Complexity Theories in Education SIG News—November 2023 Greetings, MENTORSHIP SPRINT To foster collaboration and innovation in complexity informed educational research, we are pleased to announce the Mentoring Sprint opportunity for graduate students that will begin in January 2024 and will culminate in a work-in-progress style poster presentation during our SIG programming at the Annual Meeting of AERA in Philadelphia in April 2024. Learn more and apply at https://tinyurl.com/Sprint2024, by December 1st, 2023! Complexity SIG faculty members and graduate students, please consider participating! To apply as either a student or faculty mentor, please the attached flyer. Call for Nominations for the 2023 Outstanding Paper on Complexity Theories in Education Research Now that acceptances have been sent out, please submit your papers for consideration! Nominations must be submitted by December 31st, 2023! The Complexity Theories in Education Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) invites nominations for the 2024 Outstanding Paper on Complexity Theories in Education Research. This AERA-sanctioned annual award is for one or more scholars who author/co-author a single paper presented at the AERA Annual Meeting. The focus of the award is to recognize a contemporary, significant scholarly contribution to theoretical, methodological, or empirical complexity-informed educational research. Complexity-informed educational research embraces theories, methods, and epistemologies that are based in complex dynamic systems. It includes but is not limited to perspectives that frame educational phenomena and the appropriate methods of conducting research on such phenomena as including linear and non-linear, contextually sensitive, dynamic, interdependent, reciprocal, irreducible, and/or chaotic components. Complexity-informed research can use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methodologies and can focus on one or more units-of-analysis, including individuals, groups, or nested systems in a variety of educational settings. The intended audience for the paper can be educational researchers, practitioners, and/or policymakers. A successful nominee will receive recognition by the SIG in the form of a certificate and a $50 honorarium. To receive the honorarium, the recipient(s) must attend the SIG business meeting sponsored by the Complexity Theories in Education SIG at the 2024 AERA Annual Meeting. Please see the attached document for further information on how to submit your nomination! Updated Website and Essential Literature Series We are incredibly excited to point you towards our newly updated website that can be located here: https://complexityed.weebly.com/. Some of the highlights include:
The beginning of the Essential Literature Series! Check out the latest top ten list provided by Dr. Joanna Garner, Old Dominion University!
All our past seminars covering a wealth of different methods and perspectives for those seeking to conduct research through a complexity lens.
Information about the sessions and papers presented at the 2023 AERA conference.
Archived newsletters.
SIG leadership, and
How to become a member and contribute funds to support graduate students to attend AERA 2024.
Upcoming “How-to” Webinar Series Offerings:
Monday, December 4th, 2023 at 12:00pm ET: “How-to” Apply Complexity Theory presented by Metti Heino., MSocSci, BBA. Please see attached to register!
Monday, February 5th, 2024 at :00pm ET: “How-to” Apply for Grants presented by Dr. Joanna K. Garner, Old Dominion University. Please see attached to register today!
Finally, as Chair of the AERA SIG on Complexity Theories in Education, I wanted to take a moment to remind you that both your AERA and SIG membership may be expiring at the end of December. If you have not yet had a moment to renew for 2024, I encourage you to do so today. Our SIG is home to a diverse and supportive community of students, researchers, and practitioners who share an excitement about the impact of education research on addressing issues of importance to the field. Each of you is an important part of this community and I want you to stay engaged. The year ahead is an exciting one. Our SIG is committed to offering a rich collection of learning, networking, and mentoring opportunities for our members at the Annual Meeting in Philadelphia and expanding opportunities throughout the course of the year. This listserv and our website will always provide timely updates and recognize the exceptional contributions our members are making through their research and service. By renewing today, you will play a pivotal role in supporting education research; the scholars, researchers, and practitioners of today and the future; and the important work of our community. If you have any questions about SIG activities or what role you can play as an active member, please do not hesitate to email me. If you have questions on membership, please contact Sean Twombly, AERA Director of Membership, at [email protected] or 202-744-5780. I look forward to working with you in the year ahead. Sincerely, Emma Bullock Complexity Theories in Education Chair Associate Professor of Mathematics Education Sam Houston State University Dr. Emma P. Bullock Associate Professor of Mathematics Education Graduate Coordinator, MA in Mathematics Office 439G Department of Mathematics and Statistics College of Science and Engineering Technology Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX 77341 [email protected] Office: 936-294-3816 Preferred pronouns: she/her
President, Southwest Educational Research Association (SERA) Board Member At-Large, Mixed Methods International Research Association (MMIRA) Chair, Complexity Theories in Education Special Interest Group (SIG), American Education Research Association (AERA)