PhD Opportunity: Language Policy and Education

The University of Aruba is a young, dynamic, and growing university that was founded in 1988 and now consists of four faculties, namely the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Accounting, Finance & Marketing, the Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management Studies, and the Faculty of Arts and Science. Our primary activity is to provide high-quality education. Currently we are also developing the research portfolio of the UA.

For our University of Aruba Research Center in collaboration with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel we are looking for a highly motivated professional for:

PhD OPPORTUNITY: Language Policy and Education
(1,0 fte)

The Pluridentities-project is an international, interdisciplinary project, financed by the European Commission within the framework of the Horizon 2024 program. The University of Aruba is one of the partners in this project, coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Within this project, researchers of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, KU Leuven, the University of Amsterdam, Universidad de Cordoba, University of Aruba and Goteborg University will collaborate to understand in which way multilingual practices in education can be stimulated and promoted and in which way education teams in the participating countries do so already, especially in secondary education. Part of the contract will be the agreement on a Joint-PhD contract with Vrije Universiteit Brussel for a period of 4 years.

The ideal candidate:

• You have completed a master’s in linguistics, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics or policy studies with an interest in language and education;                     
• Your studies include understanding of language in education, language acquisition and/or foreign language teaching;                                     
• You have a strong interest in research with a focus on language education and language use in schools;                        
• You have a track record that demonstrates academic excellence and professionality. 

During the execution of this project, the researcher will be part of the team that focuses on language policies. Within this team, the researcher must be able to apply a range of methods to map the way in which language policies are constructed and implemented in school systems in the different regions investigated in this study. This way the researcher will help to create the following output:        

1. An interpretative framework that will form the basis for further policy analysis;                                                                                   
2. Various policy briefs to stakeholders;                                                          
3. The creation of a network of policy makers at different levels in all different partner regions who are willing to collaborate;                               
4. Academic articles submitted (and published) in various international peer reviewed journals                                                                         
5. Working papers on the impact of policies on pupils’ and teachers’ attitudes and identities;                                                                            
6. An online dashboard that includes instruments, insights and inspiration to create evidence informed policies. Finally, the researcher can integrate the findings of this project into a dissertation to achieve a PhD.

We offer a pleasant working environment within a small university with around 800 students that is in full development. The small scale of our organization means that we offer a diversity of work and roles, from providing teaching and conducting research to holding administrative positions.

Interested? Submit your application (curriculum vitae & motivation letter) by clicking the Apply button before November 20, 2024. If you need further information regarding the position, please contact us at research@ua.aw or hrm@ua.aw. One (or more) job interviews, a medical exam, an assessment test, and a certificate of good conduct are in accordance with our rules of application and a standard part of our recruitment and selection procedure.