‘Young Scholar Award’ is established in honor of PECERA’s Founder and Inaugural President, Professor Emeritus Bernard “Bud” Spodek, who was a world-renowned and much-loved educator, mentor, researcher, and author whose contributions to Early Childhood Education (ECE) spanned six decades, and his legacy lives on in PECERA International and its Local Chapters around the Pacific Rim.
The aims of the ‘Young Scholar Award’ are (1) to recognize outstanding research of postgraduate students and/or early career scholars in ECE, and (2) to encourage their participation in the PECERA International Annual Conference for the advancement of our field, especially in the Asia Pacific region.
Eligibility of the Applicants
The applicant should be:
- - Either a postgraduate student (masters or doctoral) or an early career researcher (within 5 years from gaining doctoral degree) without any full-time lectureship, professorship, or research position; and
- The first author-presenter of the submitted abstract; and
- - Not a past or present awardee of this Award.
The abstracts should:
- - Be based on the applicant’s personal interest, not a (part of) research project of a research institute; and
- - Not have been submitted to any journal yet.
Selection Criteria
- - Importance and originality of the research topic as presented in the abstract submission
- - Importance and originality of the research topic as presented in the abstract submission
- - Originality and relevance of research aims and questions
- - Suitability and rigor of research methods
- - Validity of data analysis, findings, and conclusions drawn
- - Ability to inform future research and/or implications for ECE practice in the Asia Pacific context