010

M.Ed., Educational Administration
University of St. Thomas-Houston
2004

B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies
Texas A&M University-College Station
1992

Academic Areas

• Early Childhood Education
• Social Studies Education

Research Areas

• Early childhood/elementary teacher education
• Teacher knowledge and beliefs
• Teacher decision-making
• Elementary social studies education
• Civic Education

Selected Publications

Bauml, M., Smith, V. D., & Blevins, B. (2022). “Who Cares?”: Young Adolescents’ Perceived Barriers to Civic Action. Research in Middle Level Education, 45(3), 1-20. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19404476.2022.2033069 

Bauml, M., Patton, M. M., & Rhea, D. (2020). A Qualitative Study of Teachers’ Perceptions of Increased Recess Time on Teaching, Learning, and Behavior. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 34(4), 506-520.

Bauml, M. (2019). Examining Preservice Teachers’ Thinking about Teaching First Grade Economics through Inquiry. Social Studies Research and Practice 14(1), 150-164.

Bauml, M. & May, L. (2019). Veterans Day Then and Now: First Graders Learn from Primary Sources and Take Action to Honor Veterans. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 32(2), 26-31.

Bauml, M. (2018). Making social studies meaningful: Confident teacher, supportive leader. In J. Jimerson and S. Q. Fuentes, Instructional Leadership in the Content Areas: Case Studies for Curriculum and Instruction, pp. 24-33. New York, NY: Routledge/UCEA.

Rhea, D., & Bauml, M. (2018). An Innovative Whole Child Approach to Learning: The LiiNK Project. Childhood Education, 94(2), 56-63.

Quinn, B. P., & Bauml, M. (2018). Cultivating a mindset of civic engagement among young adolescents. Journal of Social Studies Research, 42, 185-200.

Bauml, M. (2016). One size never fits all: Teachers’ responses to standardized curriculum materials and implications for early childhood teacher educators. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 37(1), 76-95.

Bauml, M., Castro, A. J., Field, S. L., & Morowski, D. L. (2016). Learning from preservice teachers’ thoughts about teaching in urban schools: Implications for teacher educators. Education and Urban Society, 48(1), 4-29.  

Bauml, M. (2016). Is it cute or does it count? Learning to teach for meaningful social studies in elementary grades. Journal of Social Studies Research, 40 (1), 55-69.