Empowering Young People to Challenge Prejudice – Social Developmental Tests of Anti-Prejudice Strategies
Applications are invited for a 3-year PhD studentship in the School of Psychology at the University of Kent, in collaboration with the Anne Frank Trust. This student will be under the supervision of Professor Dominic Abrams and Dr Lindsey Cameron at the Centre for the Study of Group Processes. The studentship commences 1 October 2022.
Funding
The studentship award covers your university fees at the Home rate (full-time £4,596 per annum in 2022-23). Please note that the EU and International fees do differ and an awardee with EU or International fee paying status will need to cover the difference between the Home rate and their fees themselves. The award also provides you with a stipend set at the current UKRI rate of £16,062 per-annum (pro-rata for part-time awardees). Additional support for research costs may be provided either by the Anne Frank Trust and/or the School of Psychology.
Collaboration
The Anne Frank Trust is a UK national educational charity whose mission is to empower young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to challenge all forms of prejudice and discrimination. Its programmes draw on the life and work of Anne Frank as an inspiration and starting point for its educational strategies.
The School of Psychology has research groups in social and developmental psychology, and a specialism in group processes and intergroup relations within the Centre for the Study of Group Processes, which includes a large number of academic staff, postdoctoral and doctoral researchers investigating both social and developmental aspects of social attitudes, prejudice, discrimination, social influence and decision making in groups.
Research Project
An important approach to preventing prejudice is to equip children with the understanding and resources to recognise and challenge prejudice and discrimination (Abrams, 2011; Abbott, Cameron & Thompson, 2020). Empowering young people to speak out against prejudice in their communities transforms not only children’s own lives, but the communities they live in.
The proposed research, in partnership with the Anne Frank Trust (AFT), will examine the psychological processes that enable children to speak out against prejudice, and generalise their learning and knowledge from one context (in this case Anne Frank’s story and the holocaust) to understand and challenge prejudice in their own lives.
AFT aims to develop innovative approaches for research, evaluating and strengthening its youth empowerment programme. The student will work closely with the academic supervisors and the Anne Frank Trust throughout the research process (developing theory, methods, data collection, analysis, evaluating the Trust’s youth empowerment programmes, and disseminating findings in various formats). Professional development and training opportunities will be available in research methods, academic skills and academic career pathways.
Eligibility criteria
- Applicants must have first class undergraduate degree
- You must have some additional training or experience in research (e.g. obtained or due to complete a Master’s degree)
- You must have some experience working with young people, preferably in a school environment
- You must be willing to complete a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) application and know no reason why this would not be approved
- It is an advantage if candidates have:
- Knowledge of the psychological study of prejudice
- Experience in conducting experimental or questionnaire based research with young people
- A willingness to be an advocate for using social science research to influence and improve public policy.
How to apply
All completed applications received by 1 June 2022 will be considered.
Completed applications must comprise all of the following:
- Submission of a KentVision application for admission to the PhD programme in Social Psychology including:
- A transcript of undergraduate degree marks to date and certificate, if completed, in pdf format.
- Evidence of any relevant training beyond the undergraduate degree
- The names and email addresses of two academic referees. References must also be received by 1 June 2022. Please leave a suitable amount of time for your referees to respond to the reference request which is sent automatically upon submission of the PhD application in KentVision. If an alternative submission method is needed, referees can send their letter of recommendation directly to hssadmissions@kent.ac.uk via their professional email account.
- A current CV in pdf format.
- Submission of a 1-2 page covering letter which explains why the applicant should be considered for this scholarship. This form should be sent directly to hssadmissions@kent.ac.uk and should also include your full name, Applicant ID and the title of the studentship.
Deadline for completed applications (including references) is 1 June 2022. The shortlisting process will start from 6 June 2022 and interviews will be held in the week commencing Monday 13 June 2022.