Marifatul Amalia (Amalia) (AFHEA)

Thesis title: Inequalities in science education: Using PISA and SQA data to investigate the role of family and school factors

Background

My research is trying to investigate factors that influence subject choices among secondary school students. My PhD is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) UK, in collaboration with Education Analytical Services of the Scottish Government. I am using a newly created linked dataset of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to understand the bigger picture of gender and social inequalities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in Scotland.

I was one among three shortlisted candidates for EUSA Teaching Awards 2024 for the Student Tutor of the Year. I am also the Runner-Up of the University of Edinburgh 3 Minute Thesis Competition 2024.

I was awarded the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS) Student-Led Training Fund to organise and speak at the workshop on creating and analysing survey instruments (October 2022), managing data collection (July 2023), principles of programme evaluation: Theory of Change and process evaluation (November 2023), and data preparation using STATA (September 2024, in collaboration with Louise Rowllings from Edinburgh Business School). I, with five other PhD colleagues, was awarded a grant from MHSES Student Experience and Support Offices to organise weekly writing retreat sessions for MHSES students from February to December 2024.

I have four years of work experience as a research staff at Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Southeast Asia (J-PAL SEA) under Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia. As a Research Associate, I was responsible for the field research activities of several research projects. This includes designing data collection instruments, monitoring data collection processes on the field, as well as assisting with the data cleaning process. I was then promoted to be a Research Manager in 2020, where I supervised several research projects in education and gender sectors. I also managed the project budget and engaged with high-level partners, including the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, and various donors. As a Research Manager, I was also in-charge in preparing and delivering training materials. I delivered regular training on impact evaluation methods and framework, both in-person and online sessions, attended by government officers, NGOs, and public audiences.

Qualifications

PhD in Education, University of Edinburgh, UK (ongoing)

AFHEA - Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, obtained in 2024

MSc in Education (Research Pathway), University of Edinburgh, UK

MSc in Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Bachelor of Economics (Accounting), Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia

Undergraduate teaching

I was a tutor for the following courses:

Postgraduate teaching

I was a tutor for theĀ Core Quantitative Data Analysis 1 & 2 (SCIL11009), semester 1, 2022/2023

I also contributed to the Fundamentals of Teaching course as an interviewee (2024)

Research summary

I am interested in the following topics:

  • Choices and decision-making
  • Education policy
  • Gender inequalities and social inequalities
  • Quantitative methods in social science
  • Primary data collection, e.g., individual and household survey

Knowledge exchange

Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA) Connects, November 2023 and January 2024, online

Conference details

European Consortium for Sociological Research (ECSR) Conference, Barcelona, September 2024; presentation title: "Gender gaps in STEM subject choices in Scotland: Using PISA and SQA data to investigate the influence of pupils' gender and academic performance on STEM subject choices".

British Educational Research Association (BERA) Conference and World Education Research Association (WERA) Focal Meeting, Manchester, September 2024; presentation title: "Gender gaps in STEM subject choices in Scotland: Using PISA and SQA data to investigate the influence of pupils' gender and academic performance on STEM subject choices".