Insights on Funding Motivation Research in Non-R1 and Teaching Universities

• In Event: 51.064 - Grant Writing for Motivation Research: A Guide for Early Career Researchers

Abstract

As an ECR at a non-Research-1 institution, I received an NSF CAREER Award and a Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship, both focused on motivation in education. Like most things in learning, successful grant writing is often a developmental process. These grants were awarded at the tail-end of my early career years and were iterations of unsuccessful grants written earlier.

During the panel, I will discuss applying for grants at a non-R1 institution. In my experience, applying for the NSF CAREER at a non-R1 institution was challenging. NSF and other federal agencies are often wary about whether the institution has the resources to support the faculty through the difficulties of implementing the research. I negotiated with my dean/provost pre-application to get a reduced course load and paid-for student assistants, not supported through the grant, as a preliminary gesture of my institution’s support of my work and their willingness to continue supporting me if funded. Non-R1 institutions are eager to have their faculty earn grant dollars, but often do not understand their role in supporting faculty. Thus, you may find yourself not only “selling” your idea to a funding agency, but also convincing your institution how to best support you.

I will also discuss how to frame motivation research in grant applications. Given the maturity and depth of contemporary motivation research over 40+ years, I believe that innovation in motivation research is most prime at the seams of how motivation intersects with various disciplines in education and beyond. While an individual may identify as a motivation researcher, they should not expect to see grant calls about motivation research specifically. The researcher has to be able to ride the wave of whatever is cresting in education and society at that time. For example, W.T. Grant Foundation tends to focus on the initiative of “reducing inequality”, and NSF on “STEM learning and technologies.” These initiatives can both be understood through motivational perspectives. For example, some of my recent work has grappled with how popular motivation constructs intersect with critical race theory and the pursuit of equity in education. While this is an authentic interest of mine, framing how my work aligns with these pertinent social issues helps me “sell” the importance of the work.

Finally, I will discuss collaboration. Motivation has broad appeal outside of Educational Psychology, allowing for various applications. However, educational psychologists have been lethargic in tapping into these connections in how motivation theory applies to other areas of interest and important social topics. To begin engaging the borders and intersections of motivation research, collaborations are essential. Funding agencies (IES, NSF, Spencer) are beginning to see the value in mixed methods research and to request interdisciplinary teams and innovative methodologies in applications. This means lone scholars or teams of like-minded scholars are less likely to be successful on grant applications. Motivation researchers can partner with Education Policy researchers, domain specialists (e.g., mathematics educators), sociologists, and social justice researchers versus simply inferring how their work applies to education policy, social justice, etc.

Author

• Jamaal Matthews, Montclair State University