Research Initiatives
CODE’s Context Matters research initiative is an ongoing program of support for an African research agenda in language and literacy. We award grants annually.
Context Matters Research Grants
CODE, through its Context Matters program funds research initiated, designed, and undertaken by African researchers. To date, research on literacy learning has largely been carried out in high-income countries and contexts and generalized to low-income countries and contexts. CODE established Context Matters to support African researchers as they take the lead in evidence-based, exploratory studies. The intent is to support research which is clearly situated in local contexts and recognizes the multifaceted and complex relationships between the local and global in education.
To begin the conversation, CODE commissioned two landscape literature reviews and one policy analysis from Canadian Faculties of Education (University of British Columbia and McGill University). These papers were presented at the CODE Research Symposium that took place as part of the Pan-African Literacy for All Conference in Abuja, Nigeria (August 28-30, 2017). These papers, including Executive Summaries can be found here.
2021 Context Matters Research Grants Call for Proposals is now Closed
Literacy Practices in Local Context and Girls’ Empowerment in Teacher Education: 2021 Context Matters Research Grant 2021 call for proposals is now closed.
The 2021 submissions are currently under review by the Africa Jury. Successful applicants will be contacted in November 2021. Together, CODE and ILA will offer up to five research grants of a maximum CAN $10,000 each.
In 2021, CODE partnered with the International Literacy Association (ILA) and its global network of scholars, researchers, and literacy educators to bring greater support and expertise to the Context Matters Research Grant program. ILA has members on the Context Matters International Advisory Committee, and taps into their grassroots network of educators from across Africa to disseminate news of the grants and promote access to the completed research.
The 2022 Call for Proposals will be posted December 2021.
For more information contact contextmatters@code.ngo
2019 Grant Award Recipients
Dr. Justus Bwonderi Aungo
Elimu Ya Kenya School – Altenburgerland, Mombasa, Kenya
Research project:
Voice for Space: Girl Empowerment Through Language Literacy and Use in Debating
Dr. Daniel Fussy
Mkwawa University College of Education, Iringa, Tanzania
Research project:
Investigating Girls’ Literacy Practices In and Out of School in Rural Tanzania
Professor Elinami Swai, PhD.
Open University of Tanzania
Research Project:
Empowering Adolescent Girls Through Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Programme in Shinyanga, Tanzania
Dr. Alberta Odofourkor Akrong
Mountcrest University College, Accra, Ghana
Research project:
Literacies for Abilities: Interrogating Pedagogy Empowerment Nexus Framework in School-Community Girls Clubs in Ghana