story by Claire Miller
Adult education programs can be valuable resources for adults seeking to earn their General Educational Development (GED) credential, build their literacy skills and prepare for future job opportunities.
Amani Talwar (M.S. ’16, Ph.D. ’19) saw this firsthand as an undergraduate student volunteering at an adult education program.
“The adult learners I interacted with were working toward better job opportunities and a brighter future for their family. Many were balancing home responsibilities and demanding work schedules to make it to class,” she said. “My interest in educational psychology stemmed from a desire to understand how to strengthen adult education programming and improve outcomes for the adults who invest so much of their time and energy into these classes.”
With this experience in mind, Talwar applied to the educational psychology graduate program in Georgia State University’s College of Education & Human Development (CEHD).
She concurrently worked on her master’s and doctoral degrees in educational psychology. She had opportunities early on to conduct research in adult education with Distinguished University Professor Daphne Greenberg and present her work at the ProLiteracy Conference on Adult Education in Charleston, S.C., in 2015.
“At the conference, I presented to an audience of adult education instructors and program administrators from around the country. It was a privilege to share research-based recommendations for instructional strategies that educators can implement in the classroom,” she said. “This experience reinforced my commitment to supporting and strengthening the adult education system with rigorous research.”
Talwar was selected for the CEHD’s Dean’s Research Doctoral Fellowship Program and worked as a research associate in the college’s former Center for the Study of Adult Literacy, a federally funded research center focused on developing curriculum and best practices for helping adult learners reach their reading goals.
After earning her master’s (2016) and doctoral degrees (2019) in educational psychology, Talwar accepted a full-time postdoctoral research associate position in the college and worked with faculty in the Department of Learning Sciences and the Department of Psychology on research in adult and postsecondary education.
Now, she works as a researcher at the American Institutes for Research, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that conducts behavioral and social science research.
“I work on applied research in adult education, with an emphasis on improving educational and employment outcomes for underserved adult learners by addressing systemic barriers and inequities,” she explained. “Engaging in this work is deeply rewarding, particularly when conducting research in partnership with adult education programs and state agencies. I value the opportunity to generate evidence and actionable insights that can drive meaningful change in the adult education field.”
She hopes that future educational psychology students take advantage of the opportunities and experiences that she had while at Georgia State and develop their research and communication skills.
“The faculty in the educational psychology program are renowned experts in their fields and, in my experience, extremely supportive of students’ interests and goals,” she said. “I encourage students to find community with their peers, utilize the various resources that are offered by the university and make meaningful professional connections with CEHD faculty and staff. I am grateful to have worked with inspiring and supportive mentors, who have since become esteemed colleagues in my professional network.”