Outline

The Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) supported by the School of Social Sciences, invites applications for PhD study. This Large Centre Associated Studentship is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, and is available on a full-time or part-time basis. It will commence in October 2020 and is available in the area of Education.

This studentship will examine the relationship between curriculum reform and civic engagement. In Wales, as elsewhere, there are concerns about the disengagement of young people from political participation and civil society. Partly in response to this, the Welsh Government is radically overhauling its curriculum – but the role of the young person within the new framework is as yet unclear.

At the heart of the research is the fundamental and enduring issue about whether civic engagement is best ‘taught’ through the official curriculum or ‘learnt’ through experience. The research will involve a combination of methods, including the collection and analysis of WMCS data, and interviews with young people. The WMCS is a multi-cohort study that follows the progress of children and young people as they progress through school.

Through using the WMCS and interview data, the project will be able to compare young people’s levels of engagement before and during the implementation of the new curriculum, as well as their perceptions of the Youth Parliament.

Supervisors:

Professor Sally Power: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/people/view/38130-power-sally

Professor Chris Taylor: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/people/view/38043-taylor-chris

WISERD: https://wiserd.ac.uk/

Applications are invited from exceptional candidates with a first class or strong upper second class honours degree, or appropriate Master’s degree. We welcome applications for both full and part-time study, and the studentship is available as ’+3’ (i.e. three years of full-time doctoral study or its part-time equivalent). Further details on types of awards http://walesdtp.ac.uk/studentships/.

Applications welcomed by 2 March 2020 (1200 hours).

This is a Research Centre Associated studentship award. Applicants should take careful consideration of the working title and description of the project and may wish to contact the named members of staff for a discussion prior to applying.

What is funded

Studentship Awards commence in October 2020 and will cover your tuition fees as well as a maintenance grant (currently £15,009 p.a. for 2019/20 for full-time students, updated each year); and includes access to an additional Research Training Support Grant (RTSG), though an element of this latter fund may be ‘pooled’ and require separate applications from 2020 onwards. There are other opportunities and benefits available to studentship holders, including an overseas fieldwork allowance (if applicable), internship opportunities, overseas institutional visits and other small grants.

Eligibility

http://walesdtp.ac.uk/studentships/

The closing deadline for applications is 12.00 noon on Monday 2 March 2020. Short-listed applicants will be invited to interview, which are expected to take place between Monday 30 March and Friday 10 April 2020. Post-interview outcome will be forwarded to ESRC Wales DTP Management Group for final award decision. In most cases successful applicants can expect to hear by early June 2020.

How to Apply

Applicants should apply via the University’s website to the Doctor of Philosophy in Social Sciences with a start date of October 2020.

In the research proposal section of your application, please specify the project title and supervisors of this project and copy the project description in the text box provided. In the funding section, please select ’I will be applying for a scholarship/grant’ and specify that you are applying for advertised funding from WISERD LARGE CENTRE ASSOCIATED STUDENTSHIP - School of Social Sciences: Teaching New Subjects: citizenship and curriculum reform

Please include:

1. Covering letter: Set out your reasons and motivation for applying to study at Cardiff University and Education pathway; your understanding and expectations of doctoral study; your academic interests generally, and particularly of those relating to your proposed research. The letter should be no more than two pages.

2. Academic / Professional Qualifications: Where appropriate, this should also include proof of English Language Competency (7.0 IELTS minimum).

3. References: Two academic references - candidates must approach referees themselves and include references with their application.

4. Curriculum Vitae: It should be no longer than two pages.

5. Research Proposal. The proposal should be up to a maximum of 1000 words, not including bibliographic references. We suggest that you use the following headings in your proposal:

• Title, aims and purpose of the research;

• Brief overview of the academic literature relevant to your field;

• Proposed design/methods;

• Academic contributions of your research;

• Indicative bibliographic references.

Mae’r rhaglen hon ar gael drwy gyfrwng y Saesneg yn unig. I wneud cais am wybodaeth yn Gymraeg, cysylltwch â’r Tîm Recriwtio Ôl-raddedigion (postgradmarketing@caerdydd.ac.uk).

This program is available in English only. To request information in Welsh, please contact the Postgraduate Recruitment Team (postgradmarketing@cardiff.ac.uk).