Paulina I. Chapa is a bilingual instructor and researcher with 18 years of international teaching experience across Mexico, the United States, China, and Russia. She has taught learners of all ages in a variety of educational and academic settings and is deeply committed to advancing learning, teaching, and research. Paulina holds five masters degrees (Bilingual Education, Spanish as a Foreign Language, Learning and Neurocognition, Human Development, and Psychomotricity), along with bachelors degrees in Psychology and Graphic Design. She is certified to teach English and Spanish, and Counseling, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the College of Education, where she has served as a Teaching Assistant, Assistant Instructor, and Graduate Research Assistant. Her academic work has been recognized with multiple honors and awards, as well as two national and international graduate scholarship.
Paulina I. Chapas research interests include language education, language retention, willingness to communicate, motivation, emotion, and memory in learning, educational storytelling, learning strategies, and educational research methods. She examines the cognitive, emotional, and social factors that shape language acquisition, learning, and teaching experiences. She is also exploring methodological approaches in educational research to strengthen the understanding of research design, analysis, and interpretation in educational studies. Her aim is to make multilingual and multicultural education more effective, meaningful, and supportive.
Sylvia Celedón-Pattichis (Supervisor)Focuses on language and cultural influences on teaching and learning mathematics, particularly equity issues involving Latinx students mathematical thinking, the simultaneous learning of English as a second language and math and preparing teachers to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students.
Brittany Frieson (Committee Member)Explores the language and literacy practices of young African American children in dual language bilingual program spaces from critical perspectives.
Doris L Baker (Co-supervisor)Develops and evaluates interventions and assessments using technology to support the academic success of Latinx students and other students whose home language is not English.
Organizer at the Toastmaster International District 34 Spring 2018 Conference, Toastmasters International, Spring 2018 Conference(2018)
Founder, Leader, and Mentor of Children and Teenagers without and with Special Needs of a Gavel Club, Toastmasters International(2017 - 2019)
Advisor of University Students of The Technological Institute of Chihuahua, The Technological Institute of Chihuahua(2014 - 2016)
Organizer at the Toastmaster International District 34 Spring 2013 Conference, Toastmasters International, Spring 2013 Conference(2013)
Mentor of Toastmasters Members of all the Division E., Toastmasters International(2010 - 2017)
Club Leadership Committee of Ingenio Toastmasters Club, Toastmasters International(2010 - 2016)
Chapa, P. I.. (2025). Becoming Bilingual Readers [Review of the book Becoming Bilingual Readers by Bobbie Kabuto]..
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism: Routledge/Taylor & Francis..
https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2025.2531250. doi:10.1080/13670050.2025.2531250.
Chapa, P.I.. (2025). The Routledge Handbook of Refugee Narratives [Review of the book The Routledge Handbook of Refugee Narratives by Evyn Lê Espiritu Gandhi and Vinh Nguyen]..
International Studies in Sociology of Education: Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2025.2550323. doi:10.1080/09620214.2025.2550323.
Best Experiential Session Award, The Scholarly Consortium for Innovative Psychology in Education (2025)
CONAHCYT & CONTEX scholarship award for a Ph.D. degree, Mexico and Texas, CONAHCYT & CONTEX (2024 - 2027)
Graduate Research Honors, IAPE (2023)
Second place in National English Speech Contest, Toastmasters International (2017)
Best Mexican English Teacher National Award, Cambridge University and International House (2014)
Award for Founding the First Gavel Club, Public Speech Club for Children and Teenagers, in Northern Mexico, Toastmasters International (2013)
Competent Leader, Toastmasters International (2013)
Twenty-nine first places in English speeches, Toastmasters International (2009 - 2017)
CONAHCYT scholarship for a Masters degree, Chihuahua, Mexico., CONAHCYT (2006 - 2008)
Mis Ganas y Mi Freno para Comunicarme, Texas Association for Bilingual Education, USA (2025)
From Silence to Voice: Exploring the Emotional World of Bilingual Learners, The Scholarly Consortium for Innovative Psychology in Education, USA (2025)
Enabling Mathematics Teachers Research to Expand Latin Learners Authentic (ESTRELLA) Experiences in Computer Programming, National Science Foundation, USA (2024)
Specific Psychomotricity Program to Stimulate Personal-Social Development of Students in Kindergarten, 1rst International Educational Conference, Chihuahua, Mexico (2012)
