Call for Presentations: Linking to professionals: Camp Research Symposium

The American Camping Association invites researchers to present results of camp-related studies at a Symposium to be held during the association’s national conference in San Francisco, CA; February 24-27, 2004 (http://www.acacamps.org/conference/index.htm). This year’s conference theme is “Bridges to Powerful Communities”.

Program Description for Conference Participants: Research results can improve the way we do our jobs and increase the program quality offered. Come hear 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 camping professionals. A blind-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 symposium will have two-parts: a poster presentation session and a series of 10-minute verbal presentations. Due to the limited time, there will be very few verbal presentation slots with more opportunity for the poster session. While the research summary should be included for the review process, the presentations, regardless of format, should be limited to the practical application. Symposium attendees will be able to read the summary or follow-up with the presenter for additional information or details.

The ultimate goal is to publish the research summaries and practical applications on the ACA knowledge management website. Camping research can be hard to track down and rarely published. For organizations or individuals who have camping research, but don’t have the time or expertise to get the data/study out there, it may be possible to have a graduate student or other professional analyze and/or present your data. In this manner, valuable research won’t continue to collect dust on your shelf and not serve the wider camping and academic community. Please contact Gwynn Powell gpowell@coe.uga.edu if you would like to be connected with a researcher.

Guidelines for submission:

Please submit a cover sheet containing the following information:

Name

Contact information (by e-mail and traditional mail)

Institutional Affiliation (if any)

Research project title

Three keywords

Indicate preferred presentation format:

Poster only; Presentation only; No preference, Prefer poster, willing to do presentation; Prefer presentation, willing to do poster.

Please submit a one-two page (single-spaced) description of the research process (Purpose, Sample, Methods/Instruments, Results), as well as a one-two page (single-spaced) summary of the practical applications of the findings. Please include the research project title as running head, but do not put the researcher’s name(s) on the summaries.

Please submit by e-mail using Word to: gpowell@coe.uga.edu

To look for updated information during the late fall, please visit the following website: www.arches.uga.edu/~gpowell

Note that submitting your research for this conference does not preclude you from using the research in other publications.

Submission Deadline and Timetable:

November 1, 2003

E-mail notification by December 15, 2003

Please submit by e-mail using Word to: gpowell@coe.uga.edu

Presenter expectations: It is expected that people speaking at the conference will register for at least one day. Appearing before colleagues in the camping profession is an honor and a privilege. Professionals share a joint responsibility to help “grow” the profession. Unfortunately, there isn’t any budgeted money to offer honorariums.

Review expectations: Summaries will undergo blind peer review by two reviewers with expertise in camping and youth development research. The Symposium Co-Chairs will make final decisions about acceptance, but typically adhere to the recommendations of the reviewers. 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: Summaries will be rated based upon the following categories:

Appropriateness of research question and investigation method

Evidence of reliability

Evidence of validity

Relevance of research to professional needs and interests

Clear communication of practical applications

Co-chairs of the symposium:

Gwynn Powell, Assistant Professor, University of Georgia; gpowell@coe.uga.edu;

Randall Grayson, Research and Training Consultant and Camp Director, Vision Realization; Randall@visionrealization.com;

Karen Paisley, Assistant Professor, University of Utah; Karen.Paisley@health.utah.edu