Ted Aoki Award

Ted Aoki Award for Best Paper in Curriculum Studies published in the Alberta Journal of Education Research (AJER)

The Ted Aoki Award for Best Paper in Curriculum Studies is a non-monetary award of excellence established in honour of the life and work of the most prominent Canadian curriculum scholar of his time—Dr. Ted Aoki. Hisinfluence on several generations of curriculum scholars who studied under his guidance at the University of Alberta and beyond has left a long-lasting legacy. This prestigious award is presented by the Alberta Journal of Educational Research (AJER) every year to an author or authors who, in their article, have engaged deeply in the question of the relationship between curriculum inquiry and classroom practice in ways that align with the scholarship of Ted Aoki.

AJER recognizes curriculum studies as an area of educational inquiry that examines a variety of social forces that implicitly and explicitly influence curriculum including, but not exclusive to, issues of power, privilege, race, gender, the “null and hidden curricula”, and how curricula function as post-structural, autobiographical, political, historical, and aesthetic texts.

Eligibility Criteria and Process

  • The award will be granted to the author/s of the paper published in AJER that makes a significant contribution to the field of curriculum studies as envisioned by Aoki.
  • To be eligible, the paper may be single-authored or multi-authored.
  • To be eligible, the authors, either self-nominated or nominated by the Review Board, must submit an application package (see description).
  • All eligible applications will be reviewed and adjudicated by the Award’s Committee.
  • The recipient/s will be announced on AJER’s website and, when possible, at an education research conference.

Application Package

a) Copy of the published paper.
b) 500-word description of the paper’s contribution to the field of curriculum studies.
c) Author(s) maximum 2-Page CV

** Applicants must ensure that a complete application package is submitted to AJER by February 15, 2024.

Evaluation Criteria:

a) Contribution to knowledge and understanding in the field of curriculum studies;
b) Originality;
c) Quality of the research, as evidenced by:
     i. clear and compelling statement of the topic,
     ii. connections to relevant curriculum studies literature,
     iii. insights that can influence future theory and practice, and
     iv. compelling and well-grounded discussions;
d) Quality of the writing.