Description

Organisation/Company: University of Warsaw

Research Field: Language sciences › Linguistics Psychological sciences › Psychology

Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2) Established Researcher (R3)

Application Deadline: 27/06/2022 12:00 - Europe/Brussels

Location: Poland › Warsaw

Type Of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Hours Per Week: 36

Applications are invited for the position of a research fellow (assistant professor) in the project entitled “Polish and Norwegian language and world knowledge development in mono- and multilingual children” (PolkaNorski) founded by Norwegian Financial Mechanism for the period 2014-2021 (no of agreement with the National Science Centre in Poland UMO-2019/34/H/HS6/00615).

The PolkaNorski project investigates the development of language skills and world knowledge in Polish-Norwegian multilingual children and their monolingual peers in Poland and Norway.

The project will investigate the relationship between children's language skills, world knowledge and the linguistic, cultural, and educational environment in which they grow up. We follow multilingual Polish-Norwegian children and majority speaking Norwegian and Polish children aged 2-6 years through four work packages.

In the first work package (WP1), the children's language development is mapped using Polish and Norwegian versions of the MacArthur-Bates CDI questionnaire and the CLT vocabulary test. We will follow a group of children longitudinally to investigate both linguistic development and potential change in language dominance over time. The project will also result in monolingual and multilingual norms for both tools.

The aim of the second work package (WP2) is to compare word processing in monolingual and multilingual children. Using EEG, we will study the brain activity of two-year-olds who get to see pictures and hear words that fit or do not fit together. A year later, we will investigate whether the results from the experiment can predict their language development.

There are cultural differences in the view of nature between Norwegian and Polish parents and between Norwegian and Polish kindergartens. In the third work package (WP3), we follow children longitudinally to see how closely knowledge of the world of nature is connected to the development of language, and what the relationship to nature has to say for language skills and world knowledge. By studying majority speaking children in Poland and Norway and children of Polish immigrants in Norway, we hope to be able to say something about the role of the family on the one hand and kindergarten on the other in the development of children's knowledge and vocabulary about nature.

The fourth work package (WP4) is an intervention study. Children's language development starts even before birth, and we think that parents' attitudes towards and knowledge of how to create a good language environment play a major role in children's language development. In this study, we will recruit expectant Polish parents living in Norway. Half of the parents will be invited to a course on general early child development. The other half will be invited to a course on children's language development and how parents can interact with and talk to their baby. This way, we can find out more about the relation between multilingual parents' attitudes towards and knowledge about language and children's language development.

Benefits

What we offer:

Work in a dynamic research team conducting projects in international cooperation, support in developing their own research ideas, and a chance to establish extensive international cooperation.

Selection process

How to apply:

Please send an application by e-mail to: ewa.haman@psych.uw.edu.pl and dean@psych.uw.edu.pl, the email subject should be: „PolkaNorski/Ukraine”.

Required documents:

• CV and cover letter in English with direct references to the requirements specified in the advertisement,

• Pdfs of up to 2 most relevant publications,

• Signed information on the processing of personal data (scan) (see: attachment),

• Signed agreement for the processing of personal data by the University of Warsaw (scan),

• Declaration that they have read and accepted the rules for conducting competitions at the University of Warsaw (Ordinance No 106 of the Rector of the University Of Warsaw of September 27th, 2019: https: // inicjatywadoskonalosci.uw.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/202...),

• Contact details of two people who are ready to recommend a candidate,

• Other documents that the candidate deems important for the recruitment process.

Additional comments

Notification about the results: June 28th, 2022, by email or phone.

Salary: up to PLN 7600 (gross) per month, depending on previous work experience

Position starts on: July 1st, 2022 or as soon as possible hereafter

Minimum period of employment: 3 months

Note: The competition is the first stage of the recruitment procedure for the position of Assistant professor specified in the University of Warsaw Statute. Its positive conclusion will be the basis for further proceedings. Only the short-listed candidates will be invited to an interview (to take place on June 27th 2022 from 4 pm). The interviews will be held in English and partly in Polish and/or Ukrainian .

The University of Warsaw reserves the right to cancel the competition without providing reasons.

Offer Requirements Skills/Qualifications

We will consider candidates who fulfil the following requirements. They:

meet the conditions set out in the Act on Higher Education and Science of 20 July 2018 (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 85 as amended) and the Statute of the University of Warsaw (Resolution No. 443 of the University of Warsaw Senate of 26 June 2019, Monitor item 190),

have a PhD in psychology, cognitive science, linguistics, or other related subject, or can document the possibility of obtaining a doctoral degree (as above) before the moment of employment,

have scientific achievements documented in publications in scientific journals,

have documented research experience in developmental psychology, linguistics, or related disciplines

have very good command of English (level C1, confirmed by certificate or written statement of the candidate),

know Polish and Ukrainian language at the level that allows daily contact in the research team and analysis of language data,

can work in a research team,

immediately before the outbreak of the war, they worked and conducted research at Ukrainian universities and other scientific institutions, and as a result of military operations, they arrived in Poland on February 24, 2022 or later.

Additionally, the following assets are welcome:

1. experience in conducting research involving multilinguals.

Specific Requirements

Contribution to the implementation of research package WP1.

Designing Ukrainian version of Cross-Linguistic Lexical Tasks (CLT).

Conducting a pilot study for the Ukrainian version of CLT.

Planning a study on vocabulary size of bilingual Ukrainian-Polish children

Co-involvement in results dissemination via conference presentations, and journal publications.

Participation in the preparation of conference presentations and publications.

Participation in the organization of project events included in the communication plan.

Carrying out other project-related tasks ordered by the principal investigator.

Contact Information

Organisation/Company: University of Warsaw

Department: Faculty of Psychology

Organisation Type: Higher Education Institute

Website: https:// www. uw.edu.pl

Country: Poland

City: Warsaw

Postal Code: 00-927

Street: Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28