Dr. Elizabeth Barber of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University recently co-authored, "Teachers, Children, AIDS, Photovoice Project" in Malawi, sub-Saharan Africa, in the 2008-09 publication, International Journal Self Help and Self Care.

Barber, an assistant professor in the Leadership Studies Program, and Dr. Vanessa Duren-Winfield participated in "action research" as a form of mutual aid and self help.

The article tells about the research project conducted by Barber in Malawi in the summer of 2007, in which the researchers assisted Malawian teachers in creating their own culturally-comprehensible HIV/AIDS teaching materials for Standards 1-8. According to research, in Malawi, one adult in five and one child in ten tests positive for HIV/AIDS. Thanks to the intervention of Malawian Standard 7 teacher Gift Kawiza, the use of teacher-authored big books was written into national curriculum for teaching about HIV/AIDS.

Other works by Barber include: co-authoring of "...And her husband beat her until she was bleeding heavily" article published in the WILLA Journal of the Women in Literature and Life Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, XVI, 3-13. The article documents the situation for girls in Malawian culture, which is reinforced in problematic school textbooks. Working with teachers co-authors and researchers (Ussi, A., Kapenuka, L., Malembanje, R., Chikhasu, F.) and LEST graduate Marjorie Jenkins authored this article to gain a public awareness of the relationship between schooling materials and cultural reproduction that oppresses girls and women.

Barber co-authored a book chapter (Smith, T., Wilson, C., Greenlee, J., Duren-Winfield, V. & Hargett, T., 2009) from her service learning study abroad experience which produced a context for developing a global "ethic of care." The chapter will be published in Harvey, Michael & Barbour, JoAnn Danelo, Eds., Global leadership: Portraits of the past, visions for the future. College Park, MD: James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership. The chapter examines the role of service learning research in third world countries as a training ground for more ethical global leaders. C. Wilson’s dissertation research explored the relationship between third world service experiences and growth in levels of moral reasoning. Greenlee, Duren-Winfield and Hargett reflected upon their own experiences in Malawi in Summer 2007 to provide grounding for the chapter.

Barber has also presented at a host of conferences including the International Leadership Association Conference; the National Council of Teachers of English Conference; the Lilly South Conference; and, the PACE North Carolina Campus Compact Conference.