Lydiah Nganga
Professor of Elementary & Early Childhood Education (Faculty)
School of Teacher Education
Education
- B.S. University of Wyoming 1998
- M.S. University of Wyoming 2000
- Ph.D. University of Wyoming 2005
Biography
Lydiah Nganga, Ph.D. is Professor in the School of Teacher Education, College of Education, at the University of Wyoming. Since joining the faculty in 2005, she has taught and mentored undergraduate and graduate students in areas including social studies and humanities methods, multicultural education, learning theories, education and diversity, oral and written language development, and early childhood education. Her teaching is grounded in a strong commitment to connecting theory with practice, helping future educators apply research, reflection, and culturally responsive approaches in real-world classroom settings.
Dr. Nganga’s scholarship focuses on teacher education, early childhood education, global and intercultural education, Indigenous education, social justice, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Her research and professional work emphasize equity, decolonizing educational practices, and preparing educators to teach in diverse and changing communities. She has published widely, with more than 70 scholarly works, including two books, book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed journals. She is widely recognized for her leadership in scholarship and academic publishing, serving as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Research in Childhood Education, Associate Editor for Frontiers in Education (Teacher Education), and Editor for Cogent Education (Teacher Education and Development). She has also led multiple special issues in highly ranked journals focused on Indigenous education, socially just teacher development, SDG 4 (the United Nations’ Quality Education goal), equity in higher education, and teaching for democracy and citizenship across nations.
Her works in progress include a collaborative book project, Teaching Indigenous Histories Across Nations, with an international team of contributors and a projected publication date of 2027.
Her work has been recognized through numerous honors, including the Outstanding Faculty Research and Scholarship Award (University of Wyoming College of Education, 2009), the 2025 U.S. Fulbright Scholar Fellowship, and the 2023–2025 Everett D. and Elizabeth M. Lantz Distinguished Professorship in Education.
