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Negin Dahya wins prestigious award for education research

Negin Dahya
Negin Dahya

Information School Assistant Professor Negin Dahya is among this year’s recipients of the prestigious American Educational Research Association (AERA) awards.

Dahya was the co-author of an article titled “Pathways to Educational Success Among Refugees” that won the Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award for outstanding article in an association-sponsored publication. She shares the honor with colleagues Sarah Dryden-Peterson and Elizabeth Adelman, both of Harvard University.

The article, which appeared in the July 2017 edition of American Educational Research Journal, addresses the plight of millions of young adults around the world who are living in refugee camps and surrounded by conflict. These young people have limited opportunities for education, yet their education is essential in ending conflict and rebuilding war-torn countries. The article seeks to identify ways that young adults in such settings can have success in education despite such difficult conditions.

“Recognition of the value of our work from the leading education research organization in the country not only demonstrates the value of our work, but more importantly surfaces the critical importance of refugee education research nationally,” Dahya said. “The most important outcome from this award is the exposure of the work in terms of a wider audience engaging in and learning about issues in refugee education in camps and across diaspora.”

The Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award recognizes the lifelong achievement of Johnson as an educator and his work in educational research and methodology. It is among a set of annual awards that honor outstanding contributions to education research. Dahya and her fellow award recipients will be honored at an awards luncheon April 15 in New York City.

“This AERA award is an amazing recognition of the hugely impactful work that Negin and her colleagues have done understanding the information needs of refugees, particularly in the area of education,” Information School Dean Anind Dey said. “Her work is a great demonstration of the expansive reach and impact that information science research can have.”