The section OMD/CPE of the Department Learning, Data analysis, and Technology of the Faculty Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences, at the University of Twente is currently seeking for a talented and enthusiastic
Junior researcher (5 months, F/M, 0.8-1.0 FTE)
for executive research activities for a research project financed by the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO), a unit of the Dutch research council (NWO).

The challenge

Social capital of primary school boards

The project called Sociaal kapitaalkrachtig bestuur is a study into the potential value of social capital for school boards in primary education. Social capital of an organization fosters internal stakeholders to form tight networks and improves the connection with external organizations, which helps school boards to stay well informed about relevant issues. It can improve effective steering on educational quality by school boards. School boards with a strong focus on internal and external social capital have potentially more administrative capacities than school boards that do not focus on social capital. In close collaboration with four Dutch primary school boards and the primary education council (PO-raad), we have started an in-depth study into the processes behind the phenomenon of social capital. Our research questions are:

• How do school boards use internal and external social capital for policymaking?
• To what extent does the vision on management of the school board relate to the intern social capital?
• How can a self-evaluation tool for measuring social capital of school boards be designed?

With the obtained knowledge, we will construct a self-evaluation instrument for school boards. The design process includes trying out the instrument at eight school boards. After revisions the final instrument will be made available for primary school boards interested in the evaluation of their social capital. The aim of the self-evaluation tool is improving the awareness of and reflection on social capital by primary school boards.

As a junior researcher, you will collect data at four school boards that do a broad reflection on recent policy topics in which the use of social capital was important. Between May and September 2021 you will interview - together with the main researcher - the school board members and relevant internal stakeholders. Subsequently, you will summarize and partly transcribe the interviews, make coding schemes and analyze the interviews in a qualitative way. You will work out the results in a reflection report for each school board.

You are a highly motivated, enthusiastic and a pro-active candidate with excellent communication and collaboration skills. You have completed a Master in Educational Science and Technology, or in another relevant field. Affinity with evaluation studies, qualitative and quantitative data analyses, and working experience in Dutch primary education is preferred. Excellent command of the Dutch language (in understanding, speaking, reading and writing) is required.

We offer you a full-time position as a junior researcher for the period from 1st May 2021 to 30th September 2022. Your main responsibility will be to carry out and report research. We offer you

• starting salary between € 2.790,- to € 2.920,- gross per month based on your experience;
• employment conditions in concordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities,
• a dynamic, collaborative working environment with enthusiastic colleagues,
• a high level of responsibility and independency,
• excellent facilities for professional and personal development at the University of Twente,
• a holiday allowance (amounts to 8%),
• at least 232 leave hours (based on a working week of 38 hours),
• an end-of-year bonus (amounts to 8.3%),
• participation in the pension fund ABP.