Interdisciplinary excellence
Presented during the 54th CSSE conference held in Winnipeg, Valade was recognized with graduate student awards from two constituent associations: the Canadian Association for the Study of Women in Education (CASWE/ACÉFÉ) and the Canadian Association for Research in Early Childhood (CAREC).
Valade’s award-winning MA thesis examines how Quebec news media framed the expansion of universal kindergarten at two pivotal moments, separated by six decades.
Her research project, "Pour le bien des enfants?" ("For the Good of the Children?"): Critical News Media Analysis of Deficit Discourses in the Expansion of Quebec's Kindergarten Program in 1960-1962 and 2018, shows how the media consistently relied on negative assumptions about children and families and then shifted to contemporary concerns about motherhood and Quebec identity.
Valade’s scholarly work received high praise from the leadership of each association.
“The awards committee was particularly impressed by Tifanie’s interdisciplinary work in bringing together feminist theory, critical psychology, historical inquiry, and media analysis to examine the universalization of kindergarten education...” said CASWE Past President Jessica Prioletta.
“Her thesis makes a particularly valuable contribution by bridging an important gap in English scholarship by analyzing French news media and historical literature from the Quebec context,” she explained.
CAREC Past President Joanne Lehrer said that the “project is particularly noteworthy for its interdisciplinary approach, as well as its theoretical sophistication.”
“Her application of an intersectional lens, as well as her attention to Quebec’s unique historical and political context, illuminates how such debates are enmeshed in broader political and cultural controversies. Many of the questions she raises remain extremely timely. This thesis exemplifies the highest standard of graduate research,” she added.
“This recognition is particularly meaningful coming from associations focused on critical, progressive research in the areas of early childhood education and women’s contributions to education.”
Tifanie Valade, MA Ed ’25
— CASWE and CAREC Graduate Research Awards Recipient
Looking at education through a feminist lens
In reflecting on her awards, Valade’s passion for uncovering women’s often-overlooked contributions to history is clear.
“This recognition is particularly meaningful coming from associations focused on critical, progressive research in the areas of early childhood education and women’s contributions to education. I think this project speaks to the need for a continual re-evaluation of our understanding of the roles women have historically played in early years education, including in the establishment of publicly funded kindergarten,” says Valade.
“It also raises complex political and social questions that are relevant today, particularly with regard to the ways that gender, class and national identity are mobilized to shape the public’s understanding of new educational policies. I’m grateful to the selection committees of both CASWE and CAREC for their support, and hope that this project will inspire continued research in this area.”
About Tifanie Valade
Tifanie Valade, MA, is a part-time professor in the Faculty of Education. She was an invited panelist for the launch of the book Women, Gender, and History Education: Perspectives from Ontario and Quebec (2025), and co-author of one of its chapters: (Re)Framing Our Past, Contesting the Present: Centring Diverse Women’s Historical Agency in the Framing Our Past 2.0 Project (2024).
