PhD on High Expectations, Performance Pressure, and Mental Health in Childhood

In the past two decades, the number of 11-year-olds in the Netherlands experiencing high performance pressure in school has tripled. This is worrying, because prolonged experiences of performance pressure can lead to mental health problems. We need to gain more insight into the processes underlying the development of performance pressure at this young age.

Wat ga je doen?
In this PhD position, you are responsible for conducting research within the project ‘High Expectations of Parents, Teachers, and Peers: Driver of Educational Success or Unhealthy Source of Performance Pressure among Children in Upper Primary School?’ The project focuses on parental, teacher and peer expectations as possible sources of performance pressure at school. We examine when high expectations promote children's school adjustment and when expectations become (too) demanding and create unhealthy levels of performance pressure and mental health problems.

We focus on the last two years of primary school, a period when test results can have a major impact on children's future, as the tests (largely) determine which track recommendation a child will receive for secondary education. The project has a quantitative longitudinal design following children for two school years (grades 5 and 6), during which two survey measurements are conducted. Furthermore, intensive longitudinal data are collected several times using short daily questionnaires. In the daily measurements, we measure how parents, teachers and peers communicate about their expectations and the importance they attach to high performance during periods when children take important tests and when they receive their school advice. The project will yield knowledge on how teachers and parents can encourage children to realize their full potential without overburdening them.

The main tasks and responsibilities include:

• selecting, adapting and designing measurement instruments (e.g., develop the daily questionnaire);
• collecting data (e.g., recruiting participants, conducting research at schools);
• analysing data using advanced statistical techniques such as multilevel analyses and (dynamic) structural equation modelling;
• writing international scientific publications and a dissertation;
• presenting at (inter)national scientific conferences;
• disseminate findings to professionals in the educational field;
• active participation in the research team of the department of Developmental Psychology at Utrecht University;
• attending courses within the Child and Adolescent Studies research school;
• teaching and supervising Bachelor's and Master's thesis projects (10% of working time).

You can thrive in this project, if you have:

• obtained a (Research) Master’s degree in Psychology, Educational Sciences, Pedagogical Sciences, or a related field;
• an excellent command of the Dutch language, which is indispensable for successfully carrying out this project involving Dutch schools, teachers, and children;
• affinity and interest in the topics of expectations, performance pressure, mental health, and school functioning;
• experience with quantitative research and affinity with (advanced) statistical methods (e.g., multilevel analyses);
• strong social, organizational and self-regulatory skills;
• strong analytical thinking skills;
• good communication skills (written and oral), both in the Dutch and English language;
• preferably sound knowledge of the Dutch educational system and affinity with educational practice.

We offer:

• a job for one year, with an extension to a total of five years upon successful assessment;
• a working week of 28 to 32 hours and a gross monthly salary between €2,872 and €3,670 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

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