Teacher education to support girls’ empowerment

CODE has announced the third annual Call for Proposals on "Teacher Education to Support Girls’ Empowerment" under its Context Matters Research Grants.

CODE, through its Context Matters program funds research initiated, designed and undertaken by African researchers. To date, research on literacy learning has largely been carried out in high-income countries and contexts and generalized to low-income countries and contexts.

CODE established Context Matters to support African researchers as they take the lead in evidence-based, exploratory studies.

The intent is to support research which is clearly situated in local contexts and recognizes the multifaceted and complex relationships between the local and global in education.

The Context Matters Research Grants are designed to:

• Support work by African scholars and researchers addressing issues identified in collaboration with the African literacy and teacher education communities.

• Strengthen the research capacity, knowledge and recommendations of those working in the African context.

• Fund research initiated, designed and undertaken by local teams.

• Foster international partnerships and alliances that bolster Africa’s ability to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the areas of education and gender equality.

• Build a body of evidence that can be used to support education policy recommendations at local, regional or national levels.

In 2020, CODE is primarily interested in research projects that relate to one or more of the following:

• the intersection between literacy, education and girls’ empowerment;

• the role that pre-service teacher education and professional development plays in strengthening the educational opportunities for girls;

• the concept of “comprehensive sexuality education” and how it is approached in both teacher education programs and in schools (formally, informally);

• the factors and/or interventions that contribute to reducing barriers to quality education for women and girls (especially in fragile, conflict, refugee and crisis situations).

Areas of Inquiry

Proposals should address the areas of inquiry listed below:

• Teacher Education

• Literacy Practices

• Sexual Health Literacies

Funding Information

CODE will offer up to five (5) research grants of a maximum CAN $10,000 each.

Funding Criteria

Funds may be used to support

• Items needed for the research and not routinely available through the place of employment of the applicant

• Materials and supplies (paper, books, etc.)

• Travel directly related to the research

• Books for student and teacher use or library reference

• Administrative expenses (postage, duplication costs, printing)

• Payment in support of a graduate student

Funds may NOT be used to support

• Salary of the Principal Investigator

• Equipment (computers, mobile devices, audio-visual equipment); Specialist equipment required to implement the proposed study can, in certain instances, be supported, if justified.

• Indirect costs (costs not directly associated with the project such as charging for existing office space).

• Costs of conference attendance and/or support for the dissemination of the research, will not be supported. (However, upon successful completion of the study, new funds may be made available for this purpose).

Eligibility Criteria

• CODE welcomes proposals from researchers, academics, and educators who are resident and working in the education sector are eligible.

• Funded researchers must be affiliated with and/or collaborate with an academic Institution. All proposals should reflect current professional research standards and must articulate how they will adhere to ethical standards and procedures for research involving human participants.

• CODE invites researchers, academics and educators who are residents in the following countries to submit proposals: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cote D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

CODE seeks research proposals that:

• Are realistic in terms of scope, number of research questions to be addressed, number of participants, the amount of data collected, timeframe, and budget.

• Examine the development of communities of learners that awaken an interest in social change, support empowerment, and foster individual literacy growth.

• Include K-12 education programming, which can be interpreted broadly to include but not limited to: pre-service or in-service teacher education (especially as it relates to women teachers); family literacy programs; and women’s community organizations.

• Include interventions aimed at increasing access to quality education for girls with disabilities, and that explore ways to ensure that their interests and priorities are taken into account.

• Include methodologies that are rooted in indigenous and local epistemologies that incorporate local ways of knowing and research methods, participatory action research, and/or involve and engage the community in meaningful ways. Be sure to give a description of how participants will engage actively in the research process (for example where appropriate: data collection, analysis, and/or interpretation of findings and subsequent recommendations).

• Clearly demonstrate how the research results will contribute to the evidencebase for research on gender-inclusive pedagogy, interventions and tools that improve educational opportunities for women and girls, and increase knowledge about how to best measure the impact of such interventions on the learning, health and wellness outcomes of women and girls.

How to Apply

• All proposals should be submitted in English using the attached Application Form.

• Proposals should be a maximum of six pages plus references and required attachments (CVs, work plan, budget, letters of reference).

• CODE strongly encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to participate fully in all of its programs.

Please submit the completed application form, project budget template, CV and references by email at the address given on the website.

Focus areas of interest: Education, Women & Gender

Category: Grant

Deadline: July 3, 2020

For more information, visit CODE.