Student Assistant for 6 hours per week

Digital Humanities Lab: SNF- and Innosuisse-Projekt

We are looking for a master student to collaborate on data collection and analysis for an observational study in Basel, which focuses on young adult's literacy, climate anxiety and sustainability awareness. The project is funded by the SNF & Innosuisse (https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/222419) and the researcher is charge is Cristina Loi, postdoctoral researcher at the Digital Humanities Lab.
From 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024 (holidays have to be taken in July)
The project
This project presents the implementation and assessment of a shared reading program for young adults in Basel. This program uses the shared reading of climate fiction with young adults (18-22 years old) to foster pro-environmental behaviours while simultaneously enhancing well-being. The Shared Reading methodology (https://www.thereader.org.uk/about-us/our-story/) has therapeutic effects, but it will be adapted to suit the needs of young adults, including forms of digital and audiovisual storytelling in combination with literary texts. The first step will be to distribute a survey for young adults in the last years of high school and in the first year of university in the Basel area. One month after the survey, prospective participants will be contacted for a shared reading program, which will be offered both in German and in English. The sessions will run weekly (for 1-to-2-hour sessions) for 6 weeks. The researcher and the research assistant will take field notes and make audio recordings of selected sessions. At the end of the program, participants will complete a post-test, a delayed post-test, and a focus group interview. All these quantitative and qualitative data combined will enable us to produce both scientific as well as educational resources describing the efficacy of the program.
This position includes the opportunity to co-author a scientific publication and/or to conduct a master thesis about this project.

Your position

• You will distribute a survey for young adults (18-22 years old) in local schools, together with the researcher in charge;
• You will check the German translations of validated questionnaires developed in English;
• You will take field notes during Shared Reading sessions of two German-speaking groups;
• You will assist the data analysis process by managing the German data.

Your profile

• We are looking for a master student in literary studies, psychology or digital humanities. Ideally you have an interest for empirical methods in the humanities and empirical ecocriticism.
• Excellent German and English skills are required.
• Experience in R is a plus