Front Matter

Abstract

The enclosed Selected Papers 2017 represent a quality selection of peer-reviewed papers presented at the 2016 Rosa Bruno-Jofré Symposium in Education (RBJSE) at Queen’s University, Faculty of Education. The RBJSE is a graduate symposium organized by, and for, graduate students with a mandate to provide a supportive context for graduate students to develop their presentation skills, discuss their research with colleagues, faculty, and experts in their fields, and publish their research. In the spirit of the RBJSE, these Selected Papers provide new scholars the opportunities to refine their symposium papers through a peer-review process. Academic writing does not develop in isolation; supportive feedback and practice are crucial to the development of strong academic writing skills. In the words of Dr. Nancy Hutchinson, a former editor of the Selected Papers publication and Professor Emerita at the Faculty of Education, all academic writers should strive to “strengthen the signal, reduce the noise.” As the editorial team of the Selected Papers, we worked closely with the authors to help them find and clarify their voices. We would like to offer special thanks to our reviewers. In light of the wide range of topics covered in the current publication, it may not be a surprise that we recruited reviewers from a variety of fields, and from universities across North America. Cross-departmental and inter-university collaborations to create a publication such as this are only possible when people donate generously of their time and expertise. To our authors, thank you for letting us engage with you in this process. We wish you the best in your future scholarly endeavours. When you look back at the work you produced here, be very proud of what you have accomplished.