Just announced: The AERA Division C – Invited Senior Panel for the San Antonio meeting in 2017. The session is entitled: “Tensions in Division C: Shifting between building individual agency and promoting systemic change.”

Abstract
As learning and instruction researchers we esteem the study of individual attributes that promote academic and social health for children and adolescents. However, does this ‘prize’ inherently inoculate us from perceiving the influence of systems and structures that perpetuate inequity? Do researchers and practitioners fall into the trap of blaming students who do not measure well on our esteemed internal attributes (e.g., self-regulation, grit, growth mindsets, etc.)? Where should we localize our intervention efforts: teacher conceptual change, individual child resilience, education policy, systemic racism? A focus on any of these singularly, leaves us vulnerable to a disregard of another. All of these tensions and others are addressed by a panel of senior researchers who have struggled with these questions over the course of their careers. This session is for anyone who is looking to adopt more of a structural perspective in psychological research or grapple with the complexities of balancing agentic versus systems perspectives on teaching, learning, and social change in education. Implications for methodological approaches in psychology and education will also be discussed.

Structure
The structure of the session will be to have each panelist speak for 10 mins about their experiences with this tension and how they have managed to work through it, remaining true to a psychological perspective while also honoring a deep consideration of social systems and structures. Next, a list of prepared questions solicited from Division C members as well as the planning committee will be posed to the panelists, and they will address these freely for the next 30 mins, followed by an open Q & A with the audience.

Input Requested
Please send Jamaal Matthews ([email protected]) burning questions that you would like to see addressed. They cannot ensure that all submitted questions will be posed during the session; however, they will make an effort to select thoughtful questions that directly address the topic at hand and stimulate the ongoing conversation.