Australian Literacy Educators' Association Research Grant
The Australian Literacy Educators' Association is providing small grants for schools and teachers who wish to conduct research inquiries with a focus on literacy education. Each research project must have the support of an academic partner. Contingent upon available funding the grants may be awarded for up to $6000 per year, although priority will be given to smaller grants in order to support as many research projects as possible.
Grant studies may be carried out using any research methods so long as the focus of the project is on literacy development and learning within the school context. Activities such as developing new programs or instructional materials are not eligible for funding.
Upon completion of the project the findings must be disseminated in the form of an article for an ALEA journal and/or conference presentation at the ALEA national conference. Recipients should take this into consideration when constructing the budget.
Eligibility. All applicants must be individual members of the Australian Literacy Educators' Association and there must be at least one practising classroom teacher K-12 with fulltime responsibilities. Applicants must include an academic partner who is willing to guide and support the teacher(s) and school throughout the duration of the project. Successful grant recipients cannot apply for another ALEA grant.
Deadline. Proposals must be received by 15th June each year. Notification will be in August so that there is time for planning of the project to begin in the following year.
Review Process. Grants will be reviewed by a sub-committee that will include the Executive of ALEA National Council and at least two members of National Council, who are currently working in schools.
Completion of Projects. Projects must be completed within one year of the award date. An interim report is due midway through the project and a final report upon the project's completion.
PROPOSAL PREPARATION
Submit your proposal by email to alea@netspace.net.au and include letters of reference and a signed, scanned cover sheet (see below). In preparing the proposal, adhere explicitly to the following guidelines. Incomplete proposals, late proposals, or proposals not in compliance with the guidelines will not be eligible.
The completed proposal should be typed in 12-point or larger type, 1.5 spacing and organized according to the following five sections in the following order:
1. Cover sheet with name and contact details
2. Title and 100-word summary
3. Description of proposed research, not to exceed 5 pages
4. Budget summary form, not to exceed $6,000
5. Reference letters
Proposal.
1. Cover Sheet. Complete all items on the cover sheet and sign it.
2. Title and Abstract. The first page of the proposal should contain the title, exactly as it appears on the Cover Sheet and a succinct, 100-word abstract describing the purpose, method, and potential significance of the research.
3. Description of the Research. The description of the proposed research should be as specific as possible but limited to five pages in 12-point or larger type and 1.5 spacing. The description must include:
• Describe your teaching context (e.g., school setting, community, classroom environment). What role do you play in this context and what is the nature of your role as a teacher researcher? What role will the academic partner play?
• Research Question: Identify the research question or problem being studied.
• Rationale: Provide a rationale for the study.
• Describe your role (and your team) as teacher researchers:
- How will you (and your team) benefit specifically?
- How did you become interested in this question?
- What do you already know about the question from any professional literature and from your (and your team's) own experiences that will help you with the project?
- How will you as teachers, your students, and the broader school community benefit from this research?
• Research Methods: In this subsection, describe the research methods you will employ in the study. To guide you in writing this, respond to the following:
- What are you proposing to do in your classroom or school that will help you explore the research question?
- What forms of documentation do you plan to use as part of your inquiry (e.g., journals, student work samples, video and/or audio recordings)? Be specific about what will be done and how this documentation will help guide the inquiry.
- How will you organize, reflect on, and analyse data? Be specific about how you will examine your data (e.g., qualitative, case study, generate categories).
- Will you be working on your own or with colleagues? If the latter, explain their contribution.
• Describe briefly the research background of the academic partner.
4. Budget Information. Include the following.
Budget Justification - Describe and explain the rationale for each budget line item.
5. Reference Letters. Two letters of reference must be included. One letter must be from an appropriate administrator granting permission to conduct the research. The other letter must be from the academic partner who will be available to discuss the research and outline his/her commitment to the research.
Please email your application to the ALEA national office: alea@netspace.net.au
