Request for Proposals
Research Data Centre Program
Statistics Canada
Aboriginal Peoples Survey – Pilot Project
Fall, 2015
To increase the awareness of the research potential of the Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC), in conjunction with the Canadian Research Data Centres Network (CRDCN) and Statistics Canada, is offering financial support to encourage researchers to analyse the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (2012 APS) now available in the Research Data Centres. Up to 6 grants will be awarded to cover research expenses; their value will range from a minimum of $5,600 to a maximum of $9,000, depending on the number of meritorious applications received. Preference will be given to new faculty (within five years of initial appointment), graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows, but senior researchers are also eligible to apply.
The APS is a national survey of First Nations people living off reserve, Métis, and Inuit, aged six years and older. Its purpose is to provide data on the social and economic conditions of Aboriginal people in Canada. To that end it provides key statistics to inform policy and programming activities aimed at improving the well-being of Aboriginal Peoples and is a valuable source of information for a variety of stakeholders including Aboriginal organizations, communities, service providers, researchers, governments and the general public. More specifically, its purpose is to identify the needs of Aboriginal Peoples by focusing on issues such as education, employment, health, language, income, housing and mobility.
The emphasis of the 2012 APS was on education as a key driver of economic success, and data were collected on education and economic outcomes. The survey includes unique and detailed data on education, employment and health, data which are not available from any other source. For example, while the 2011 National Household Survey collected data on level of education and on major field of study, the 2012 APS asked also about number of schools attended, exposure to Aboriginal languages, school climate and support, frequency of reading, participation in extra-curricular activities, peer influences, and plans for further schooling.
There are four cycles of the APS in the RDCs: 1991, 2001, 2006, and 2012. Each cycle has its own documentation including data dictionaries, user’s guides and concepts and methods guides. More detailed information, including the questionnaires, can be found on the Statistics Canada website, www.statcan.gc.ca/aps. Successful applicants will make use of the 2012 APS, but use of other cycles is encouraged, as is use of other data, where that would be helpful in understanding the issues addressed.
Research projects that address aspects of the following broad research topics are of interest:
- Lifecourse analyses – determining where investments in education have had the greatest payoff for persons of different Aboriginal identities.
- Determinants of well-being among differing Aboriginal identity groups.
- Links between health factors (e.g., chronic conditions, mental health, and food security) and socio-economic conditions/outcomes.
- Using 2012 APS in conjunction with other datasets to conduct similar research.
Research papers/studies that include the following types of analyses or results are of particular interest:
- studies involving the production of both basic tabular and multivariate outputs (e.g., frequencies, means, ratios, crosstabs, regressions), including supplemental tables (to produce graphical outputs or support covariance matrices)
- studies that incorporate one or more of the following:
- analysis using specific ages or age groups
- analysis of specific identity groups (First Nations, Métis or Inuit)
- analysis of factors affecting employment and/or education
- analysis using particular variables, for example: general health, mental health, education, housing, gender, marital status, etc.
Researchers are encouraged to comment on the quality of the data and the level of documentation provided.
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Feasibly of the dataset to support the proposed research
- Response to the stated research priorities listed above
- Research and publication track record of the applicant(s) relative to their career stage
- Appropriateness of the theory and methods proposed
- Plans to further mobilize the knowledge generated
- For students, support of a senior researcher in developing the project.
Proposals that are better aligned with the above described research areas of interest, types of analysis, and results presentation will receive more favorable consideration. In addition to the above criteria, proposals will also be assessed on the viability of the proposed research. The proposals should follow the “project proposal template” available at the following link: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/rdc-cdr/faculty-eng.htm
Proposals should be submitted by November 1, 2015 to:
Donna Dosman, Chief
Research Data Centre Program
Donna.Dosman@statcan.gc.ca
Researchers will be notified by December 15, 2015. The researchers whose proposals have been accepted will be able to access the data by January 2016. While the awardees will retain intellectual property of the research, they are expected to submit a single, final research report to the CRDCN, STC, and AANDC for consideration in policy and program development by March 31, 2017. Researchers may also be invited to present their results to AANDC staff.
Regional Studies Association Funding
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