e PDK Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award
THE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION IN EDUCATION
Awards & Scholarships

Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award

PDK announces the third annual Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, which is funded through the PDK Educational Foundation. One cash award of $5,000 will be given for the doctoral dissertation judged to be the outstanding submission in 2009-2010.

For eligibility criteria or submission requirements see the information below or download the brochure. ENTRY DEADLINE WAS SEPTEMBER 1, 2009.

Questions? E-mail customerservice@pdkintl.org.

2008-09 Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Recipient: Margaret Sauceda Curwen

Read the press release or the Kappan article that summarizes her dissertation.

2008-09 Recognition of Merit Recipients

Micheal J. Kessner 
Whitney Meissner
Jessica Pierson

Eligibility Criteria

  1. The nominee must be a member of PDK.
  2. The nominee must be a recent graduate of an accredited college or university.
  3. The nominee’s major field must be in education, or the dissertation must focus on an educational topic.
  4. The nominee’s dissertation must have been completed (approved by the doctoral committee and accepted by the graduate school or school of education) between September 1, 2008, and August 31, 2009.
  5. The dissertation must represent sound scholarship. The knowledge presented and the conclusions drawn must hold promise for the improvement of education. (Entries are not limited to a particular kind of research.)

Submission Requirements

Nominees must submit all of the following:

  1. Application form - included in brochure or online application
  2. Dissertation summary
    • The summary must include an introduction, including educational rationale and practical application of the study; problem statement; design; data collection methods; results; conclusions; and a brief bibliography.
    • The summary should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length, excluding the bibliography.
    • The summary must not include identifying information about the author/researcher or the degree-granting institution. Identifying information about subjects or sample populations is permissible.
    • The bibliography should include only the citations used in the summary.
  3. Letter of endorsement from the chair of the dissertation committee
  4. Transcript verifying that the doctorate degree was awarded by the institution

Timelines and Selection

  1. The entry deadline for the 2009-10 award was September 1, 2009.
  2. All applicants will be notified of the names of the finalists. Finalists will be asked to submit a copy of the full dissertation for review by the selection panel.
  3. Results of the competition will be announced by e-mail and on the PDK website in spring 2010.The winner will receive a $5,000 cash award. The outstanding dissertation summary will be published in a spring 2010 issue of Phi Delta Kappan.