Examining the Role of Sport and Team-Based Contexts in the Social or Moral Development of Children and Young People.

Title: Examining the Role of Sport and Team-Based Contexts in the Social or Moral Development of Children and Young People.

Start date: October 2021

Location: Colchester Campus, University of Essex

Based in: School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences

This project can be offered either on a full-time or a part-time basis.

Please note that this is not a funded studentship.

This project lies at the intersection between Social, Developmental, and Sport Psychology and focuses on examining ways we can use sport and team environments (i.e., esports, army cadets, and other goal orientated group contexts) to positively affect the social or moral development of children and young people. The student will have autonomy to shape the specific direction of the PhD, however, it is anticipated that a candidate interested in the development of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills and mechanisms will be selected. This may include research on values, virtues, norms, practices, identities, and the psychosocial mechanisms that combine to regulate behaviour.

The successful candidate[s] will join our thriving lab made up of four PhD candidates, two MSD candidates, and multiple MSc and BSc students. Our lab's mission is simple. We strive to deliver meaningful outcomes for the communities we serve and believe in openness and collaboration. We adopt an open, basic, and applied approach to create and communicate meaningful outcomes for the communities we serve. To join the lab you need to be smart, curious, industrious, and share similar research interests to the group. If this sounds like you, we would love you to join us. If you would like to read more about our previous and ongoing projects, please visit our website (https://teamresearchlab.org). Please john@teamresearchlab.org Dr Mills directly to discuss projects before applying.

Entry requirements

You will have a good undergraduate and/or Masters degree in a related subject (e.g., a sub-discipline of psychology) and a strong interest in positive youth development.

The candidate will also require an undergraduate Honours degree with a minimum classification of 2:1 or equivalent, research experience in the form of undergraduate or MSc dissertation in sport psychology or related field, and an English language qualification for international students.

For informal discussions about this studentship, please contact the project supervisor Dr John Mills.

How to apply

In the first instance, you should submit a cover letter and (maximum) one-page research proposal to john.mills@essex.ac.uk detailing your interest in the project.