Please tell us about yourself and your research at the EUI.
I am about to start my fourth year of the PhD in economics at the European University Institute (EUI). My research focuses on the economics of education, centered on two key areas.
First, I am investigating the dynamics of peer relationships in classrooms—how students create peer groups and how they influence each other’s learning experiences. More specifically, I have a project that investigates the impact of COVID-19 on peer relationships. The first results show that, due to COVID-19, academic relations gained importance while friendships deteriorated.
Second, I am exploring the impact of teachers on students’ academic achievement as well as on skills, such as empathy, which are crucial for long-term success. A preliminary finding from this study uncovers that teacher effectiveness manifests differently depending on a student’s preschool attendance—one of the key indicators of school readiness. Teachers’ impact is more pronounced in boosting academic achievement for students who attended preschool, while it has a greater effect on skills for those who did not.
A significant part of my research involves working with data collected directly from classrooms.
Could you please tell us about your fieldwork experience?
For the last two years, I have been conducting fieldwork in primary schools in Adana and Gaziantep, two southeastern cities in Turkey, together with a team of researchers including Merve Derebasoglu and Buse Tanca Kocyigit from the EUI. The team is led by my supervisor, Prof. Sule Alan.
Our goal is to track students’ development throughout their primary school years. We began our first round of school visits in September 2022, right at the start of the academic year, as first-grade students were just beginning to adjust to their new school environment and learning how to interact with their teachers and peers. After several weeks of intensive work, we managed to reach more than 20,000 students and their teachers.
We returned to the same schools and classrooms in April 2023 for the second round of data collection, which was particularly challenging due to the devastating earthquakes that hit the region in early February. We completed the third round in May 2024 and have been working on preliminary analyses since then.
During our school visits, we took over each classroom for 1 or 2 class periods and guided the students through a series of structured activities. These activities included games and decision-making tasks designed to assess specific skills and behaviours, as well as academic tests to evaluate their learning progress. Meanwhile, their teachers took an extensive survey aimed at understanding their skills and personality traits.
What did your fieldwork teach you that may be of use to researchers planning to conduct fieldwork in their studies?
The most important thing I have learned is that conducting large-scale fieldwork demands a lot of dedication and creativity. No matter how thoroughly you prepare, you will inevitably face challenges you did not anticipate. Your data collection tools might not work as planned due to a software bug so you may have to find an alternative way to programme your survey. Teachers might go on strike, or students could unexpectedly be on a school trip, even after you have confirmed their attendance in class. In such cases, you need to be able to adjust your schedule as quickly as possible and visit another school as part of your study. It is crucial to be able to come up with creative solutions on the spot and accommodate the needs of your study’s participants.
While you cannot predict every challenge, one thing you can ensure is having a team you can rely on. I am lucky to be part of a very cooperative team in which members support one another in tackling these challenges and take initiative.
Lastly, it is crucial to understand that each participant is a valuable part of your study. When they have a question or raise a concern, you need to make sure that you take extra time to address their worries and that they are happy to continue to be a part of the study. A great way to keep your participants engaged in your research can be through sharing your findings with them, which can help maintain their interest and commitment to the study.
What do you believe is the added value of being a PhD researcher at the EUI?
Being a PhD researcher at the EUI offers several unique advantages. One of the most significant is the exposure to a wide array of seminars, conferences, and events across different departments and subfields. This constant interaction with research beyond my own discipline opens up new perspectives and ideas, sparking inspiration for my work.
Another significant benefit is the strong support network at the EUI. The encouragement and guidance from both faculty and peers are invaluable. The constructive feedback I receive helps me refine my ideas and elevate the overall quality of my research. Being part of such a collaborative environment means that my work is constantly evolving, benefiting from the diverse insights and expertise of those around me, and ultimately achieving higher levels of academic rigor.
Lastly, the EUI offers a unique living experience in a beautiful, historically rich environment that stimulates both academic and personal growth. The sense of community at the EUI is strong, and the friendships and networks I have built at the Institute are an integral part of my PhD journey.
Yusuf Aguş is a a researcher at the EUI Department of Economics. Yusuf’s research focuses on the economics of education.