Pam Barger

Biography

R. Pam Barger is an Assistant Professor of TESOL and Intercultural Studies at Wheaton College Graduate School. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses such as Cross-Cultural Teaching and Learning, Intercultural Communication, and Theological Perspectives in Language and Education. She is also the Program Director of the English Language Partnership Programs.

Dr. Barger graduated with a Ph.D. in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies with a specialization in Comparative International Education. She was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Chiang Mai University, Thailand, and is a Fulbright Program Advisor at Wheaton College.

Dr. Barger has been an ESL instructor at various community colleges and universities in Chicago and was an EFL instructor in Thailand. She has taught all levels of English language students in writing, reading, listening, speaking, and TOEFL preparation courses.

Education

Loyola University Chicago
Ph.D., Cultural and Educational Policy Studies

Wheaton College
M.A., Intercultural Studies/TESOL

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B.S., Psychology

University of Illinois
Certificate in Online Teaching

Areas of Expertise

English as a Second Language Education

Professional Affiliations

American Academy of Religion (AAR)
Association for Asian Studies (AAS)
American Society of Missiology (ASM)
Comparative International Education Society (CIES)
Emerging Scholars Network (ESN)
Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and Bilingual Education (Illinois TESOL-BE)
International Educators of Illinois (IEI)
Online Learning Consortium (OLC)
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars

Courses Taught

LING 531 Theological Foundations in International Education
LING 561 Foundations of Intercultural Communication
LING 563 Cross-Cultural Teaching and Learning
LING 601 Introduction to TEFL Methodology
LING 612 Descriptive English Grammar
LING 613 TESOL Classroom Dynamics Practicum
LING 614 Curriculum and Development
LING 615 Teaching Reading and Composition to ESL/EFL Learners
LING 619 Teaching Listening and Speaking to ESL/EFL Learners
LING 692 Comprehensive Exam
INTR 694 World Religions

Research

Dr. Barger’s research interests include intercultural competency, technology, access, and inclusive education. She also has examined history of gender and religion on education in Southeast Asia.

Presentations and Workshops

2025 “Theology, Technology, and Teacher Education.” Presented in the 10^th IAFOR International Conference on Education and Humanities, January 3-7.

2024 Fulbright US Scholar Project: Access of Education using Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Cross-Cultural English Training for Teachers in Thailand.” Center for Southeast Asian Studies Lecture. Northern Illinois University, March 1

2023 “On Teaching and Learning: Advancing Intercultural Competence through Dialogue Education.” Will present in the 8^th IAFOR International Conference on Education and Humanities, January 5-8

2022 “The Role of Culture in Higher Educational Institution Responses to COVID.” Presented in the 7^th IAFOR International Conference on Education, Honolulu, January 6-9

2021 “Stereotypes that Harm the Asian American Community.” Presented for the City of Wheaton, Wheaton Public Library, May 18

2020 “Educational Access and Opportunity through Technology in Thailand.” Presented in the 6^th International Conference on Education, Bangkok, Thailand, April 3-5

2020 “Democratization of Education through MOOCs.” Presented in the 6^th Asian Conference on International Education and Development, Tokyo, Japan, March 23-26

2019 “Exploring Cultural Identity Reflective Engagement Session.” Presented in Association of Christians in Student Development, Wheaton College, June 4

2019 “Re-envisioning Education for Women and the Majority World through MOOCs.” Presented in the Annual Conference of the Comparative International Education Society, San Francisco, April 15-19

2019 “Expressing Culture through Artistic Expression and Narrative.” Presented in the English Language Teaching Conference, Atlanta, March 12

2019 “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning: Exploring Strategies to Help Understand Your Diverse Learners.” Presented in the Annual Thailand Conference, Chiang Mai, Thailand, January 24

2018 “Developing Leadership Identity: The Transformative Dimension of Autoethnographic Research Methods.” Presented in the Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference, Las Vegas, February 26-27

2016 “Using Technology Creatively to Teach English to Adults.” Presented in the 11^th Annual ESL Chicagoland Conference, Moody Bible Institute, April 16

2015 “Reaching Out to Students from Other Different Backgrounds.” Presented in the 10^th Annual ESL Chicagoland Conference, Moody Bible Institute, April 11

2014 “Education for Females through MOOC.” Presented in the Annual Conference of the Comparative & International Education Society, Toronto, Canada, March 10-15

2013 "Grass-Roots Schooling: The Veranda Schools of Thailand (1828-1931)." Presented in the Annual Conference of the Comparative & International Education Society, New Orleans, March 10-15

2008 "Introduction to Thai language: Simple Conversational Phrases." Presented in the Sociolinguistics graduate course, Azusa Pacific University, January 22

2003 "Empowering Women through Open Universities: The Case in Thailand." Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Comparative & International Education Society, New Orleans, March 13-17

1998 "Impact on Weight Goals in Subjective Well-Being." Independent Research Project for the Department of Psychology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, March 25

Publications

2025 “Intercultural Competence: Loving our Neighbors,” (submitted chapter) in Missio Nexus 2025 book edited by N. Mullen-Leisher.

2025 “CARE for others: Culturally relevant training and adult learning,” (submitted chapter) in Missio Nexus 2025 book edited by N. Mullen-Leisher.

2025 “Theology, Technology, and Teacher Education: Implementing Thai Waterbuffalo Theology in Inclusive Education,” (under review) in International Journal of Christianity and Education.

2022 “The Syndemic of Race, Gender, and COVID-19: Culturally Comparative Reflections of Intersectional Discrimination.” In Annual Review of Comparative Education 2021 Part A edited by A. W. Wieseman (Emerald Publishing). https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/doi/10.1108/S1479-3679202242A

2022 “Strangers in a Familiar Land: A Phenomenological Study on Marginal Christianity: A Book Review.” International Bulletin of Mission Research, 46(1): 130-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969393211026463

2020 “Democratization of Education through Massive Open Online Courses in Asia.” IAFOR Journal of Education: Technology in Education, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.2.02

2020 “On Teaching and Learning: Advancing Intercultural Competence through Dialogue Education.” In Cultural Competence in Higher Education. by T. Puckett and N.S. Lind (West Yorkshire: Emerald Publishing). https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/S2055-364120200000028022/full/html?skipTracking=true

2014 “Vulnerable Age: A Case Study.” In Effective Intercultural Communication by A.S. Moreau, E.H. Campbell, and S.H Greener (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books).

2014 Religious Influences in Thai Female Education (1889-1931). (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications). https://wipfandstock.com/9781625645104/religious-influences-in-thai-female-education-1889-1931/