SEED PhD details person specification

MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow PhD research studentship: School influences on social and emotional wellbeing in middle childhood Ref AP/DW Supervis

MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow PhD research studentship: School influences on social and emotional wellbeing in middle childhood (Ref AP/DW)

Supervisors: Dr Alison Parkes and Professor Danny Wight

Stipend: £13,726 pa rising to £13,863 pa (from October 2014)

Duration: 3 years

Social and emotional wellbeing (SEW) is a broad concept referring to self awareness, ability to manage feelings and behaviour, social awareness, social skills, responsible decision making and resilience There is strong evidence that SEW in childhood is associated with the ability to work productively with others, maintain motivation in the face

of challenges and disappointment, and later in life to avoid delinquency and risky health behaviours There is growing evidence that the school environment plays a role in shaping children’s SEW, which has supported the development of school-level interventions (Durlak, Weissberg et al 2011) Nevertheless, the relative contribution of different aspects of school context is unclear, including teacher-pupil relationships (Baker, Grant et al 2008; Rydell, Bohlin et al 2008), the classroom “climate” (Buyse, Verschueren et al 2008; Milkie and Warner 2011) and the overall school environment (Bonell, Parry et al 2013) More research is also needed to see whether effects of school context on SEW persist over time (Hoglund and Leadbeater 2004; Dundas, Leyland et al 2006), and the extent to which particular aspects of school context may help overcome effects of disadvantaged family background (Bennett, Elliott et al 2005)

This PhD studentship will be based on data from the SEED (Social and Emotional Education and Development) trial SEED is a stratified, cluster randomised trial of a multi-component primary school intervention that follows pupils’ transition into secondary school SEED has already collected data from around 1,200 Primary 5 pupils (aged 9 or 10) from 38 primary schools on their SEW and their relationships with parents, peers and teachers Teacher-reported pupil SEW is also available for these pupils and for around 1,200 Primary 1 pupils (aged 4 or 5) from the same schools, together with pupil background information (home postcode, entitlement to free school meals and absences) for all pupils surveyed In addition, SEED has data from 664 teachers in those schools about school ethos, relations with colleagues and pupils, and their own SEW Further qualitative data exist relating to the ethos of each school A second wave of data from the same cohorts (two years later) will be available for analysis from July 2015

The broad aim of the PhD will be to understand better the main school contextual influences on SEW in middle childhood (4-12 years), using multilevel statistical modelling Findings will contribute to interpretation of the contextual factors affecting the SEED trial outcomes The student will investigate whether pupil SEW is associated with teacher, classroom and/or school characteristics, whether effects differ according to pupil age and other factors, and whether effects persist over time This studentship will allow the student

sophisticated multilevel quantitative analysis The student will be part of the trial research team There will be opportunities to contribute to questionnaire design, and to gain experience in data collection and the implementation of a large RCT of a complex social intervention There will be scope for the student to add a qualitative study using the SEED sample, and linked to the quantitative data

References

For background information on social and emotional learning in schools, see

http://www.betterevidence.org/uk-edition/issue-3/

Baker, J A., S Grant, et al (2008) "The teacher-student relationship as a developmental context for children with internalizing or externalizing behavior problems." School

Psychology Quarterly 23(1): 3-15.

Bennett, P., M Elliott, et al (2005) "Classroom and family effects on children's social and

behavioral problems." Elementary School Journal 105(5): 461-480.

Bonell, C., W Parry, et al (2013) "The effects of the school environment on student

health: A systematic review of multi-level studies." Health & Place 21: 180-191.

Buyse, E., K Verschueren, et al (2008) "Classroom problem behavior and teacher-child relationships in kindergarten: The moderating role of classroom climate." Journal of

School Psychology 46(4): 367-391.

Dundas, R., A H Leyland, et al (2006) "Does the primary school attended influence self-reported health or its risk factors in later life? Aberdeen Children of the 1950s Study."

International Journal of Epidemiology 35(2): 458-465.

Durlak, J A., R P Weissberg, et al (2011) "The Impact of Enhancing Students' Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions." Child

Development 82(1): 405-432.

