Tribute to Stefinee Pinnegar

A world-renowned expert in teacher knowledge and teacher development, Stefinee Pinnegar has devoted her intellectual efforts to improving teaching practice through reflection and making tacit knowledge of teaching explicit. She was born and raised in St. George, Utah, and earned an associate degree from Dixie College and a bachelor's degree in English teaching from Southern Utah University. She taught for two years at Valley High School in Sanders, Arizona, before returning to earn a master's degree in English from Brigham Young University (BYU), working with the well-respected poet and scholar, Arthur Henry King.

With husband and fellow scholar Fred Pinnegar, Stefinee moved to Indiana, where she taught English Language Arts at Tuttle Junior High. Eventually, Fred and Stefinee attended the University of Arizona where she earned a doctoral degree in educational psychology in 1989. Stefinee's work there included the expert/novice project. Her dissertation findings were that what teachers know about their students is mostly tacit and observational knowledge. She won the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division K Dissertation of the Year Award in 1990. Her chair, Sarah Denham, introduced her to qualitative research. While at Arizona, she also worked with Virginia Richardson, Walter Doyle, and Kathy Carter.