The National Institute of Education invites suitable applications for the position of Research Assistant on a 12-month contract at the Centre for Research in Child Development (CRCD).
Project Title: Development of a Holistic Progress Tool for the Early Childhood Sector
Project Introduction:
This project aims to develop a “Holistic Progress” (HOP) Tool that early childhood educators can use to observe and document children’s holistic development in the second year of kindergarten (i.e., at age 6 or K2). Phase 1 of the project focused on the development of the first cut of the teacher-completed HOP Tool (HOP V1) and preliminary tool completion guide. In Phase 2, HOP V1 will be piloted with K2 educators and will be refined into HOP V2 based on psychometric data and stakeholder feedback. In Phase 3, HOP V2 will be piloted with a new sample of EC educators of K2 children and child outcomes assessments will be administered to examine validity. In Phase 4, two rounds of FGDs will be conducted with EC educators to gather feedback on the HOP Tool and create the user guide.
Requirements:
Essential:
- Bachelor’s degree in psychology, education, or a related field
- Background in research methodology, with experience in conducting empirical studies
- Proficiency in both written and spoken English and Mandarin, to conduct orientation sessions with teachers who use Mandarin as their primary language on how to use research instruments, and to translate research materials and research data to Mandarin
- Strong communication skills, with ability to collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams and project stakeholders
Preferred:
- Experience in early childhood settings
- Experience with designing instruments or assessment tools and psychometric analysis
- Experience with statistical analysis and familiarity with software like R or SPSS
Responsibilities:
- Conduct orientation sessions with preschool Mother Tongue Teachers in Mandarin
- Translate research materials and data between English and Mandarin
- Assist with instrument development and refinement
- Prepare instruments for data collection
- Recruit participants and collect data using questionnaires and child assessments
- Train research assistants on how to administer child assessments
- Assist with data analysis using quantitative (e.g., psychometrics) and qualitative methods
- Write/prepare research reports and presentations independently
- Manage research-related administrative work, e.g., purchase of materials or equipment for research
- Liaise and work closely with project team members and stakeholders from external institutions
- Perform other tasks as required by the Principal Investigator
Application
Applicants (external and internal) will apply via Workday. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
Closing Date
Closing date for advertisements will be set to 14 calendar days from date of posting.
Hiring Institution: NIE