The research of Department of Theatre’s Assistant Professor & Theatre Teaching Area Head Sam Briggs is featured in "Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice," a journal with a 7% acceptance rate. Her article titled, "Critical Pedagogy in Theatre Teacher Preparation: A Pilot Study," examines how pre-service theatre educators conceptualize and implement critical pedagogy.

The first of its kind, this study utilized a qualitative methodology to reveal initial findings which suggest that while pre-service theatre educators have some understanding of critical pedagogy, opportunities exist to make more concrete practical applications for critical pedagogy in theatre teacher preparation. Factors that contributed to this disconnect between critical pedagogy in theory and practice include fear of political backlash, need for more explicit pedagogical engagement with critical pedagogy for theatre teaching in coursework, and explicit curriculum in self-efficacy, advocacy, and collaborative peer support.