PhD Scholarship in Evaluating Three-Year-Old Kindergarten Programs
The Melbourne Graduate School of Education seeks expressions of interest from eligible graduates for a PhD in the Educational and Developmental Gains in Early Childhood (EDGE) Study. The study is led by the Research in Effective Education in Early Childhood (REEaCh) Centre in partnership with The Front Project and supported by the Victorian Department of Education and Training for a five-year evaluation of the state-wide roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten in Victoria.
There is limited evidence internationally that reports on the impact of two years of universal early childhood education provided at scale, as is planned in Victoria. The EDGE Study provides a rare chance to collect and link data longitudinally to generate insights on policy that can break cycles of disadvantage, including significant educational disadvantage. This will benefit current and future generations of Australian children by providing the information needed to improve the effectiveness of early childhood education and targeted investment in children’s learning and development.
The PhD project will contribute to understanding the efficacy of 3-year-old kindergarten programs and contribute to the impact of this evaluation of three-year-old kindergarten programs across Victoria. The PhD project will investigate the range of three-year-old kindergarten program design characteristics; how different learning environments influence the experiences of educators and children; and how programs and pedagogy differ for three- and four-year-old children.
The successful candidate will:
- gain experience in all aspects of undertaking a longitudinal research project, including recruitment of participants, data collection, analysis and reporting in the EDGE study;
- be supported to publish during their candidature and will be expected to show how the proposed project supports the MGSE strategic plan (particularly the pillars of research and community);
- be part of the REEaCh Centre which provides space, resources, and an intellectual community (e.g. weekly project meetings, fortnightly meetings, and social gatherings for the team).