Stichting International Parents Alliance

In collaboration with the University of Stavanger (UiS),

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA): Early Stage Researcher – 1 position

PARTICIPATE Project: Parents and Technology in Cyberbullying: Intervention and

Prevention for Future Experts

Fixed-term three-year contract

Application deadling: 15 March 2023

MSCA Doctoral Networks – Project Ref 101073332

Parents International (Stichting IPA)

Stichting IPA (Parents International) is established with the mission of supporting parents around the world to become game-changers by helping their children to grow up happy and healthy 21st-century citizens. Global challenges, as well as local ones that may be faced knowing answers from other localities call for wider cooperation among parents from all over the world. This is why this foundation is calling on working with experienced parents’ representatives (active and formal) and professionals, including teachers, social workers, researchers, psychologists, teacher trainers, economists, students, policymakers, youth workers, etc. who are interested in supporting parents, in a global parents’ alliance that works for the best interest and well-being of children all over the world.

The basis of our work is on the one hand the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child making parents’ rights and duties part of legislative systems all over the world. Our work is also research-based, often creating the necessary research evidence ourselves as an independent research organisation.

Our team is committed and very international, based in various European countries and also outside of Europe.

Learn more about our work here: https://parentsinternational.org/

University of Stavanger

The University of Stavanger (UiS) has about 12,000 students and 1,900 employees. The university has high ambitions. We strive to have an innovative and international profile and be a driving force in knowledge development and in the process of societal change. Our common direction is driven by consideration for sustainable change and equitable social development, through new ways of managing natural resources and facilitating better cities and local communities. Energy, health and welfare, learning for life are our focus areas. In constant collaboration and dialogue with our surroundings, regionally, nationally and internationally, we enjoy an open and creative climate for education, research, innovation, dissemination and museum activities. Academic life at the University of Stavanger is organised into six faculties comprising various departments/schools and National Research Centres, as well as the Museum of Archaeology. We are a member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities. The university is located in the most attractive region in the country with more than 300,000 inhabitants. The Stavanger region has a dynamic labour market and exciting cultural and leisure activities.

Together with our staff and students we will challenge the well-known and explore the unknown.

The Faculty of Arts and Education is the region’s most important institution for educating teachers for kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, upper secondary schools and higher education. The Faculty also provides basic education in sport, languages, religion and history, as well as eight Master’s programmes and two doctoral programmes.

The Faculty has three national centres: The National Centre for Reading Education and Research (the Reading Centre), the Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research (The Learning Environment Centre) and the Knowledge Centre for Education (KSU), as well as the Filiorum Centre for Early Childhood Research. The Faculty collaborates with the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training and local government authorities in respect of further and continuing education. The Faculty has a total of around 3,300 students and 460 employees divided between the Faculty administration, Department of Early Childhood Education, Department of Education and Sports Science, Department of Cultural Studies and Languages, Reading Centre, Learning Environment Centre and Knowledge Centre for Education.

The Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioral Research in Education is a nationwide centre and one of eleven national centres in education. The Centre assists national education authorities in the process of realizing the national education policy. It additionally works with self-initiated assignments within research and development competence development for kindergartens and schools, as well as teaching and counselling within the university. The Centre’s vision is to be a national driving force in the promotion of safe and good learning environments in kindergartens and schools

PARTICIPATE Project summary

Cyberbullying is a significant social, health and behavioural concern throughout the EU and worldwide, yet crucial areas in its prevention and intervention have largely been side-lined, namely the key role of parents, as well as the role of gender, disability, ethnicity and sexuality. PARTICIPATE will address this research and action gap, by delivering a world-class multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary doctoral training program incorporating plans for substantial networking and exchange of information, expertise and action potential regarding the nature and extent of cyberbullying across Europe. 

By focusing on parents, as well as on gender, disability, ethnicity and sexuality, the project aims to empower both parents and young people, creating a safer space online for our youth, while placing Europe firmly at the forefront of cyberbullying research and practice. 

Of the ten individual research projects in PARTICIPATE the titles of the project title for this ESR-position is as follows: The impact of adult bullying on children becoming cyberbullies.

General eligibility criteria (MSCA criteria)

Candidates must have obtained a degree which formally entitles them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited.

Candidates cannot have been awarded a doctoral degree and/or completed more than four years of fulltime equivalent research experience.

Candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (e.g. work, studies) in the hosting country for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date – unless as part of a compulsory national service or a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention. This excludes short stays such as holidays.

Candidates must have obtained a master’s degree which formally entitles them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited, or possess corresponding formal qualifications that could provide a basis for successfully completing a doctorate. The UiS’ Regulations for the PhD degree and the Programme description for PhD in Educational Sciences and Humanities states UiS admission requirements: To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Stavanger both the grade for your master’s thesis and the weighted average grade of your master’s degree must individually be equivalent to or better than a B grade (scale is from A to F – failed). If you finish your education (master’s degree) in the spring of 2023 you are also welcome to apply.

Applicants with an education from an institution with a different grade scale than A-F, and/or with other types of credits than sp/ECTS, must attach a confirmed conversion scale that shows how the grades can be compared with the Norwegian A-F scale and a Diploma Supplement or similar that explains the scope of the subject that are included in the education. You can use these conversion scales to calculate your points for admission.

Training Arrangements

The candidate will be employed by Stitching IPA but admitted to the PhD program in Educational Science and Humanities. The education includes relevant PhD courses which amount to about six months of study (a minimum of 30 ECTS), a dissertation based on independent research, participation in national and international research environments, relevant academic dissemination, a trial lecture and public defence.  

The candidate will be required to undertake the following mandatory training with Parents International: Health and Safety, GDPR, Basics of Child Rights and Parents as Educators. These courses can also be taken remotely.The work will be co-supervised by supervisors from both IPA and University of Stavanger.

Other mandatory network training activities will be undertaken when appropriate throughout the project.

The hired candidate is required to undertake 2 secondments abroad, one academic and one non-academic, of between 2 and 6 months duration. In this position the academic secondment will be with the University of Stavanger and can be done remotely.

The doctoral candidate / ESR position will be based with Stichting IPA in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and will also require travelling, including doing research in Hungary.

Eligibility criteria:

The candidate should have a Bachelor’s degree in in social sciences (such as education, sociology, political sciences or psychology), and a suitable postgraduate degree. Experience in the field of bullying prevention and parent engagement, conducting surveys, focus groups and in-depth interviews as well as writing academic and non-academic texts is desirable. A C1 level of English is required, a high level of spoken Hungarian is an advantage.

The successful candidate will be required to work in a team in person and remotely, and to work cross-culturally at an international level. They must be prepared to travel to conferences and network training events, and to take part in an academic and non-academic secondment abroad. Ability to work with a range of stakeholders including NGOs, social media companies, policy makers, parents and young people, and academics is essential.

Informal Enquiries in relation to this project should be directed to: Dr Eszter Salamon. Phone + 31 640 912 781 Email: director [at] parentsinternational.org Please do not send applications to this email address, instead apply as described below.

Salary range:

Salary Scale €44,000 – €50,650 per annum before taxes (as determined by EU guidelines).  

In addition, funds are provided to cover the cost of research, networking and training.

The funding covers the 36 months during which the successful candidate is enrolled for PhD studies at the University of Stavanger institution.

Application Procedure:

Application forms are available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vxVajSDTQoEqV86GJC1L6dCcNqeggHVo/edit

Applications should be submitted by e-mail with your completed application form to info [at] parentsinternational.org   

Please clearly state the role that you are applying for in your application and email subject line: PARTICIPATE MSCA: Early Stage Researcher application