Hoglund, W L and B J Leadbeater (2004) "The effects of family, school, and classroom ecologies on changes in children's social competence and emotional and behavioral

problems in first grade." Developmental Psychology 40(4): 533-544.

Milkie, M A and C H Warner (2011) "Classroom Learning Environments and the Mental

Health of First Grade Children." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 52(1): 4-22.

Rydell, A.-M., G Bohlin, et al (2008) "Relations beween behaviour problems at age 8 and adjustment at age 9: The influence of the child-teacher relationship." International

Journal of Psychology 43(3-4): 254-254.

Working relationships

The successful student will be supervised by Professor Daniel Wight and Dr Alison Parkes of the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (SPHSU) based at 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow

About the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit

The aim of the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit is to promote human health via the study of social and environmental influences on health Our more specific objectives include:

• Studying how people’s social positions, and their social and physical environments, influence their physical and mental health and capacity to lead healthy lives;

• Designing and evaluating interventions aiming to improve public health and reduce social inequalities in health; and

• Influencing policy and practice by communicating the results and implications of research

Current research programmes are (programme leader in brackets):

 Sexual health (Lisa McDaid)

 Understandings and uses of public health research (Shona Hilton)

 Measuring health, variations in health and determinants of health (Alastair Leyland)

 Ethnicity and health (Seeromanie Harding)

 Evaluating the health effects of social interventions (Peter Craig)

 Gender and health (Kate Hunt)

 Neighbourhoods and health (Anne Ellaway)

 Children, young people, families and health (Danny Wight)

 Social patterning of health over the lifecourse (Frank Popham)

The Unit is currently undergoing its quinquennial review and the configuration of

programmes will be revised for the next funding period, which will run from April 2015-March 2020 Research on schools and young people’s health will remain core to the Unit

in the new funding period

For further information about the Unit, including details of the research programmes http://www.sphsu.mrc.ac.uk/

This is one of five studentships being offered in the 2014/2015 academic year by the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow

For further information about being a PhD student in the Unit

https://www.sphsu.mrc.ac.uk/about/being-a-phd-student-at-the-unit

For further information about the University of Glasgow Postgraduate Research Code of Practice, http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/postgraduateresearch/pgrcodeofpractice/

Qualifications/requirements

Candidates should have a 2.1 or 1st class degree and a Masters degree (either already awarded or evidence that award is expected prior to the 2014 academic year) One or both degrees should be in social sciences, social psychology, or a related subject The Masters degree should include a strong quantitative research element Qualifications, or

a combination of qualifications and experience, which demonstrate equivalent ability and attainment may also be considered

Duration and conditions of award

The studentship is funded by the MRC The successful candidate will be located in the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, and will register for a PhD at the University of Glasgow Both the MRC and the University place a high value on training in generic and specific research skills and in transferable skills The Unit and University of Glasgow have review processes in place to ensure that all students are making adequate progress and the student will be obliged to comply with these The starting date for the studentship is expected to be September 2014 Further details about MRC studentships can be found in the MRC Postgraduate Studentships handbook:-

http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Utilities/Documentrecord/index.htm?d=MRC002630

Eligibility

To be eligible for a full MRC studentship (stipend and university fees), candidates must be:

• An individual who was not born in the UK but has been granted UK citizenship or has come to settle in the UK (for example immigrant status, refugee or an individual granted humanitarian protection) and can demonstrate that they have a relevant connection through ordinary residence (2)

• A non UK resident can be considered eligible where a Research Organisation can demonstrate “strategic” and “scarcity” in terms of (i) the demand for and

career-destinations of previous PhD graduates and (ii) evidence of a shortage of high quality UK candidates The sought after skills must be central to the PhD projects and integrated with the biomedical training and research The projects must be aligned with MRC’s strategic priorities (as identified in the Strategic Plan)

• A European Economic Area (3) citizen who is a migrant worker (4) (or their spouse or children) and can demonstrate ordinary residence in the EEA

• An EU national who has spent the three years prior to application resident in the UK (this can include residence whilst undertaking undergraduate study)

