
How to apply
Apply for a joint PhD with the Toronto-Melbourne Research Training Group.
This project is no longer accepting new applications until further notice.
This is one of two research projects examining children's ability to learn maths. KU Leuven is the home institution for this project. To view the Melbourne-based partner project, click here.
Although it is recognised that proficiency with core mathematical competencies is predictive of later mathematics achievement, less is known about the more general cognitive strengths and contextual factors which may influence children's learning in this important academic area. The use of dynamic assessment procedures presents an opportunity to identify factors which may influence the mathematical learning potential of preschool children. Dynamic assessment combines assessment and active teaching explicitly to measure learning potential and seeks to explore cognitive processing through mediated learning experiences.
The purpose of the proposed longitudinal study is to understand the variability in the learning potential of 60 preschool learners (aged 4-5) as they transition from preschool into the first year of formal schooling. Specifically, dynamic assessments will be used to explore the extent to which young children’s learning potential on tasks related to early mathematical core competencies and general cognitive processing predict later mathematical outcomes. An important aim of the research will be to identify potential protective factors (such as mathematical language knowledge) that positively affect future outcomes. Early mathematical competencies (for example, counting, identifying order, comparing quantities, understanding symbols) will be measured using dynamic assessments at four timepoints approximately 6 months apart. This research is significant because dynamic assessments provide an individualised mechanism for assessing mathematics learning potential and can facilitate the design of interventions relevant to children in the preschool years before they are at risk of ongoing failure in mathematics.
The project will utilize a Dynamic Assessment approach to realise three important aims:
The University of Melbourne: Professor Lorraine Graham
KU Leuven: Professor Bert De Smedt
Click on the researcher's name above to learn more about their publication and grant successes.
We are seeking a PhD candidate with the following skills:
The PhD candidate will benefit from the combined expertise of the project supervisors, and the embedding into two research environments.
Professor Lorraine Graham’s contribution relates to the effective teaching of students with learning disabilities/difficulties, intervention research, sustainable learning, basic academic skills in literacy and numeracy, inclusive education practices, strategy instruction, and comprehension processes. Professor Bert De Smedt’s contribution will be in the areas of typical and atypical numerical and mathematical development; dyscalculia - mathematical learning disabilities; educational neuroscience and neurocognitive factors in academic development.
This PhD project will be based at the University of Melbourne with a minimum 12-month stay at the KU Leuven.
The candidate will be enrolled in the PhD program at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne and in the PhD program at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at KU Leuven.
This project is no longer accepting new applications until further notice.
Apply for a joint PhD with the Toronto-Melbourne Research Training Group.
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