John Holst

John Holst is an Associate Professor of Education in the College of Education at The Pennsylvania State University, affiliated with the Department of Learning and Performance Systems. His academic journey includes a Bachelor's in US History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1988), a Master's in Adult and Continuing Education from Northern Illinois University (1994), and an Ed.D. in Adult and Continuing Education from Northern Illinois University (2000).

Holst's research examines radical adult education through historical and contemporary social movements, critical pedagogy, and international perspectives. His work emphasizes labor rights, anti-racism, and transformative learning in marginalized communities, with extensive publications spanning adult education theory, social justice, and comparative studies.

He has authored seminal books including Social Movements, Civil Society, and Radical Adult Education (2002) and co-authored Radicalizing Learning: Adult Education for a Just World (2010), which received the Cyril O. Houle Award. His scholarship appears in leading journals like Adult Education Quarterly and Harvard Educational Review, translated into four languages.

• Awards:
  • Houle Scholar Fellowship (2001-2003)
  • Cyril O. Houle Award for Radicalizing Learning (2011)