Patricia L. McMahon, PhD, professor of Education in the Education Department at Carlow University, began her career in education as a high school English teacher. Throughout her years in higher education, she has held numerous teaching and leadership positions. Well versed in program and course creation, she designed, co-developed, and currently directs Carlow’s EdD program. For years, as program director for Secondary Certification, she taught, mentored, and supervised pre-service teachers.

Dr. McMahon’s areas of expertise include narrative inquiry, curriculum, qualitative dissertation research, composition, and arts-based educational research. Her work on arts-based educational research has been published nationally and internationally. Her research interests also include a focus on education leaders as systems thinkers, learner-centered curriculum design, and teachers’ stories—the art of Scholar-Practitioner inquiry. She is cofounder of the Scholar-Practitioner Nexus, a website meant to connect educators with a wide range of resources. She is also one of the founders and co-hosts of the Speaking of Education podcast, which showcases current issues, multiple perspectives, and programmatic innovations in education.

Education

• BS – Secondary English Education – Emphasis in Theater, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
• MA – English Literature, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• PhD – Education, Curriculum and Supervision, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Professional Memberships

• American Educational Research Association (AERA)
• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
• The Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators (PAC-TE)
• University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association
• Pennsylvania State Alumni Association

Research

Interests: Qualitative Dissertation Research; Interpretive Research; Narrative Inquiry; Arts-Based Educational Research; Inquiry-Based Curriculum; Curriculum Theory; Systems Thinking; Composition

Publications

• Piantanida, M., Llewellyn, M., & McMahon, P. L. (2021). From moment to meaning: The art of scholar-practitioner inquiry. Pittsburgh, PA: Learning Moments Press.
• Piantanida, M., McMahon, P.L., & Llewellyn, M. (2019). On being a scholar-practitioner: Practical wisdom in action. Pittsburgh, PA: Learning Moments Press.
• McMahon, P. (September, 2013). Guest Post: Dr. Patricia McMahon reflects on a visit by Dr. Diane Ravitch. Remake Learning.
• Llewellyn, M., McMahon, P.L., & Piantanida, M. (2010). On foreopters and fractals: A scholarship of educational praxis for the 21st century. Spectrum: Carlow University Press.
• McMahon, P. L. (2009). Case Example 3: A Narrative Study of Three Levels of Reflection in a College Composition Class. In M. Piantanida & N. B. Garman (Eds.), The Qualitative Dissertation: A Guide for Students and Faculty (2nd ed.). Corwin Press.
• McMahon, P. (2006). Narrative yearnings: Reflecting in pedagogical time through the art of fictive story. Invited chapter in N.B. Garman & M. Piantanida (Eds.), The authority to imagine: The struggle toward representation in dissertation writing. Peter Lang Publications.
• Piantanida, M., McMahon, P.L., & Garman, N.B. (2003). Sculpting the contours of arts-based educational research within a discourse community. Qualitative Inquiry, 9(2), 182-191.
• Piantanida, M., McMahon, P.L., & Garman, N.B. (2003). On the value of “leaky boundaries” – A response to Patrick Slattery. Qualitative Inquiry, 9(2), 198-201.
• McMahon, P. (2000). From angst to story to research text: The role of arts-based educational research in teacher inquiry. The Journal of Curriculum Theorizing. 16(1), 125-145.
• Piantanida, M., Garman, N., & McMahon, P. (2000). Crafting an arts-based educational research thesis: Issues of tradition and solipsism. In P. Willis, R. Smith, & E. Collins, (Eds.), Being, seeking, telling: Expressive approaches to qualitative adult education research. University of South Australia: Post Pressed. 
• McMahon, P. (1999). Becoming through writing. In M. Piantanida and N. Garman, The qualitative dissertation: A guide for students and faculty, 220-223. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, Inc. 

Awards & Recognition

• National Institute for Staff and Organization Development (NISOD) Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Award (1996)
• Nominee for outstanding dissertation award sponsored by the Curriculum Studies Division of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) (1994)