Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness

First Annual Conference 2008 - Sections

Description of Sections: Methodological Priorities and Substantive Foci

Symposia, papers, and poster sessions will be accepted across the following five sections:

Section I – Reading, Writing, and Related Language Skills
Section II – Mathematics and Science Achievement
Section III – Social and Behavioral Competencies
Section IV – Dropout Prevention and School Completion
Section V – Research Methodology

Each proposal may be submitted to only a single section.  For submissions that involve more than one outcome (e.g., literacy and science achievement or social and behavioral competency and dropout prevention) applicants will have the opportunity to identify this overlap as part of the submission process.  In all cases, a primary section must be identified as part of each submission.

Papers presented in Sections I through IV should offer findings on the effects of interventions that may have been designed for different populations (e.g., ethnic/minority groups, special needs populations), within or across different developmental periods (e.g., early childhood, adolescence), and implemented at varying levels of scale (e.g., classroom, school, school district).  Studies and analytic strategies explored in Section V are meant to improve the field's capacity to produce the kind of findings upon which credible causal inferences may be based.

From a methodological perspective, competitive papers will be data based and make use of designs/analyses that provide support for the type of causal inference upon which educational decisions may be credibly based. Such designs/analyses may, for example, include randomized field trials, quasi-experimental designs, regression discontinuity designs, and propensity score matching.

From a substantive perspective, symposia, papers, and posters submitted for presentation should identify pressing problems in education in one or more of the five sections and connect research findings to important educational decisions in curriculum, teaching, and/or school organization and education policy.

Presentation Formats

Papers may be proposed as individual papers, posters, or symposia. In the interest of building coherence within sessions, the first priority for presentation is reserved for investigators who submit their work in the form of symposia. Further details for each presentation type are as follows:

Symposia
The format of a symposium provides the opportunity for investigators whose work is focused on a similar topic to present their findings in a single session. Each proposal for a symposium must include a justification for bringing together, in one session, the work of a group of investigators. This justification should describe both the contribution of individual papers and demonstrate connections among the work that will be discussed. Symposium proposals must also include abstracts for each of the individual papers that are included as part of the proposal. Each symposium proposal should include three papers and a designated discussant. Each symposium discussant will offer a general commentary on individual papers within a given session. The discussant will also explore how the three papers, in relation to each other, will help advance our knowledge of cause-and-effect relations important for educational effectiveness. Each symposium session will last two hours with each presenter and chair allocated 20-25 minutes of presentation time. Approximately 30 minutes of time will be reserved for questions and open discussion. Symposia chairs, assigned by SREE, will be responsible for overall logistics of each session and will provide a general introduction for a given session.

In addition to structured abstracts, symposia proposals must include a comprehensive rationale (500 word limit) that provides a justification for bringing together, in one session, the work of a particular group of investigators. The argument for coherence should provide at least two forms of justification: 1) substantive – selection of individual topics and 2) investigative – selection of researchers and their specific offerings. Proposals for symposia must include extended abstracts for each presenter (excluding discussant and chair).

Individual Papers and Posters
Proposals for individual papers and posters and studies may be submitted to an individual section. Individual papers, if accepted for presentation, will be grouped with other similarly focused studies to form a single session. Typically, three presenters will form a single session. Each paper session will last one and a half hours and each presenter will be allocated 20 to 25 minutes of presentation time. Approximately 20 to 30 minutes per section will be allocated to questions and open discussion. Poster sessions will group 15 to 20 investigators (and co-investigators) in a room with ample display, viewing, and discussion space.

Questions may be sent to inquiries@educationaleffectiveness.org

To learn more about SREE, please visit our web page.