2011 Student Research Awards: Call for Nominations

The CEC Division for Research seeks nominations for the 2011 Student Research Award. This award recognizes high-quality research across multiple research methodologies conducted by students in the course of their undergraduate or graduate special education training program. The Division will award up to three such awards annually, with one award presented in each of up to three areas of research designs or methodologies: qualitative, single-subject, and quantitative. No award will be given in any research methodology area if an exemplary, high-quality research study is not submitted; thus, there may be fewer than three awards presented in any given year. Nominations are sought across all areas of special education services and are due by October 15, 2010.

Criteria

1. The nominated student must be the sole or first author of the nominated manuscript and the research study must represent the student's intellectual work.
2. The nominated research study must have been conceptualized and conducted while the first author was a student.
3. The nominated study must not be in press at the time of submission nor have been published prior to submission for the award.
4. The nominated manuscript must not exceed 45 double-spaced pages, not including tables and references. Manuscripts should be formatted according to APA 5.0 guidelines.
5. Independent of the methodological area in which the manuscript is submitted, research studies nominated must adhere to standards for high-quality research advocated for in the field of special education and by the Division for Research. Detailed quality indicators of high-quality research in each of the identified methodological areas (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, single-subject) can be found in the Winter 2005 special issue of Exceptional Children, Volume 71(2), edited by Odom et al. Applicants are referred to this issue for guidance. Please note that the quantitative category for this award includes group experimental and quasi-experimental designs (Gerston et al., 2005) and correlational designs (Thompson, Diamond, McWilliam, Snyder, & Snyder, 2005).

Nomination Process

1. Nominations may be self-nominations or nominations from another person, such as an academic advisor or professional colleague.
2. Include a brief cover letter (no more than one page, single spaced) that:
a) identifies the title of the manuscript
b) states the methodological area in which the research is being submitted for consideration
c) provides written assurances that the research was conceptualized and conducted by the nominee and while the nominee was a student and has not been accepted for publication; and
d) provides all current contact information (name, title, position, affiliation, address, telephone number, email address).
3. Include one electronic copy of the manuscript reporting the research being nominated.
4. Cover letters and the nominated manuscript must be submitted as an attachment to an email message by October 15, 2010.  Send nominations to wehmeyer@ku.edu.

Award Details

The awardee in each research method area will receive payment of registration for the 2011 CEC Annual Convention, to be held April 25-28, 2011 in National Harbor, MD (near Washignton, DC); a free membership to CEC-DR for one year; and a certificate. In addition, the awardee(s) will receive their certificate and be recognized during the CEC-DR Reception during the 2011 CEC Convention.

Questions can be directed to:

Michael L. Wehmeyer, Ph.D.
Chair, Student Research Award Committee
Professor of Special Education
University of Kansas
1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Room 3136
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
785-864-0723
wehmeyer@ku.edu

References

Gersten, R., Fuchs., L.S., Compton, D., Coyne, M., Greenwood, C., & Innocenti, M.S. (2005). Quality indicators for group experimental and quasi-experimental research in special education. Exceptional Children, 71(2), 149-164.

Odom, S.L., Bratlinger, E., Gersten, R., Horner, R.H., Thompson, B. & Harris, K.R. (2005). Research in special education: Scientific methods and evidence-based practices. Exceptional Children, 71(2), 137-148.

Thompson, B., Diamond, K.E., McWilliam, R., Snyder, P., & Snyder, S.W. (2005). Evaluating the quality of evidence from correlational research for evidence-based practice. Exceptional Children, 71(2), 181-194.