Sun Geun ‘Casey’ Kim, Ph.D.

Education:

Ph.D., Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, Early Childhood Education, University of Oklahoma, 2025

M.A., Education, Early Childhood Education, Sookmyung Women’s University, 2018

B.A., Early Childhood Education, De La Salle University, 2013

Teaching Philosophy:

My teaching philosophy is shaped by my experiences teaching children, college students, and community learners across diverse cultural contexts. I strive to create classrooms that are inclusive, interactive, and responsive to students’ lived experiences, recognizing the knowledge, strengths, and perspectives they bring to the learning process. Grounded in sociocultural and ecological perspectives, I view learning as a collaborative process shaped by relationships, culture, and context. In teacher education courses, I model developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive strategies that students can adapt to their own classrooms. I view assessment as an ongoing process that supports learning and growth. Through formative activities, reflection, observation, portfolios, and project-based work, I provide students with varied opportunities to demonstrate their learning and recognize their progress. I also use student feedback and self-reflection to continually improve my teaching. Ultimately, my goal is to prepare future educators who approach children, families, and communities with empathy, integrity, and a commitment to creating meaningful and inclusive learning environments.

Research:

Dr. Kim’s research examines well-being across the early childhood ecosystem, including children, families, and the educators who support them. She studies how relationships, language, culture, and educational environments shape learning and development, particularly in communities experiencing trauma, displacement, or cultural and linguistic transitions. One area of her work focuses on child well-being, including language and social-emotional development. Her current research examines how triadic dual-language storybook reading can support Afghan refugee children’s social-emotional adjustment and early language development. She also studies family well-being by examining the experiences of refugee and immigrant families and the supports that promote inclusion, belonging, and positive connections with schools and early childhood programs. Another important area of Dr. Kim’s research is teacher well-being and the early childhood workforce. She examines teachers’ working conditions, job demands, teacher-child relationships, professional commitment, and access to workforce supports. Her scholarship combines quantitative and qualitative approaches and aims to inform teacher preparation, classroom practice, family support, and early childhood policy.

Outreach:

Dr. Kim’s outreach connects research, teacher preparation, and community well-being. She has supported refugee children and families through childcare and English-language-learning programs, including work with Afghan families. She has also contributed to initiatives focused on early childhood teacher well-being and advocated for stronger supports and working conditions for educators. Her community experiences include teaching children in church and community settings, supporting children’s literacy development, participating in international exchange programs, and serving children and families in the Philippines, South Korea, and the United States. These experiences inform her commitment to culturally responsive education and partnerships among universities, schools, early childhood programs, families, and community organizations.

Biography:

Before joining the University of South Alabama, Dr. Kim served as a lecturer and teaching and research assistant at the University of Oklahoma, where she taught undergraduate students and developed research experience in early childhood education, child development, refugee and immigrant families, and teacher well-being. Having immigrated to the Philippines at age eight, Dr. Kim witnessed educational disparities and saw how poverty and unequal access to resources can affect children’s learning and development. She later taught preschoolers as a lead teacher in South Korea. These multicultural and multilingual experiences shaped her interest in child development and her vision and mission to support families living in poverty or with limited access to education. Her work seeks to strengthen the resources, relationships, and educational supports that can help close these gaps.