PhD Candidate 60 %

Start of position:

1 March 2027, the position is limited until 28 February 2031

Work location:

Bern

Role of classroom interactions on child development

The PHBern awards around 800 teaching diplomas per year and is therefore one of the large Pedagogical Universities in Switzerland. Equally significant is its commitment to continuing education and services for teachers and school leaders, as well as its professional field-related research, development, and evaluation.

The Institute for Research, Development and Evaluation coordinates the research, development, and evaluation area of the PHBern. It supports the connection of research with teaching and the professional field, ensures purposeful networking within and outside the university, and carries out its own projects.

The dissertation investigates the role of the school context (including school climate as well as personnel and integrative resources) for the quality of interaction in the classroom and the learning and development of children, particularly depending on individual learning and development prerequisites. A longitudinal study with four measurement points and around 1,200 children from 120 primary school classes is planned. Characteristics of the school context are recorded via register data and school team surveys, the quality of interaction in the classroom with standardized observation methods, and child development with tablet-based measuring instruments in various cognitive, social, and school areas.

The dissertation is part of the international research network LEVANTE (Learning Variability Network Exchange), initiated by the Jacobs Foundation, which investigates variability in learning and in the development of children between the ages of 2 and 12.

Your tasks

• Substantive collaboration on the further development of research questions regarding school climate, school resources, and child development
• Collaboration in the recruitment and support of participating schools and classes
• Participation in the organization and implementation of data collection
• Collaboration in the conception, implementation, and quality assurance of school team surveys
• Preparation and analysis of the longitudinal research data
• Development of own research questions, writing a cumulative dissertation, and publication of the results within the framework of the international LEVANTE network

Your profile

• Very good Master's degree in psychology or educational sciences, preferably with a focus on developmental psychology
• Strong interest in questions of school and classroom development, school integration, and the conditions for successful learning in the school context
• Good knowledge of quantitative research methods and statistics
• Interest in the analysis of longitudinal and hierarchically structured data and willingness to familiarize yourself with sophisticated statistical procedures
• Very good English skills in spoken and written form
• Careful, reliable, and independent way of working as well as organizational skills
• Enjoyment of working with schools, children, and teachers, as well as working in an international research team

We offer you

• Attractive development and continuing education opportunities
• An open, committed, and competent team
• High flexibility in the design of work organization
• Opportunity for an international research stay

Contact

Further information is provided by:
Prof. Dr. Caroline Sahli Lozano, Head of the Focus Program Inclusive Education
(caroline.sahlilozano@phbern.ch)

We look forward to receiving your application by 24 October 2026 in a single PDF file.

We do not consider application documents from recruitment agencies.