Deborah's research interests are in the areas of teaching, research and professional service related to teaching and teacher education in physical education and sport; curricular initiatives, assessment, instructional strategies, supervision and mentoring, and continuing professional development through communities of practice. Tannehill, D. (October 2013). The Journey to Become a Teacher Educator. BERA SIG Scholar Lecture 2013, University of Sussex, UK. Current ProjectsWork in Communities of PracticeMacPhail, A., Patton, K., Parker, M., and; Tannehill, D. Teacher Educators' Professional Learning through Communities of Practice.Tannehill, D., Murphy, G., and; USI Teachers. Urban Schools Initiative: Developing a Community in Urban Schools. Current BooksTannehill, D., MacPhail. A., Halbert, G., and; Murphy, F. (2012). Research and Practice in Physical Education. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge. Tannehill, D., van der Mars, H., and; MacPhail, A. (in press). Building, Delivering and Sustainting Effective Physical Education Programs. Sudbury, MA: Jones and; Bartlett.Lund, J., and; Tannehill, D. (in development). Standards-based Curriculum Development in Physical Education. Sudbury, MA: Jones and; Bartlett. Due to publisher July 2013.   

Dr. Deborah Tannehill is an Emeritus Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences and leads the Sport Pedagogy Research theme of the department. She was a teaching faculty member of the department from 2005-2013 and was co-director of the PE PAYS Research Centre at the University of Limerick.

Prior to her teaching post in the department, Deborah was Professor of Physical Education and Assistant Dean of the School of Physical Education at Pacific Lutheran University located in Tacoma, Washington. Prior to her tenure at Pacific Lutheran, Deborah taught and conducted research on teaching and teacher education at The Ohio State University for 11 years. She also taught and coached at the University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, and for ten years in the Lake Washington School District was a physical education teacher and coach. Deborah has served her profession, community and university in a variety of ways. Dr. Tannehill earned her Bachelor of Science in physical education from Washington State University, her M.A. in Guidance and Counseling from Seattle University, and her Ph.D. in Sport Pedagogy from the University of Idaho. Active in state, district, and national professional organizations, Deborah served as Editor of the NASPE Assessment Series, NASPE Publications Coordinator, Chair of the COPPE Advisory Board, CUPEC Advisory Board, NASPE National Beginning Teaching Standards, the NASPE/NCATE Teacher Education Program Guidelines, and the K-12 Content Standards Revision. She is past Editor of the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, served on the editorial board of Quest and the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. Over a number of years Deborah has served as President of Washington AHPERD, on the design team for the Health and; Fitness Summer Institutes for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and is a frequent consultant for school districts in the state of Washington and now in Ireland. Deborah has been awarded the Washington AHPERD Professor of the Year award, NASPE Joy of Effort Award, inducted into the AAHPERD Research Consortium as a Research Fellow, presented with a NASPE Presidential Citation, and The Ohio State University Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching. She has published over 50 articles, 24 book chapters, co-authored four textbooks, and given over 90 presentations at the state, district, national, and international level. A frequent presenter, Deborah gave the twenty-ninth Amy Morris Homans Lecture to NAKPEHE in January 2005 and has shared her insights through numerous keynote lectures in Turkey, Israel, the UK and Ireland.