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Monday, August 23, 2010

PhD Scholarship in The entertainization of childhood, Netherlands

Overview

The project focuses on the positive and negative effects of entertainment media on children and adolescents. It is funded by an Advanced Investigators grant awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) to Professor Patti M. Valkenburg. ERC grants are aimed to identify and fund the most excellent research in Europe.

The aim of the PhD project is to investigate the interplay between genetic disposition, environmental influences and media use on the cognitive development of children and adolescents. Specifically, the project will focus on the development of executive function, problem solving skills, and verbal and visuo-spatial skills.

Never before has media entertainment been so abundantly accessible to children and adolescents. Although media-effects research has developed in the past decade, we lack a decisive answer to many important questions. For example, is it beneficial to expose toddlers to the multitude of edutainment that claims to stimulate their cognitive abilities? Does playing video and computer games stimulate children's visuo-spatial and problem solving skills? If such effects occur, how can parents stimulate these effects? And if media and parents have positive (or negative) effects on children's cognitive development, do these effects hold for most children or only for those with a particular genetic disposition? The main aim of this PhD project is to provide initial answers to questions like these.


The project involves a longitudinal study among 900 Dutch families with two children between 2 and 14 years old. The recruitment of these families will be outsourced. The set-up and analyses of the project will be realized by an interdisciplinary team of four senior and three junior researchers from different disciplines, such as communication science, psychology, family studies, and pedagogy. All members of this team will collaborate closely with each other in all stages of the project. This way each individual researcher will benefit maximally from the expertise of other team members.

Tasks
The candidate is expected to do research and publish on the basis of the research. The candidate will also complete a PhD dissertation.

Requirements

The PhD candidate should:

■Hold a relevant Master's degree in behavioral, social, or medical sciences, preferably a Research Master's degree. Candidates who are due to graduate before 1 February 2011 are also welcome to apply.
■Have the ability and interest to work in a team.
■Have the skills to interact with scholars from different disciplines.
■Have advanced data analytic skills, preferably for analyzing longitudinal data.
■Be willing to become acquainted with the literature and methods of analysis of gene-environment interactions regarding the development of children's cognitive abilities.
■Have an excellent written and spoken command of English.
■Be able to speak Dutch.

Further information

A detailed project description can be obtained from the ASCoR Secretariat by email: ascor-secr-fmg@uva.nl

Questions about the project content, the application procedure and other general questions should be addressed to Professor Patti M. Valkenburg (p.m.valkenburg@uva.nl).

Appointment

The position starts in January 2011 and is initially for 1 year. Extension of the contract after the first year to a total of four or five years is subject to satisfactory performance.
The gross monthly salary will be in accordance with the salary scales for PhD candidates at Dutch universities, i.e. ranging from €2,042 in the first year to €2,612 in the final year.

Job application

The deadline for applications is 13 November 2010. Please state the vacancy number 10-2093 in the subject line of your email. Please send at least the following documents in English to ascor-secr-fmg@uva.nl:

■Motivation letter
■Curriculum vitae
■Proof of your Master's degree, including grade transcripts; if you have not completed your degree at the time of application, please provide a statement from your supervisor confirming the expected date of completion of your degree
■An academic writing sample in English (e.g. journal article, Master's thesis)


Please kindly mention Scholarization.blogspot.com when applying for this scholarship


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Scholarship Team: Ph.D Scholar Krisstofferson Joniel Scholarship Adviser, PhD Scholar Chea Vitom Scholarship Adviser and Senior Lecturer, PhD Scholar Rebecca T. Dalisay Scholarship Adviser, Ph.D Student Jiao Wang Scholarship Coordinator, MSc Student Dennise Maricel Scholarship Coordinator