معرفی
Dr. Esther Prins is a Professor of Education in the Learning and Performance Systems department at Pennsylvania State University's College of Education. She serves as Co-Director of both the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy and the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy (ISAL).
Her research employs critical and sociocultural theories to examine various forms of literacies (adult, family, digital, health), adult basic education, rural adult education, and participatory approaches to education, community development, and research. Her scholarship particularly explores the "wider benefits" of adult education and how it reproduces or mitigates inequities rooted in race/ethnicity, class, gender, and immigration status. Her primary focus is on community-based programs in adult and family literacy, including adult English as a Second Language (ESOL).
Dr. Prins has recently expanded her research to explore the influence of White Christian nationalism in public education, school board elections, adult education, and literacy studies. Her work spans numerous disciplines with publications in journals such as Educational Researcher, American Educational Research Journal, Adult Education Quarterly, and Rural Sociology. Her research has been supported by major funding agencies including the National Science Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, and Spencer Foundation.
Selected awards:
- Exemplary Paper Award, Adult Literacy and Adult Education SIG, AERA (2025)
- Graduate Faculty Teaching Award, Penn State (2019)
- Mildred B. and Charles A. Wedemeyer Award for Outstanding Scholar in Distance Education (2013)
- Outstanding Researcher Award, College of Education, Penn State (2011)
- Imogene Okes Award for Outstanding Research, AAACE (2010)
- Outstanding Paper by an Early Career Scholar Award, AERA (2007)
Dr. Prins has co-authored the book "Teaching and Learning about Family Literacy and Family Literacy Programs" (Routledge, 2022) and co-edited "Family and Intergenerational Literacy and Learning: International Perspectives" (UNESCO, 2025). She is actively engaged in community outreach, presenting her research on White Christian nationalism to churches and community groups.
