Research scholarships

About the scholarship

Working in partnership with Early Childhood Australia, the research team will implement and evaluate a program of professional learning and mentoring (PLM) for Centre Directors, Approved Providers, teachers and educators.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Chief Investigators to conduct research associated with the wider ARC Linkage Project. The doctoral research topic will be developed in consultation with the supervisory team and should include a focus on one or more of the following:

• how Centre Directors, Approved Providers, teachers and educators identify and address barriers for children and families to make a measurable improvement to children’s school readiness over the year before starting school
• the implementation and impact of professional learning with mentoring in diverse EEC contexts on children’s school readiness over the year before starting school
• relationships between family engagement, attendance patterns and school readiness outcomes
• evaluation of strengths-based approaches to improving participation in EEC services and children’s school readiness
• quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods investigations of attendance and educational outcomes.

By researching one or more of these topics, the PhD study will contribute to answering the broader project research questions:

1. Does the PLM program support educators and leaders to identify and effectively address barriers to participation in EEC?
2. Does participation in the PLM program improve children's attendance in the year before school?
3. Does participation in the PLM program improve children's school readiness outcomes?
4. Is increased attendance associated with improved school readiness outcomes?

The successful candidate will be based within the Early Childhood Education Research Centre at Macquarie University and supervised by leading researchers in early childhood education, participation, inclusion and educational equity.

This scholarship offers an exceptional opportunity to contribute to nationally significant research focused on improving equity, access and participation in early education and care, while developing advanced research expertise within a high-performing interdisciplinary research team.

Availability

This scholarship is available to eligible candidates to undertake a direct entry three-year PhD program.

We are seeking a highly motivated applicant with:

• a research master degree or equivalent
• a background in early childhood education, child development and/or a related field
• strong research and analytical skills
• an interest in educational equity, inclusion, family engagement, and early childhood policy and practice
• experience in qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods research.

Components

The scholarship comprises a living allowance stipend.

The value of each stipend scholarship is $40,900 per annum (full time, indexed) for three years.

How to apply

Interested applicants should submit their application in the portal, quoting the project scholarship reference number (20257750).