The Doctoral School will focus on the topics that include "School Development Counseling", "Non-Specialized Education", and "School Dropouts"
Together with the Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt and the University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg, the Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU) and the University of Education Upper Austria (PH OÖ) are among the winners of a call for proposals titled "Bildungsinnovation braucht Bildungsforschung B3".
This initiative by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science & Research (BMBWF) aims to create structured, coordinated doctoral degree programs between Austrian universities and universities for teacher education studies, focusing especially on educational research. The application period for the related 14 doctoral candidate positions - 10 of them in Upper Austria - is currently open and ends on August 27, 2023
Stefan Koch, JKU Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, remarked: "During these times of rapid changes and multiple crises, providing the next generations with the required expertise to cope with these crises is more important than ever before. This calls for innovation, especially – and as well in - the field of education. We are delighted and honored to partner with other universities and contribute significantly to the program. We hope to attract many applications as this is a unique opportunity to shape Austria’s educational landscape and prepare for the future."
Katharina Soukup-Altrichter, Vice-Rector for Teaching and Research at the OÖ PH, added: "Given the large number of submissions, we are extremely happy that we prevailed with 3 out of 9 consortia. As a result, we have been awarded 14 out of a total of 48 doctoral candidate positions, thereby validating our close partnerships in the field of educational research and demonstrating the outstanding expertise in the consortia thanks to strong ties between Upper Austria, Carinthia, and Vorarlberg."
Once an international panel of experts reviewed a total of 39 applications submitted by 11 universities and 13 teacher education universities, the Board of Trustees at the Innovation Foundation for Education then rendered a final decision regarding funding. The BMBWF will provide €8 million over a three-year period. The Innovation Foundation for Education (ISB) will provide an additional €800,000 to support activities and initiatives to build a "research community". The Doctoral School in Upper Austria is based on the doctoral program "PhD in Education" at the JKU and is included in the funding. The program includes special events for doctoral candidates and opportunities to take part in university lectures at participating institutions as well as by external guest lecturers to focus on and address 3 research topics:
Non-Specialized Teaching - Effects, Challenges and Potential
The current teacher shortage in Austria is coupled with an increasing number of educators finding themselves having to teach subject areas they were not originally trained for. To address this issue, the PhD program aims at providing evidence as to how this impacts the Austrian education system. The doctoral program aims to gather supporting evidence and provide a basis to address the challenges associated with non-specialized teaching in the school system. (4 doctoral candidate openings).
Promoting Life Skills (ProLiSk) - Impact Analysis on Resource-Based Early Educational Dropout and NEET Prevention
Although there is a good base of evidence regarding early school dropout and NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and the warning signs as well as risk factors, we know less about the impact of prevention programs. Life-skills programs aimed at building and fostering skills to better manage and cope with the demands of daily life have been promising. ProLiSk aims to provide evidence regarding the potential of life-skills programs as well as approaches to further develop these programs in order to successfully keep young people in the education and vocational training system. (4 doctoral candidate openings).
Strong Guidance? The Role of Counseling and Guidance in School Development and in the School Support System
School counseling and guidance serves are widely available and have become an important way of supporting school development processes that help improve school quality. Yet from an academic and scholarly perspective, we know too little about how school counseling and guidance actually takes shape. The project explores school guidance and counseling services, its role and real-world practices, conditions, influencing factors, as well as how it complements and intersects with others in the school support system. (6 doctoral candidate openings).
Click here to learn more about the B3 Doctoral School: https://www.jku.at/linz-school-of-education/b3
Click here to learn more about the call:
