HDR Scholarship - Teaching Digital Writing

Dr Lucinda McKnight

School of Education

Faculty of Arts and Education

Melbourne Burwood Campus

A full time PhD scholarship is being offered as part of a three-year Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) project titled Teaching Digital Writing in Secondary English, led by Deakin researcher Dr Lucinda McKnight. The broader project explores how digital writing is being conceptualised and taught; the challenges in teaching digital writing and how teachers can develop relevant pedagogies. Researchers will be creating digital writing labs in three Victorian schools.

The project is being undertaken with the support of both the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE), the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) and an international expert Academic Reference Group. The overall project will commence on 1 February 2022, with a commencement date for the PhD student to be negotiated for as soon as possible after this date.

The PhD candidate will undertake a specific project that will likely involve exploring the experiences of preservice English teachers, who will act as tutors in the writing labs, and determining their beliefs and practices around digital writing, as English teachers of the future. The candidate will have the opportunity to refine a topic that aligns with their specific interests, while also fulfilling the requirements of the larger project. A full supervisory team will be appointed in negotiation with the candidate.

Applications close 5pm, Friday 21 January 2022

This scholarship is available over 3 years.

• Stipend of $28,100 per annum tax exempt

To be eligible you must:

• be either a domestic candidate currently residing in Australia. Domestic includes candidates with Australian Citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency or New Zealand Citizenship.
• meet Deakin's PhD entry requirements
• be enrolling full time and hold an honours degree (first class) or an equivalent standard master's degree with a substantial research component.

Please refer to the research degree entry pathways page for further information.

Additional desirable criteria include:

• knowledge of and/or experience in the field of English teaching and multimodal/digital literacies
• an interest in initial teacher education and professional learning
• enthusiasm for and skills in writing via digital platforms and technologies
• outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including academic writing skills
• experience in research with teachers or students, ideally in schools
• high levels of self-motivation and organisation, and the capacity to work independently

For more information about this scholarship, please contact Dr Lucinda McKnight

Dr Lucinda McKnight
Email Dr Lucinda McKnight
+61 03 9251 7428