Giovanni P. Dazzo

Assistant Professor
Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy

Biography

Dr. Giovanni P. Dazzo is an interdisciplinary researcher and evaluator who integrates theories and methodological practices from anthropology, community psychology, restorative justice and conflict transformation, and education. As a methodologist, he employs critical forms of participatory action research, ethnography, narrative and visual inquiries, and program evaluation. Prior to joining the Mary Frances Early College of Education, he led the research and evaluation unit at a human rights funding agency.

As a first-generation college student raised in rural Central California by immigrant parents, Dr. Dazzo believes universities should be welcoming environments for all, inside and outside the classroom. He is interested in service opportunities, having previously served on the Board of the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) local affiliate in Washington, D.C. , where he launched a mentorship program and pro bono evaluation initiative, which have been replicated by other affiliates.

Dr. Dazzo is open to community partnerships and new Ph.D. students. If you are interested in exploring how communities can be more equitably involved in the research process (e.g., community-engaged research, participatory action research), or understanding how evidence can be used to influence social good, please feel free to email.

Areas of Expertise

Participatory Action Research
Program Evaluation
Narrative Inquiry
Ethnography
Critical theories and methodologies

Interests

Restorative forms of inquiry / Research that heals
Intersection of validity and ethics
Equitable access and participation in research
Community-informed policymaking
Critical theories in methodological training

Concentrations

Qualitative Research

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Research Methodology
George Mason University
Master in Public Management
Bocconi University
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Political Science
University of California, Los Angeles

Contact

River's Crossing, 310

giovannidazzo

Office Hours

By appointment

Research Summary

As a methodologist, Dr. Dazzo is committed to a research agenda focused on critical approaches to research, methodology, and policy studies. Based on his experience working across nonprofits, federal government, multilateral agencies, and academia, he is most interested in partnerships that ensure evidence is utilized in ways that learn from and benefit communities subjected to structural violence, racism, and abuse. His current research agenda includes (1) exploring transformative and restorative forms of inquiry, seeking to critically question overly technocratic practices that exacerbate deficit models, racialized narratives, and extractive forms of learning; (2) imagining new futures by working alongside communities to inform how policymakers interact and consider community-informed evidence, and methodology (i.e., how researchers can learn from communities to rethink how they conduct research); and (3) testing critical pedagogical practices, to formulate methodological lessons from those who use their experiential knowledge to advocate for societal change.

Dr. Dazzo’s current research includes partnerships in the U.S. and abroad, including: working with high school students to explore how racial and ethnic minoritization and criminalization impact their mental health, and their recommendations to counter this within schools; and collaborating with an Indigenous Maya community in Guatemala to explore how their knowledge systems can educate others on memorialization, justice, and restorative forms of inquiry (i.e., how research can heal, rather than simply prove a point).