Should you
submit to a SIG, a committee, or a division?
When you submit a paper or session
submission, you can only submit it to a single division, SIG, or committee. Any
submission that goes to multiple entities will be removed from consideration
for all of those entities. So it’s definitely in your best interest to
determine the best fit for your submission!
The main guiding question for determining where to
submit revolves around your audience: Who are you trying to reach with this
submission? What is your intended audience? If you are hoping to target a
specific group of likeminded scholars, then a SIG might be the best fit.
However, Division C has many different sub-sections that can offer a focused
“home” for your submission, while still reaching the broader Division C
audience. The subsections of Division C: Learning and Instruction include:
Section
1: Learning and Instruction in a Discipline, Domain, or Subject Matter
Section
1a: Literacy
Section
1b: Humanities, Social Sciences, Fine Arts
Section
1c: Mathematics
Section
1d: Science
Section
1e: Engineering and Computer Science
Section
2: Cognitive, Social, and Motivational Processes
Section
2a: Cognitive and Motivational Processes
Section
2b: Learning and Motivation in Social and Cultural Contexts
Section
3: Designed Environments
Section
3a: Learning Environments
Section
3b: Technology-Based Environments
For a bit of guidance on what to submit to each of these
sections of Division C, you can refer to the AERA 2015 Annual Meeting Call for
Submissions, which states:
If your submission focuses on learning or
instruction in a specific content area (e.g., literacy, history, fine arts,
mathematics, science), then you should submit it to one of the
subject-area-specific subsections (i.e., Section
1) rather than to one of the more cross-cutting sections (i.e., Sections 2
or 3). If your submission focuses on cognitive, social, or motivational
processes with an emphasis on processes within individuals, then you should
submit it to Section 2a. If your
submission focuses on cognitive, social, and/ or motivational processes within
a group (e.g., classroom) or cultural setting, you should submit it to Section 2b. If your submission focuses
on designed learning environments with an emphasis on the nature and/or effects
of the environment on learning and instruction, then you should submit to Section 3a. If your submission focuses
on designed environments with an emphasis on the specific role or use of technology
in learning or instruction, then you should submit it to Section 3b. Submissions that emphasize assessment as it
relates to measurement and school evaluation issues, as well as submissions on
teacher education, teacher effectiveness, curriculum design, and research
methodology, should be submitted to other AERA divisions or SIGs.
Section Chairs may redirect a submission to another section if the subject
matter is deemed more appropriate elsewhere. [Emphasis added here]
Choosing where to submit your session is only
one of the many decisions you need to make during the submission process, but
it is one of the most important! It will determine who reviews your submission,
as well as what session a paper submission is placed in. For a list of all of
the SIGs, committees, and divisions (as well as their subsections and brief
descriptions of each), refer to the AERA 2015 Annual Meeting Call for
Submissions.
