|
American Camp Association 2008 National
Conference, February 12-15, 2008, Gaylord
Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee
The American Camp Association invites
researchers to present results of camp-related
studies at a Symposium to be held during
the Association's 2008 National
Conference http://www.acacamps.org/conference/
This year's conference theme is The
Strength of Many Voices, which highlights
the need to communicate the benefits of the camp experience to the public, and
our partners in complementary learning.
Description of Research
Sessions for Conference Participants: Research results can improve
the way we do our jobs and increase the
program quality offered. We like to provide
conference attendees with brief presentations,
in plain English, of results from recent
studies conducted in camps. The focus
of this symposium is to communicate the
practical applications of research to
camp professionals. A blind, peer-review
process will examine the appropriate
use of the research process, but the
presentations need to be free of academic
jargon and easily understood by camp
directors without research backgrounds.
Presenters will be expected to provide
symposium attendees with a one-page,
single-spaced summary of the research
process, as well as a one-page summary
of the practical applications. Upon participant
request, full study details should be
made available whenever possible.
The symposia will be moderated and will
consist of 15 minute presentations followed
by a brief question and answer period. Related topics will be grouped together
to form each session. While the research symposium proposals should include the
traditional research details for the review process, the presentations should
focus primarily on practical application. All conference attendees will have
access to the abstracts for additional information or details on the other aspects
of the research process. Papers accepted for the symposium will also be displayed
in poster form at the conference. ACA absorbs the cost of poster printing. Details
regarding posters are provided, post acceptance. The ultimate goal is to post
the research summaries and practical applications on the ACA Web site so the
information is more widely accessible. We welcome student research as well as
studies completed by faculty or other researchers.
Symposium Submission
Details: The research
symposium proposals should include (and
will be rated on) the following areas:
relevance of purpose and research question(s)
to professional needs and interests,
theoretical context, methodology, analysis
procedures, conclusions, and practical
camp applications. The submission of
research proposals is an online process
but is set-up to allow for pasting in
the proposal. Proposals must be no longer
than three single-spaced pages in 12
pt Times New Roman font. The expectation
is that the research presented has not
been previously presented or published.
However if you have any questions, feel
free to contact Jeff Jacobs (Symposium
Coordinator) at jacobs@calpoly.edu.
Submission
Deadline and Timetable
Call for Papers closed September 30, 2007
E-mail notification by October 30, 2007
Presenter Expectations: If a proposal
is accepted for presentation, we expect
the author to attend the conference to
fulfill that obligation. It is expected
that people speaking at the conference
will register for at least one day. Professionals
share a joint responsibility to help "grow" the
profession, so we appreciate the contributions
made by the researchers through their participation
in the Symposium.
Review Expectations: Summaries will undergo
blind peer review by a review team with
expertise in camp and youth development
research and other related areas. Papers
may be rejected due to time and space
limitations, ineffective development
of the summary, weaknesses in the study
itself, or lack of developed practical
applications. Recent research that connects
with the conference theme will be given
priority.
Review Guidelines: The three page abstracts
will be rated based upon the following
categories:
- Relevance of research purpose and question(s)
to professional needs and interests
- Theoretical Context
- Methodology
- Analysis procedures
- Conclusions
- Practical applications
We hope you will submit your research
for consideration and look forward to offering
a premier symposium on camp-related research.
Sincerely,
Jeff Jacobs, Ph.D.
To contact ACA, phone 765-342-8456 or
e-mail Amy Katzenberger at akatzenberger@ACACamps.org. For
general information about ACA, and to review
accepted submissions from previous years,
visit: www.ACACamps.org and
follow the links to Research.
|
