Laila Y. Sanguras, PhD

Professional Summary

Dr. Laila Y. Sanguras is a the Chair of the Professional Online Learning Unit in the Moody School of Education. She teaches courses in the EdD in Learning and Organizational Change program, specializing in research methods. Most of her work is focused on supporting students through the Problem of Practice dissertation development process. 

Dr. Sanguras’ areas of teaching include educational evaluation and mixed methods research. She won the Award for Outstanding Teaching from Baylor University for the 2020-2021 school year and is a faculty advisor to students in cohort 9.

Dr. Sanguras continues to build her understanding of issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She recently participated in 2U's eight-week Diversity Workshop and Baylor University's eight-week Seeing White discussion. She also co-facilitated a DEIB discussion and resource-sharing opportunity for EdD-LOC faculty.

Dr. Sanguras’ primary scholarly interest is the development of psychosocial skills, particularly grit and coping, and how teachers and parents can support their children to succeed academically and personally. Additionally, she is passionate about equity, particularly focused on how the current methods of identifying students for gifted programs can be revised to ensure equitable representation. She works closely with school districts and parent organizations to bring research to practice. Dr. Sanguras also presents at numerous professional conferences and enjoys mentoring students on their personal research projects.

In 2023, Dr. Sanguras was awarded a fellowship with the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP). She is excited to work more with this dataset to further the field's understanding of student achievement.

Education

• PhD, Educational Research, University of North Texas (2017)
• MSEd, Curriculum and Instruction, Portland State University (2002)
• BA, Education, Western Oregon University (1999)

Research Interests

• Educational research methods
• Using AI to support graduate student research
• Supporting neurodivergent graduate students
• Mixed methods research designs

Select Publications

Kettler, T., Ruiz, B. N.*, Sanguras, L. Y., Gunel, N.*, & Chance, M.* (2025). Validating a creative teaching inventory: A mixed methods approach to construct validity. Methods in Psychology, 13, Article 100207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metip.2025.100207

Kaul, C. R., Werse, N. R., Smith, J., Shelton, R. N., Davis Jones, B. K., Howell, L., Sanguras, L. Y., & Crocker Papadakis, L. K. (2024). Exploring doctoral writing self-efficacy and apprehension in the dissertation process: A convergent mixed methods study. American Journal of Distance Education.  

Sanguras, L. Y., Kettler, T., Gibson, S. D.*, Torres, A. M.*, & Haqqi, H. S.* (2023). Improving equity in gifted education: Analyzing the fairness of the Scales for the Identification of Gifted Students (SIGS-2; 2023). Gifted and Talented International, 38(1), 31-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332276.2023.2237555

* Indicates student co-author.

Select Presentations

Sanguras, L. Y. & Coussens, R.* (2025, October). Broadening Scholarly Practice: Engaging EdD Students in Diverse Research Projects to Advance Equity and Inquiry. Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, Philadelphia, PN.

Meyer, M. & Sanguras, L. Y. (2025, October). Starting Points and Sticking Points: Navigating the Dissertation Writing Process with Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools. Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, Philadelphia, PN.

Werse, N. R., Dunnigan, J., Borel, D. A., Kozak, M., & Sanguras, L. Y. (2025, October). Harnessing AI: Shaping the Future of CPED EdD Programs through Challenges and Opportunities. Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, Philadelphia, PN.

Werse, N. R., Sanguras, L. Y., Meyer, M., & Smith, J. (2025, October). Developing Policies and Guidance for the Ethical Use of AI in EdD Programs. Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, Philadelphia, PN.

Smith, J., Sanguras, L. Y., Kaul, C., & Werse, N. R. (2025, April). Dissertation Readiness: An Examination of Doctoral Student Self-Evaluations and Faculty Advisor Ratings. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Denver, CO. 

* Indicates student co-presenter.