LIT-PRO Post Doctoral Scholar

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Job Title:

LIT-PRO Post Doctoral Scholar

Department:

EHE | Teaching and Learning Administration

The College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University is looking for a Post Doctoral Scholar to join Dr. Piasta’s team in the Early Literacy and Learning Lab at the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy! The Post Doctoral Scholar will work on a federally funded project examining the impact of LETRS, a professional learning program to support literacy that is widely used in US schools. The project will evaluate impacts on teacher knowledge, classroom literacy practices, and student literacy learning.

Position Overview This is a full-time Post Doctoral Scholar position who will be hired to dedicate 12 months each year to the Efficacy of Literacy Inservice Teacher Professional Learning (LIT-Pro) project, which is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences and situated within an implementation science framework. The Post Doc will work directly with the project’s OSU co-Principal Investigator (Dr. Shayne Piasta) and collaborate with the University of California, Irvine Principal Investigator (Dr. Young-Suk Kim) and University of Cincinnati co-Principal Investigator (Dr. Ben Kelcey). More information about the research project can be found here: https://ies.ed.gov.qipservices.com/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=5983

The Post Doc Scholar will assume a leadership role for teacher knowledge data collection and classroom literacy practice coding activities occurring at OSU. Those activities include assisting with coding scheme development, developing and implementing coding protocols, serving as the lead coder, creating training materials, and training and leading the coding team. The Post Doc will participate in analysis and dissemination activities as appropriate including performing quantitative/qualitative data analyses, debriefing qualitative findings, and engaging in scholarly writing and presentations. The Post Doc may also assist Dr. Piasta with additional data and administrative tasks (e.g., reporting, maintenance of project protocols/materials, data cleaning, data archiving) and grant writing to secure further funding.

In addition to working on the LIT-Pro project as described above, the position will also contribute some effort to various other projects in Dr. Piasta’s lab, as alternative funding allows. The Post Doc’s total effort across projects will be 100% FTE.

Position Environment

The position will start June 2, 2025. The position is renewable, with satisfactory performance and continued grant funding, through the end of May 2029. It is expected that responsibilities will shift over time from coding to more analysis and dissemination activities. The Post Doctoral Scholar will likely supervise 2-5 biweekly, Student Research Assistants.

Application Instructions:

Interested candidates must submit the following materials via Workday: (1) a cover letter detailing the applicant’s Ph.D./Ed.D. graduation date, research foci and areas of competence (substantive expertise, methodological/statistical skills), long- and short-term career goals, and how foci, competencies, and goals align with the research project; (2) curriculum vitae; (3) example of published refereed journal article authored or co-authored by the applicant; and (4) names and contact information for three literacy researchers who can speak to the applicant’s scholarship and workstyle. Application questions can be directed to [email protected].

About EHE

The College of Education and Human Ecology values learning as a lifelong process. The educators, researchers and professionals we help grow are critical to shaping academic success and health and wellness for generations to come. EHE embodies the mission and goals of OSU, and is committed to:

• Creating and discovering knowledge to improve the well-being of our state, regional, national and global communities.

• Educating students through a comprehensive array of distinguished academic programs.

• Preparing a diverse student body to be leaders and engaged citizens.

• Fostering a culture of engagement and service.

• Understanding that diversity and inclusion are essential components of our excellence.

We are led by our core values of excellence; diversity in people and of ideas; inclusion; access and affordability; innovation; collaboration and multidisciplinary endeavor; and integrity, transparency and trust.

About the EHE Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy and Schoenbaum Family Center

All of us at the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy are committed to improving children’s learning and development at home, in school and in the community. This commitment is seen through the work of our renowned researchers and dedicated staff whose diverse skills improve the lives of children from birth to age five and their families, particularly those at risk. This mosaic of contributions includes speech-language pathology, psychology, reading, special education, education statistics and elementary education expertise.

Required Experience:

Strong background in reading instruction and intervention. Strong knowledge of professional learning to support the knowledge and practice of literacy teachers. Experience as a former elementary school classroom teacher, school reading interventionist/specialist, and/or literacy coach. Experience using classroom observation tools/coding schemes/coding software for research purposes. At least 3 years of experience working on federally funded (ideally IES-funded) research projects pertaining to reading skill development, reading instruction, and/or reading intervention. Prior training in Human Subjects protections and research ethics. Prior training and experience with quantitative and mixed methods research. Advanced statistical skills that include multilevel modeling. Working knowledge of SPSS and other statistical analysis programs. Experience managing aspects of a research project/team including working with student research assistants. Strong communication and interpersonal skills. Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively with a research team. Must be a US citizen, permanent resident or authorized to work in the Unites States, due to funding source.

Desired Experience:

Prior experience with implementation science or translational research. Prior leadership experience. Familiarity or experience with LETRS. Currently or previously a licensed teacher at the elementary level. At least one first-authored peer-reviewed journal article published or in review. Experience presenting peer-reviewed research at national and international conferences. Experience presenting research findings to teachers and other educational stakeholders. Experience with grant writing. Knowledge and/or experience conducting item-response theory analyses. Experience creating teacher surveys and analyzing survey data. Research agenda that focuses on professional learning and/or teacher knowledge as related to early literacy.

60%

Leadership and implementation of project coding activities (e.g., creating/adapting coding schemes and protocols; creating and lead coding training; managing coding team; monitoring coding progress and inter-rater reliability).

20%

Analysis and dissemination (e.g., qualitative and quantitative analyses of teacher knowledge, classroom practice, and/or implementation data; psychometric analyses of teacher knowledge, classroom practice, and implementation measures; scholarly writing and presentations; public dissemination of research findings). Contribute to data management, processing, cleaning, maintenance, and analysis including qualitative and quantitative analyses as well as psychometric analyses of project teacher knowledge, classroom practice, and implementation science measures

20%

Data management, administrative, and other duties as assigned (e.g., data processing/cleaning; report preparation; maintenance of project documentation/materials); includes contributing to Early Literacy and Learning Lab research and scholarly activities beyond the LIT-Pro project (supported through alternative funding).

The Target Hiring Range for this position is $61,008

Additional Information:

The College of Education and Human Ecology operates on the premise that all faculty and staff in the College have unique talents that contribute to the pursuit of excellence. In addition to professional accomplishments, collegiality, civility and mutual respect are strongly held values. The College supports representational diversity and diverse beliefs in the free exchange of ideas and opinion and expects that faculty, staff, and students promote these values and apply them in a professional manner in all academic endeavors and interactions within and representing the College. Our core values include excellence, diversity, justice, innovation, internationalization. These values are foundational to EHE - who we are and what we strive to be. By focusing on them, we will enrich the education of our students and accelerate the efforts of our faculty and staff. Our local, national, and international communities will be transformed through our unique partnerships and experiences for our students.

Location:

Schoenbaum Family Center (0933)

Position Type:

Term (Fixed Term)

Scheduled Hours:

40

Shift:

First Shift