In this 5-year PhD project the focus is on the transition of children from primary to secondary education and how this transition influences the level of physical activity of the children. The transition to secondary education is a major life transition as it is accompanied by a new school environment with new responsibilities (such as an increase in homework), and a changing social network of friends, classmates, and teachers. This transition has also been shown to lead to a drop in physical activity levels. First, the project aims to better understand why (groups of) children start, stay, or stop to participate in sports during this transition, via analysis of individual factors combined with the motivational role of the social network. Second, interventions will be developed aimed at stimulating physical activity and preventing drop-out in this transition.

Finally, these interventions will be tested and implemented into policy advice for the involved schools and sports providers (partners in this project are the Dutch Football, Hockey and Tennis associations). Your task will be to collect data, conduct research, to write scientific articles, and to complete a PhD thesis in time. You will also participate in conferences, workshops and other scholarly and knowledge transfer activities, and contribute to teaching.

The full project proposal can be obtained via Prof. Bert Steenbergen at b.steenbergen@pwo.ru.nl.

• A (Research) Master's degree in human movement science, psychology, pedagogy/remedial education, sociology, cognitive or experimental psychology, or a related field.
• The ability to see how the above-mentioned fields are all needed in this project, with their own strengths and weaknesses.
• Excellent writing skills (in Dutch and English) and data-analysis skills preferably evidenced by an authorship or co-authorship of published articles.
• Experience with setting up experimental research, preferably with young children, and experience with data analysis in experimental designs.
• Good organizational and communication skills with the ability to translate and communicate scientific results to professionals.
• An independent, flexible and proactive work style.
• An affinity for challenges.
• Proficient in speaking Dutch.

Fixed-term contract: You will be appointed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 3.5 years.

• Employment: 32 hours per week.
• The gross starting salary amounts to €2,325 per month, and will increase to €2,972 in the fourth year (P scale).
• In addition to the salary: an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• Duration of the contract: You will be appointed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 3.5 years.
• The start date is 1 December 2019.
• As part of the contract, you will participate in teaching for approximately 10% of your work time.
• You will be able to make use of our Dual Career Service: our Dual Career Officer will assist with family-related support, such as child care, and help your partner prepare for the local labour market and with finding an occupation.
• Are you interested in our excellent employment conditions?

We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 22,000 students and 5,000 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent and collaboration. You have a part to play!

Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen

The BSI is a multidisciplinary behavioural research institute. Our researchers collaborate across the boundaries of psychology, educational science and communication science. The BSI has seven research programmes covering three major research themes:
1) development and learning
2) psychopathology, health and well-being
3) social processes and communication The Institute conducts fundamental research as well as applied/translational research. For more information, please visit our website.

You will work within the BSI Learning and Plasticity programme and within the Active Living research theme of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The PhD project is part of a larger project called TRIAL (TRansitions into Active Living), which was recently awarded by the National Science Agenda initiative of the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

The Learning and Plasticity programme focuses on learning and development in typical and atypical populations. Intervention studies on individuals with a variety of disorders as well as on those at risk are conducted to yield a better understanding of the dynamic factors that can prevent or remediate learning problems. The Faculty of Social Sciences is one of the largest faculties at Radboud University. The faculty currently employs about 650 staff. The faculties ambition is to become one of the top social science institutes in Europe, providing high-quality research programmes and study programmes that rank among the best in the Netherlands.

The project is supervised by Prof. Bert Steenbergen and Dr Femke van Abswoude (both Radboud University) and Sebastiaan Platvoet, MSc (HAN, Hogeschool Arnhem Nijmegen). The TRIAL project includes collaborations with a large consortium of societal partners.