Pintrich Dissertation Award

The following is information about a dissertation award offered through Division 15 of the APA.

"The Paul R. Pintrich Outstanding Dissertation Award recognizes excellence in doctoral dissertation research that has been completed within the past two years.

Eligibility
The applicant must be a member, affiliate, or student member of Division 15 and must have completed a dissertation in an area of educational psychology research at an accredited college or university within the past two calendar years. This year's applicants must have completed their dissertation between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2011. Applicants who are still graduate students must have had their final dissertation approved by their doctoral committee prior to application. Departments/programs may endorse no more than three students per year for the award.

Award Description
One Paul R. Pintrich Outstanding Dissertation Award will be given each year. The award includes a $500 cash stipend, a plaque of recognition, an invitation to present the dissertation at the following APA annual meeting, and up to $1000 for the recipient's travel and registration expenses for the APA conference.

Award Timeline
The Dissertation Award Committee will examine all eligible applications. The award decision will be made in spring of each year and applicants will be notified of the award decision by early summer. Due to conference programming deadlines, the award will be granted at the following year's APA Convention (i.e., approximately 18 months later). The 2012 Dissertation Award will be given at the APA Convention in Honolulu, HI, July, 31-August, 4, 2013.

How and When to Apply
A completed application should contain the following components. All application and submission materials can be found on the APA Div. 15 website. Please note the file format requirements for each component.

An application cover sheet. Download the application cover sheet from the Div. 15 web site: Please name this file according to the following convention: yourlastname_coversheet.doc.

An extended abstract that is typed, 2000-word maximum, double-spaced in APA style. Include a word count at the end of the abstract. With their abstract, applicants may include up to two additional pages for tables and/or figures, and one additional page for a list of references. Please name this file according to the following convention: yourlastname_abstract.doc. This document should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx file extension).

A narrative autobiography (250-word maximum) describing salient research experiences, publications and/or presentations, past collaborative efforts, and career plans. (Do not submit your curriculum vitae.) Include a word count at the end of the autobiography. Please name this file according to the following convention: yourlastname_autobiography.doc. This document should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx file extension).

A letter of nomination (two-page maximum) from the faculty member associated with the completion of the dissertation. The letter must be signed by the faculty member. This letter should be scanned and included in your email. Please name this file according to the following convention: yourlastname_facultynomination.pdf. Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format is also acceptable.
Proof of current member or affiliate status in Division 15. Please name this file according to the following convention: lastname_membership. (File format may vary.)

Electronically submit the above components in one email with four separate e-mail attachments to the committee chair, Martin Jones (M.Jones@memphis.edu). Submissions must be received no later than 5 p.m. EST on Friday, December 31, 2011. Incomplete applications will not be considered for the award.

Evaluation Criteria
All application materials submitted for consideration for the Paul R. Pintrich Outstanding Dissertation Award will be evaluated by the Award Committee. Dissertation abstracts will be judged by the Award Committee on a scale from 1 (poor) to 7 (outstanding) along the following dimensions:

Significance.
The theoretical or practical significance to the field should be evident.
Quality of Writing. The abstract should be organized and clear.
Quality of Research. The abstract should reflect high quality research.
Interpretation. The conclusions drawn are valid and well grounded.

The Award Committee will then provide a comprehensive rating of each award applicant's overall application packet."

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Dissertation Fellowship

Here's an opportunity for those seeking funding while writing their dissertation:

In this second year, we will award four Fellowships of up to $25,000 to support advanced doctoral candidates in a variety of fields, including education and the social sciences.

At the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, we assist high-achieving low-income students, from middle school to graduate school, in reaching their full potential through education.

We have created the dissertation fellowships for doctoral candidates who are researching the population of student we serve in order to advance our understanding of the factors and contexts that help low-income students to overcome personal adversity and challenging socioeconomic circumstances to excel academically. We plan to use this knowledge to design programs and interventions that will help more low-income students identified as high-achieving in their primary and secondary school years to sustain their achievement levels through college and beyond.

Although applicants must be candidates for a doctoral degree at a graduate school in the United States, they need not be US citizens. Please note that the applicants' graduate study may be in a diverse range of academic disciplines but their topic must be tied to the educational experiences of low-income, high-achieving students.

We seek a rich applicant pool and hope you can help in that endeavor by publicizing the fellowship to likely candidates.  Please use the flyer (link below) to further advertise the Fellowship.

Links to the application requirements and guidelines are posted on our website; the application and other materials must be submitted by February 3, 2012.  Recipients will be notified in May 2012.

Please visit http://www.jkcf.org/scholarships/graduate-scholarships/jack-kent-cooke-dissertation-fellowship-award/ to learn about the Fellowship as well as when and how to apply.

Best Regards,
Barbara Schmertz, Ph.D.
Program Manager
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
703-723-8000

Flyer link:
http://www.jkcf.org/scholarships/graduate-scholarships/jack-kent-cooke-dissertation-fellowship-award/faqs-for-the-cooke-dissertation-fellowship/cooke-dissertation-fellowship-flyer/