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Student Research Assistantship on Physics Learning Research

20%, Zurich, fixed-term

Drucken 

The Professorship for Research on Learning and Instruction at ETH Zurich strives to discover effective, evidence-based ways to improve educational practice with an eye towards generalizable principles across content areas and issues of societal relevance.

The group is looking for research assistants (RAs) who will support members of the group in their research, including data collection and analysis. Currently, we are looking for RAs to assist with a specific project, but we are open (and would welcome) to collaborate beyond this project. 

Project background

The specific project that you would support is investigating the effects of embodied physics experimentation on learning force concepts. This project uses data collection through one-on-one lab experiments with participants with adult participants. Your primary responsibility will be conducting video-recorded experiment sessions in our lab by following a script. You will also be involved in data cleaning, transcription, grading, and data analysis. Compensation will be CHF 30.70 per hour, up to 15 hours per week (during the semester). 

Job description

  • Conduct 60-120 minute one-by-one experiment sessions with participants (using a predefined script)
  • Transcribe interview sections of the  session video recordings
  • Review transcriptions performed via tools (e.g., OpenAI Whisper) to ensure accuracy
  • Organize and clean the collected data
  • Grade student answers and drawings by following a rubric
  • Code session recordings with qualitative methods (using a predefined codebook)
  • Collaborate with the researcher to refine the codebook as needed

Profile

Required

  • You are fluent in English (native or C1/C2 level)
  • You are currently a university student in Zurich, Switzerland (in any field) and will remain enrolled as a student at least a year.
  • You are interested in understanding how to improve STEM education in a research-driven way
  • You are motivated to learn about research methods in learning sciences and educational research
  • You will be available to work in July, August and September 2025 with a possibility to longer.

Preferred

  • You have prior experience working within education (e.g., as a teacher, tutor, or administrator) and/or you are interested in education.
  • You have teaching and/or grading experience
  • You are studying a psychology related field
  • You have a background in STEM and/or high school-level knowledge about Newtonian physics
  • You have prior experience with lab sessions, qualitative data analysis, and data collection
  • You have prior experience with manual and/or automated transcription from audio or video

Workplace

Workplace

We offer

  • A unique opportunity to work with learning science research.
  • Gaining practical experience with data collection and data preparation for analysis and publication.
  • A collaborative work environment with working hours designed to accommodate your academic schedule, including study periods for exams.
  • Membership in an interdisciplinary team offering support and a friendly learning environment.
Working, teaching and research at ETH Zurich

We value diversity

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish.

Curious? So are we.

Please submit the following application documents using the ETH online portal:

  • Letter of motivation describing your qualifications and interest for the position
  • CV (including your predicted graduation date)

We look forward to receiving your online application by June 1, 2025. The preferred start date is as soon as possible. You can find more information about the Professorship of Research on Learning and Instruction and the research lab here. For any questions related to the project or this position, please do not hesitate to contact Ipek Paksoy (ipaksoy@ethz.ch) (no applications). 

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered. We will consider applications as they come in until the position is filled. The pre-selection is carried out by the responsible recruiters and not by artificial intelligence.

About ETH Zürich

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.