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School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work

Towards Better Sexual Health. Revisiting Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles among Young People in Northern Ireland 20 Years on.
Deadline: 24 March, 2023
Level of Study
Postgraduate Research
Application Status
Closed

Eligibility summary

  • Level of StudyPostgraduate Research

Overview

Four CAST PhD studentships at the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work (SSESW)

The School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work (SSESW) is delighted to advertise four PhD studentship opportunities commencing in October 2023. All four projects are funded by the Department for the Economy Northern Ireland (DfE) via the co-operative studentship awards in science and technology (CAST) scheme.  Applicants can apply for more than one project but separate applications are required for each project.

The studentships offer tuition fees and an annual stipend TBC (the 22/23 rate was £17,668) to support living costs for a maximum of 3 years. For further details about eligibility criteria (including academic, citizenship and residency criteria) please click on the DfE Research Eligibility Guidance Notes: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/co-operative-awards-science-and-technology.   While successful candidates are expected to undertake full time working hours on the project, there may be scope to further supplement their income through teaching or research activities should opportunities arise.

 

Project 4 [Reference: CAST23DS]

Towards Better Sexual Health. Revisiting Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles among Young People in Northern Ireland 20 Years on.

Contact Prof Dirk Schubotz: d.schubotz@qub.ac.uk

 Project Summary

´Towards Better Sexual Health', the first ever large-scale study of sexual attitudes and lifestyles of young people in Northern Ireland, was conducted from 2000-2002. To this day, it remains the go-to-study for sexual health/sexuality in Northern Ireland. However, the policy and societal framework has completely changed since the study was undertaken, and existing data is now out-of-date. For example, same-sex relationships were illegal then, they no longer are. Gender-recognition legislation has come into place. Relationships and sexuality education is now compulsory, it wasn’t then. Abortion is now legalised, as is over-the counter emergency contraception – it wasn’t 20 years ago. Most importantly, we have seen the arrival of social media, much of which is used by young people to learn and communicate about sex and relationships, but we have no systematic large-scale information yet on how young people in NI utilise these sources. This study addresses this current knowledge gap.

Research Aims

  1. To capture and analyse large-scale survey data on young people’s sexual attitudes and lifestyles in NI and to assess how young people’s attitudes and experiences have changed in the last 20 years;
  2. To work with a group of young people recruited via Common Youth, the project’s partner organisation, to co-produce the survey, and analyse the data in order to inform clinical practice at Common Youth;
  3. To develop a framework for developing sexual competency that can inform educational practice at Common Youth and beyond.

Proposed methods

This study will use a collaborative, participatory approach to large-scale survey research. The collaborative approach means that additional qualitative group discussion data is likely to be collected and analysed.

 Supervisory team

The primary supervisor will be Prof Dirk Schubotz, School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen’s University Belfast. The study will be co-supervised by the Education Project Worker at Common Youth.

Further Information

Funding Towards

Living Costs / Stipend, Tuition Fees

Funding Body

Department for the Economy Northern Ireland (DfE) via the co-operative studentship awards in science and technology (CAST) scheme

Number of Awards

1

Funding Body

Department for the Economy Northern Ireland (DfE) via the co-operative studentship awards in science and technology (CAST) scheme

Eligibility

Funding Type

Fee Status

Study Level

Postgraduate Research

Start Date

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 15:37:00 GMT

Close Date

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Contact Us

Contact Prof Dirk Schubotz: d.schubotz@qub.ac.uk

How to Apply

Applicants must meet the entrance criteria for the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social to be eligible to apply. These criteria can be found here.

To apply, please log onto Queen’s University Belfast Direct Application Portal, select the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, then select ‘Social Work’ Complete the required sections, and submit your application by 24th March 2023. Remember to cite the project reference code CAST23DS.

All applicants are required to submit a 500-word statement (please upload this document to ‘proposal’ in place of a standard research proposal) describing how their current skills and experiences make them the ideal candidate for their chosen project. Applicants must relate to the projects’ aims and requirements in their statement.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to take part in a brief interview likely via MS Teams. It is anticipated that interviews will take place from 2nd May 2023.

The successful candidates need to be in a position to take up their studentships by 2nd October 2023. If you any queries about your application, please email Prof Dirk Schubotz d.schubotz@qub.ac.uk.