Download the application in Word format here.

SOURCE OF FUNDING:

The American College Counseling Association (ACCA) announces two research award opportunities for 2013.

1. $5000: This funded research is designed to recognize and honor individuals who are seeking to complete a comprehensive research study. The Funded Research Award provides a cash award of up to $5000.00.

Purpose: The purpose of this financial support is to fund research efforts supporting research related to college counseling practices.

2. $1000: This funded research is designed to recognize and honor individuals who are seeking to complete a comprehensive research study. The Funded Research Award provides a cash award of up to $1000.00. These investigations include counseling at community, vocational, and technical institutions as well as colleges and universities.

Purpose: The purpose of this Grant is to support research that increases understanding of professional counseling as it relates to college student populations and the professionals who serve those populations.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

The submission deadline for the Research Proposals and supporting material is due no later than Monday, June 3, 2013.

WHO MAY APPLY:

The competition is open to professional and student members of the American College Counseling Association (ACCA). Practitioners as well as students are encouraged to apply.

Individuals may submit, or be a part of a submission team, for only one proposal. Multiple submissions by any researcher, individually or as a part of a multiple research team, will not be accepted.

PROPOSAL FORMAT:

Application Form: Included in this document (pages 4 and 5) is an Application Form that is to be attached your written the proposal.
Supporting Letter: Student(s) submitting a proposal must include a supporting letter from a faculty sponsor.
Research Proposal: Please keep under 5 pages, not including application form and bibliography.

Research Proposal should cover the following areas:

A. Statement of Need: Summary of relevant data or other evidence supporting need for the study.

B. Background Review: Review of selected pertinent research germane to the topic as specified in the purpose of the award (i.e., $5000 or $1000 award).

C. Research Design and Analysis: Description of the research design and data analysis. D. Dissemination of Results: Review of how the results of the research will be disseminated (i.e., conference presentation, journal article, etc.)

E. Detailed Budget: Included in Application Form. A detailed budget of all expenses is required. Examples of expenses might include the following: researchers’ salaries, statistical consultant, compensation for research participants, web services, supplies, copying of materials, salaries for graduate students’ assistance, travel expenses, etc.

CRITERIA: Research proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria:

Appropriateness of the Research: The appropriateness of the research specific to the purpose of the specific financial support requested (i.e., $1000 Grant or $5000 Funded Research).
Quality of the Proposed Research: The required documentation of the 5 areas listed above should be thorough and informative. The methodology proposed follows accepted practice for research of that kind, and the research, as a whole, adheres to applicable ethical standards for research with human subjects.
Financial Need: The budget for the research project seems sound given the nature and scope of the proposed project, and any existing funding of the project must be disclosed. A detailed budget of all expenses is required.
Plans for Dissemination: The researcher(s) offers a feasible and time appropriate plan for dissemination of the results. The researcher will submit manuscripts derived from their research to the Journal of College Counseling and/or propose for the ACCA conference.
Award Recognition: Grants will be awarded during the ACCA Annual Conference. The recipient of the funded research is strongly encouraged to be present to accept the award at the ACCA national conference at which the researcher will be recognized.

TIMELINES AND REPORTING RESULTS:

Each of the grant recipients are expected to keep the research committee informed if there is a delay in the proposed timeline and reporting of results.

A brief copy of the results is to be mailed to the research committee once the research is complete. The researcher retains ownership of all data and results of their research. The researcher is to state a willingness to include an acknowledgment of ACCA’s financial support in all reports, publications, and presentations related to the supported project.

A new requirement for ACCA research award recipients is to present the findings during an ACCA webinar. This requires the development of a 15-30 slide PowerPoint presentation and a 60 minute presentation and 30 minutes of Q&A. ACCA board members will be available to help design and assist with the webinar for our membership. Sample webinars are available in the members section of our website.