The winner of the 2009 SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award is Dr Rosnarizah Abdul Halim, Head of Department, Educational Leadership Assessment, Institute Aminuddin Baki, Ministry of Education, Malaysia.

The 2009 Award Selection Committee declared her research work called "Innovation in Educational Management Leadership: High Impact Competency for Malaysian School Leaders" as the best study from among the eight entries.

The theme for the 2009 Research Competition was "Teachers' Professional Development in Southeast Asia". Five SEAMEO Member Countries participated namely: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

2009 SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award

Theme: "Teachers' Professional Development in Southeast Asia"

Thematic Strands:

  • Promoting human rights in education;
  • Appreciating cultural diversity in teaching and learning;
  • Improving education quality and standard;
  • Establishing quality assurance in education;
  • Education for environment protection and sustainability;
  • Improving education quality framework.

The SEAMEO Jasper Research Award was established in 1990 with the support of the Government of Canada as a way of recognizing exemplary research conducted in the region by Southeast Asian nationals. The yearly awards aim to encourage young scholars to conduct researches on a relevant theme on social development in Southeast Asia and to facilitate continued interaction and knowledge-sharing among Southeast Asian and Canadian researchers.

The Theme for the 2009 Research Award Competition highlights the key role that teachers play in addressing the challenges and demands in educating quality human resources and moulding future responsible citizens.

Education provides opportunities to acquire knowledge and competencies to function in a global environment. The goal of building a cohesive, equitable and harmonious Southeast Asian community, bound together in solidarity for deeper understanding and cooperation, presents new challenges for scholars and education practitioners in acquiring new concepts and innovative models for effective teaching and learning.

Professional development for teachers is of strategic significance that helps accelerate the on-going education reforms in many countries. The teachers' professional development in Southeast Asia is even more important in a regional landscape with cultural diversities to produce academically competent, technologically skilled and morally upright teachers.

The 2009 Research Award recognizes the research that explores concepts, models and practical experience for successful professional development of teachers in an individual country or in the Southeast Asian region. Researches might cover one or more thematic strands, including promoting human rights in education, appreciating cultural diversity in teaching and learning, improving education quality and standard, establishing quality assurance in education, education for environment protection and sustainability, and improving education quality framework.

The researches may include innovative models, teaching-learning approaches, materials, assessment methods as well as documented practices and cases of effective interventions in the formal and non-formal education streams.

The 2009 Research Award

For the 2009 Award cycle, a travel fellowship is granted to the winner to disseminate results of the winning research in Canada and Southeast Asia. The fellowship will include 8-day travel expenses to Canada and 6-day travel expenses to two selected SEAMEO Member Countries (inclusive of travel time). The fellowship would also include assistance in travel arrangement as well as health and travel insurance.

The 2009 Award winner will be notified by the SEAMEO Secretariat and will receive a Plaque of Recognition during the 45th SEAMEO Council Conference, scheduled in January 2010 in Cebu, the Philippines.

Eligible Applicants

  • A national of a SEAMEO-Member Country*;
  • Completed a Master's or Doctorate degree;
  • Not more than 55 years of age at the time of application;
  • Physically fit to travel to Canada and Southeast Asian countries; Certification by a competent physician may be requested before traveling;
  • For studies/projects conducted by a team of researchers, only one author (the senior author) will be eligible for nomination. The submission should include a written note from the co-author(s) waiving any claim to the award, in case the research is selected; and a statement indicating the nominee's level of responsibility (in percentage) for the research work.

The Research Entry

  • The research must be a completed research study/project conducted in Southeast Asia (covering one country or more in the region) relating to the Teachers' Professional Development in Southeast Asia and covering one or more of the thematic strands;
  • The research must have been completed within the past three years;
  • If the research paper has already been published, the revised paper must incorporate some new aspects/dimensions and/or updated information, analysis and findings;
  • All submissions (including photo captions and other materials) must be in the English language;
  • Researches conducted for graduate/post-graduate theses or doctoral dissertations will not be accepted.

Selection Process

A Selection Committee composed of representatives of relevant international organizations, experts in the field covered by the theme, previous SEAMEO-Jasper Award winners and officials of SEAMEO will convene to review the submissions. Selection will be based on the quality of the research report, the relevance to improving education in Southeast Asia and its potentials for promoting better understanding between Canada and Southeast Asia.

Submission of Applications

  • Completed application form (Download the form here)
  • Seven (7) copies of the summary of the research paper (not more than 20 pages, inclusive of the rationale, objectives, methodology, findings, conclusions, recommendations and references/bibliography)
  • Seven (7) copies of the research abstract (one-page)
  • One (1) copy of the complete research paper
  • Hard copy and electronic submissions must reach the SEAMEO Secretariat on or before 30 October 2009
  • The submissions should be clearly marked and addressed to:
2009 SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award
The Director
SEAMEO Secretariat
Mom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Building
920 Sukhumvit Road
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2391-0144
Fax: +66 (0) 2381-2587
E-mail: secretariat@seameo.org

Note: The deadline for submitting applications for
the 2009 SEAMEO Jasper Research Award is 30 October 2009


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