Dr. Meghan Manfra
Hi, I'm Dr. Meghan Manfra. I'm glad you're here.
I am the founder of APL Research, a consultancy that provides individualized solutions to researchers, groups, and non-profit organizations. I have extensive experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of federal grants.
I began my career as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow at Elon College and as a high school social studies teacher. I pursued a Ph.D. in education at UNC-Chapel Hill, where I discovered the power of action research while working with experienced teachers conducting classroom inquiry. Their enthusiasm was palpable — they worked on projects that brought real change to their classrooms.
As a professor at NC State, my impact grew to include external organizations: UNC's Documenting the American South, the NC Department of Public Instruction, the NC Museum of History, the National Science Foundation, and the Library of Congress. At APL Research, I lead an amazing team of researchers and evaluators.
The Magnolia
At Elon University, there is a grove of magnolia trees in the middle of campus that is astoundingly beautiful in spring. The magnolia symbolizes stability, integrity, perseverance, and beauty — the core values of APL Research. This symbol has become even more poignant to Dr. Manfra as a breast cancer survivor.
In the Media
Teens, Social Media, and Fake News
Education Matters TV — NC Forum
What do parents and educators need to know to help students navigate the modern media landscape?
Reliable News During a Pandemic
Museum of Life Sciences
Dr. Manfra joins a panel of experts on navigating the complex information landscape during COVID-19.
Social Studies Curriculum Debate
WNCT News
Dr. Manfra provides expert commentary on proposed changes to NC's social studies curriculum.
How Will AI Shape Education?
Elon TLT
Dr. Manfra explores AI literacy and how participatory, action-research approaches can help educators navigate the challenges of artificial intelligence.
AI Policy & Problem Solving
YouTube
Dr. Manfra describes approaches to AI policy and critical problem solving in education.
Teaching Inquiry & Action Research
The Action Research Podcast
Dr. Manfra discusses what action research looks like in education, its greatest challenges, and why it matters for teacher development.
Action Research: Global Conversations
Spotify — Episode 7
Dr. Manfra describes integrating action research into professional learning programs.
Computational Thinking in Social Studies
Visions of Education — Ep. 188
Dr. Manfra, Tom Hammond, and Robert Coven discuss their published study on computational thinking.
Published Works
Fight the Fake: Navigating Social Media and AI for Healthy Digital Futures
Bloomsbury Press
Action Research for Classrooms, Schools, and Communities
Sage Publications
The Handbook of Social Studies Research
Wiley-Blackwell
Scholarly Publications
Manfra, M.M., Hammond, T.C., & Coven, R.C. (2021). Assessing computational thinking in the social studies. Theory & Research in Social Education.
Manfra, M.M. (2021). Action Research for Classrooms, Schools, and Communities. Sage.
Manfra, M.M., Grant, M., Turcol, K., et al. (2021). Issues and opportunities in the digital transformation of social studies instruction. Social Education, 85(2).
Manfra, M.M. (2020). Digital history 2020. Social Education, 84(2), 118-122.
Manfra, M.M. & Greiner, J.A. (2020). Integrating the C3 Framework in the social studies. Social Studies Research and Practice.
Manfra, M.M. & Holmes, C. (2020). Integrating media literacy in social studies teacher education. CITJE — NTLI Award Winner.
Manfra, M.M., Lee, J.K., Grant, M. (2020). Designing inquiry during a pandemic. JTATE, 29(2).
Manfra, M.M. (2019). What’s new about fake news? Integrating digital history for media literacy. Social Education, 84(3), 113-117
Manfra, M.M. (2019). Action research and systematic change in teaching practice. Review of Research in Education, 43(1).
Manfra, M.M., & Holmes, C. (2018). Media literacy and fake news in the social studies. Social Education, 83(2), 91-95.
Manfra, M.M., & Spires, H. (2013). Creative synthesis and TPACK: Supporting teachers through a technology and inquiry-rich graduate degree program. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education.
Manfra, M.M., & Bullock, D.K.** (2013). Action research for educational communications and technology. In J.M. Spector, D. Merrill, J. Elen, and M.J. Bishop eds. (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology. NY: Springer.
Hammond, T. C., & Manfra, M. M.* (2009b). Giving, prompting, making: Aligning technology and pedagogy within TPACK for social studies instruction. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(2), 160-185.