1 A relevant connection can be established if an individual has been ordinarily resident in the UK throughout the three years preceding the date of application Candidates may be classed as demonstrating ordinary residence when they are temporarily absent overseas (see below) where the nature of their profession demands that they spend periods

overseas (for example research) or have been receiving full-time education overseas

2 Lord Scarman defined ordinary residence as ‘habitual and normal……from choice and for a settled purpose throughout the prescribed period, apart from temporary or

occasional absence’ ‘…voluntarily adopted… ’ ‘there must be some degree of settled purpose (and) a sufficient degree of continuity to be properly described as settled’

Ordinary residence is proven if a candidate would have been in the UK (or EEA) if it were not for the fact that s/he, his/her spouse, parent or guardian is/was temporarily employed outside of the area

3 The European Economic Area is defined as the areas comprised by the member states

of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden) as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland

4 An EEA migrant worker can be defined (for these purposes) as a citizen of a member state of the EEA who is employed in the UK and who should be treated as a national of the UK The employment of an EEA migrant worker can be full-time or part-time but must

be relevant to the candidate’s previous or future training Candidate’s employed in part-time or short-term casual employment or who are effectively unemployed cannot be considered to hold migrant worker status

Visa/Work permits

Candidates who are resident in the UK on a student visa, work permit or dependent visa which have restrictions on the time they may stay in the UK, and cannot demonstrate a relevant connection or settled status will not be eligible on residence grounds

Nationals of the European Union

If a student is from an EU country, but cannot demonstrate a relevant connection to the

UK through ordinary residence, they may be eligible for a studentship for tuition fees, but not for a maintenance stipend

Nationals of the Isle of Man

Candidates from the Isle of Man are eligible for a MRC studentship and should apply directly to the research organisation

How to apply

Please send a CV and cover letter to susan.wilkie@glasgow.ac.uk, clearly stating why you would like to be considered and how you meet each of the criteria listed in the Person Requirements Please also supply the details of two academic referees If you do not have access to email please post to Susan Wilkie, HR Manager, MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB Please also supply the details of two academic referees

Closing date for applications: 13th June 2014

Interviews will be held on: 3rd July 2014

Prospective candidates are invited to informally visit the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit by appointment to discuss the studentship Please contact Dr Alison Parkes (alison.parkes@glasgow.ac.uk) or Professor Danny Wight (danny.wight@glasgow.ac.uk) or call 0141 353 7500 to arrange a visit

Additional information

Shortlisted candidates will be requested to provide a brief outline of their ideas for the studentship (no more than one page of A4) prior to interview You may be asked to

undertake an assessment task on the day of the interview Further information will be provided to shortlisted candidates in advance of the interview dates should this be

required Please note that appointment will be made subject to pre-employment health, security screening and suitable academic references

Person requirements

Education/qualifications/training:

(either already awarded or evidence that award is expected prior to the 2014 academic year) One or both degrees should be in social sciences, social psychology, or a related subject The Masters degree should include a strong quantitative research element Qualifications, or a combination of qualifications and experience, which demonstrate equivalent ability and attainment may also be considered

Subject knowledge

Desirable: Understanding of factors that may influence children’s social and emotional

well-being Understanding of multilevel statistical analysis.

Data collection

Essential:

Desirable: Familiarity with school-based research Experience of questionnaire design

and administration Experience of design and administration of qualitative interviews

Data analysis

Essential: Training in statistical analysis, including a sound understanding of and

practical experience of regression analysis Ability to use syntax/command language in a major statistical package or to program using a major programming language Good working knowledge of one or more standard statistical packages e.g SPSS, SAS, Stata,

R

Desirable: Experience using multilevel statistical analysis.

Written communication

Essential: Evidence of excellent written communication skills; ability to summarise and

present research findings in written form

Desirable: Experience of contributing to reports or papers for peer-reviewed academic

journals

Oral communication

Essential: Evidence of good oral communication skills

Desirable: Ability to establish good rapport with children Experience of giving

presentations to various audiences

Time management

Essential: Ability to prioritise own work and to work to agreed deadlines without close

supervision

Self direction

Essential: Ability to direct own work in an efficient and productive manner and to respond

to constructive criticism; willingness to work independently and to contribute to a research team Motivation to gain a PhD