Call for Proposals

The 2008 HGSE Student Research Conference organizing team is pleased to invite proposals for the 2008 HGSE Student Research Conference. We welcome proposals from graduate students at Harvard and other institutions, as well as from recent HGSE graduates and visiting scholars conducting research in education-related issues who wish to share their work and receive feedback from other students and HGSE faculty. This is a great opportunity for graduate students at different stages of their graduate careers, from discussing initial ideas about a research project to fine-tuning their presentations for upcoming national conferences, such as AERA, SRCD or CIES. Proposals will be accepted between December 14, 2007 and January 7, 2008.

Topics: Topics may range in scope and scale, and may reflect theoretical or empirical approaches to the study of education. This year’s theme, The Power of Education Research: Translating Research into Action, is intended to promote and inspire research as a stepping stone for change. We conceptualize translating research into action broadly; submissions might include anything from a school intervention project to a literature review that could be used to promote change. We encourage presentations that encompass human development, learning and teaching, educational administration, policy and planning, and school and community contexts. Research may also address issues relevant to education from disciplines such as psychology, sociology, economics, history, health, law, or public policy, or may take a multidisciplinary perspective. Methodological approaches may reflect this diversity of perspectives and approaches to educational research.

Presentation Formats/Options: There are three presentation formats: individual paper, roundtable, and poster session. Prospective presenters will be asked to indicate their presentation format when submitting a proposal.

Individual Papers: Paper presentation sessions provide an opportunity for an author to present an abbreviated version of a paper that is completed or in development. Presenters will be placed on panels with 2-3 others whose papers share a common theme. Panels will consist of individual presentations followed by a question and feedback period. Panels will be moderated by a discussant (generally a faculty member from HGSE) with interest and expertise in the panel theme. This format is especially appropriate for presenting qualifying papers, dissertation chapters, term projects for courses, and other projects of similar scope and commitment. Papers may represent a variety of approaches to research, from theoretical or positional papers on educational topics to empirical investigations carried out by the author(s). A collaborative team may apply together to present a single paper; in such cases, the team will submit a single proposal to the SRC, and collaborating presenters will be limited to the same amount of time as each other individual panelist.

Round Table: Round table sessions are designed to allow extensive discussion and feedback for the presenter in a more informal context than paper presentations. This format is especially well suited to students who wish to discuss aspects of developing research projects, including their research questions, methodology, sampling, and initial protocols. Students may apply individually or in groups of up to three; accepted individual applicants will be grouped with others who share common interests to form a complete round table. Roundtables are moderated by advanced doctoral students, and are characterized by discussion among the presenters and participants around the topic of the table. Authors are encouraged to bring handouts that highlight key points for discussion.

Poster Session: The poster session provides a venue for students to present their work to a wide community. Presenters create a graphic display representing their work. During the poster session, all posters will be displayed simultaneously in a conference space, and each presenter is expected to stand by his or her poster to engage in discussion with audience members. Presenters are encouraged to bring handouts that highlight key points for distribution to conference attendees. The feedback for poster sessions is less formal. Because the poster session is open to all conference attendees, presenters will have an opportunity to succinctly describe and discuss their work with students, faculty, and visitors who may or may not be familiar with the presentation topic. This format is especially well suited to presentation of term papers and projects, developing research projects, and research proposals.

Proposal Submission

Proposals must be submitted ONLINE beginning Friday, December 14, 2007 and before the deadline of 5:00PM EST on Monday, January 7, 2008.

  • Proposal submissions will only be accepted through the 2008 HGSE Student Research Conference Web site: http://www.hgse-src2008.org/proposal.html. If you do not have Web access, please contact the SRC Co-Chairs at the address below and alternate accommodations can be arranged.
  • Applicants should include the following information with their proposals:
    1. a title of no more than 100 characters
    2. a 100 - 150 word summary (to be used in the conference program)
    3. an abstract of 500-750 words (to be used by the Proposal Review Committee)
  • Answers to common questions about proposals and the submission process can be found in our online FAQ page, at http://www.hgse-src2008.org/proposal_faq.html.

Selection Process and Criteria

Each proposal will be blind reviewed by two members of the proposal review committee. Each reviewer will adhere to a predetermined set of criteria to make a recommendation to accept, reject, or return with suggestions for re-submission.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  1. Presents a clear research question(s) or clear position statement
  2. Makes connections to existing educational research with citations of published references
  3. Includes an original thesis, expands an existing theory or addresses an unexplored area of research
  4. Describes research design and methods, and the plan for collecting and analyzing data (Note: Proposals presenting a literature review, theoretical argument or other non-empirical presentation are not expected to meet this criterion.)
  5. Makes a logical argument or presents findings/conclusions
  6. Includes implications for educational research, policy or practice
  7. Is clearly written, with logical organization

For more information, please visit our website at http://www.hgse-src2008.org, or contact the SRC Co-Chairs, Analía Jaimovich, Meredith Mira, and Jennie Weiner at trichairs@hgse-src2008.org.

To view, print, save or download this document as a PDF, please click here.