Professor Receives National Recognition for Research on Addressing Social Class through Literature Instruction

Sophia Tatiana Sarigianides, Ph.D., professor and coordinator of English Education at Westfield State University, has received an honorable mention for the Alan C. Purves Award in recognition of her research exploring how young adult literature can help future ELA teachers better understand the experiences and identities of all students and their social classes, but especially those of working-class students. The study explores how three working-class students worked through working-class experiences previously silenced in education spaces.

Sarigianides was recognized for her article, “Mourning Working-Class Identities through Young Adult Literature in an English Education Classroom,” published in Research in the Teaching of English, a scholarly journal focused on literacy and English language arts education.

The Alan C. Purves Award recognizes research likely to have a significant impact on teachers’ understanding of literacy learning and instruction. A committee reviews articles published within each volume of the journal and selects research for recognition based on its potential influence on teaching and learning.

Sarigianides’ research examines how young adult literature and classroom discussions about social class can help future English language arts teachers better understand the experiences and identities of working-class students. The study explores how students engage with literature that reflects their own backgrounds, providing opportunities to acknowledge experiences, confront societal perceptions of social class, and reflect on aspects of their identities that may have been overlooked or marginalized.

In response to the award, Sarigianides said, "It was an honor just to be published in this journal, and for this research, but to also have received this recognition means so much!"

The findings highlight the importance of incorporating literature that portrays working-class lives with dignity and authenticity. Such texts can help students recognize the value of their lived experiences while preparing future educators to better understand the diverse backgrounds of the students they will teach.

The recognition adds to Sarigianides’ distinguished record of scholarship in English education. In 2025, she received the English Language Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE) Janet Emig Award for her article, “Affecting Social Class Literacy: Classed Emotions in Preservice Teachers’ Lives, Literature Analysis, and Future Teaching.”  

She was also a recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Book Award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) for Letting Go of Literary Whiteness: Antiracist Literature Instruction for White Students, coauthored with Carlin Borsheim-Black.

Together, these honors reflect Sarigianides’ ongoing contributions to research examining how literature, identity, and social experiences shape classroom instruction and the preparation of future educators.

The Alan C. Purves Award honorable mention will be formally announced at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Conference in Philadelphia, on November 21, 2026.