The Arts Based Educational Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) provides a community for those who view education through artistic lenses, who use a variety of arts-based methodologies, and who communicate understandings through diverse genres. ABER sponsors paper sessions, panel presentations, symposiums, workshops, and performative presentations at the annual AERA meeting. ABER disseminates information about research initiatives, publications, conferences and other ABER related work through our list-serve, website, and Newsletter. ABER maintains close relationships with other special interest groups facilitating dialogue among artists, researchers, and teachers, to further understandings about the complexities and aesthetics of teaching and learning.

Why join ABER?

ABER is a democratic, grassroots organization that strives to represent the intricate weavings of diverse genres (autobiography, narrative, poetry, visual art, drama, dance, music) with educational insights. ABER operates as a community of scholars dedicated to the arts and education that have generated new directions in educationalresearch.

We would like to build this site into a wonderful resource for ABER and other community members and as means for members to further their careers. We invite your participation. Please see contact/listserve page for information.

2009 ABER Dissertation Award at both Masters and Doctoral levels

The Arts Based Educational Research (ABER) special interest group for
the American Educational Research Association (AERA) would like to
announce its sponsorship of the ABER Outstanding Dissertation Award for
the best Doctoral Dissertation that explores, is an exemplar of, and
pushes the boundaries of arts based educational research. The award is
intended for students who have graduated in the year preceding the
award. One award will go to a Doctoral student.

The winner will receive an "Outstanding Dissertation" award at the ABER
business meeting at the 2009 AERA annual meeting. The winner will also
be invited to present highlights from their dissertation at this
meeting. In addition, a short paper highlighting his/her work will be
published in the International Journal of Education and the Arts
http://ijea.asu.edu/. The ABER Sig will support the winner's conference
fee and provide $500.00 to assist with travel to AERA to present at the
conference.

Application deadline: January 2, 2009. Must have graduated in 2008.

Submission requirements:
1. A cover letter with:
- Applicant’s name and contact information.
- Information about the school, program, and committee and supervisor's
name (and
examiners where applicable) under which the dissertation was completed.
- Defense date and Graduation date
2. A copy of the signed committee acceptance of the dissertation and/ or
a letter from the supervisor stating the completion of the degree and
date of defense.
3. A short paper of no more than 3000 words, excluding references,
outlining the title, intents, theoretical framework, methodology and
findings of the study, and the significance of the research for arts
based educational research.
4. An abstract of 100-150 words.
5. A current copy of the applicant’s curriculum vitae.
6. An electronic version of the dissertation for final review (to be
submitted upon request).

How to submit:
The manuscript should be typed, double-spaced (including quotations,
footnotes, and references) in APA style, with ample margins, and should
run no more than 3000 words, excluding references. The author's name and
affiliation should appear on a separate cover page, and only on this
page, to ensure anonymity in the reviewing process. An abstract of
100-150 words should be included on a separate page.
You will also be asked to upload your entire dissertation in pdf format
with no personal information to a secure website. Additional information
will be provided upon receipt of items 1 - 5.

Send all materials electronically to the Awards Co-Coordinators:
Kryssi Staikidis
Assistant Professor Art Education
Jack Arends Hall
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL. 60115
EMAIL: kstaikidis@niu.edu
PH: 815-753-1474
FAX: 815-756-3787

Kelli Jo Kerry-Moran
Associate Professor
College of Education & Educational Technology
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
College of Education & Educational Technology
125A Davis Hall
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
15705-1050
PH: 412-237-4501
EMAIL: kjkmoran@iup.edu
FAX: 412-237-4536