PhD defences in the social sciences
2026
Estrelle Thunnissen - The role of peer relationships in MSM health - 14/01/2026
This research investigates the role of peer relationships in promoting mental and sexual health among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), a population disproportionately affected by stigma, minority stress, and social isolation. Drawing on mixed-methods research, it demonstrates that strong peer relationships provide emotional support and intimacy, reduce loneliness, and foster social norms that encourage HIV prevention practices.
The study examines the impact of pandemic-related shifts from in-person to remote communication on social support and loneliness, the impact of physical distancing on experiences of intimacy, and explores how social norms at multiple levels shape PrEP uptake. Additionally, it evaluates Web-based Respondent Driven Sampling (WEB RDS) as a method for recruiting hidden populations, identifying challenges such as survey fatigue and digital etiquette norms. Findings underscore the importance of leveraging peer relationships and addressing normative barriers to improve health interventions and health outcomes for MSM.
Practical information
- Promovenda: Estrelle Thunnissen
- Promotors: Prof. dr. Edwin Wouters & prof. dr. Veerle Buffel
- Date: Wednesday 14 January 2026, 2 PM
- Location: Stadscampus, Promotiezaal Klooster van de Grauwzusters (Lange St-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerp)
- Language: English
The defence is followed by a reception; please confirm your attendance by January 12 by mailing estrelle.thunnissen@uantwerpen.be.
Jochem Vanagt - Beyond the Two-Party Divide: How Coalition Dynamics and Ideological Orientations Redefine Affective Polarization in Europe - 23/01/2026
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Cristina Arhiliuc - Classification and characterization of research output from the social sciences and humanities based on textual metadata - 30/01/2026
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Parbati Phuyal - Ecological and Social Determinants of Dengue and Chikungunya along an Altitudinal Gradient in Central Nepal - 9/2/2026
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Anna Willems - Ondersteboven: veranderende zorgperspectieven rond ouder wordende ouders - 10/02/2026
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Lukas Leitner - Eliciting Preferences for Well-Being Measurement: Methodologigical and Behavioural Challenges - 12/02/2026
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PhD defence Simona Kruisinga Bucsea - From Competency Models to Commercial Results. A Mixed-Methods Study of How Sales Managers Align Customer Mind-Set, Competencies, and Relationship to Drive Performance - 23/02/2026
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Floor Doppen - Balancing Security and Economics. The Political Economy of Investment Screening in the EU - 27/02/2026
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PhD defence Jan Depauw - It Takes a Village to Map Social Work's Impact. Redefining Impact Evaluation: From Attribution to Contribution — Integrating Context, Mechanisms, and Programme Theory through Co-productive and Reflexive Practice that Interweaves Scientific, Professional, and Experiential Knowledge - 5/3/2026
On Thursday 5 March 2026, Jan Depauw (Department of Sociology) cordially invites you to the public defence of his doctoral thesis
It Takes a Village to Map Social Work's Impact. Redefining Impact Evaluation: From Attribution to Contribution — Integrating Context, Mechanisms, and Programme Theory through Co-productive and Reflexive Practice that Interweaves Scientific, Professional, and Experiential Knowledge
This doctoral thesis responds to the growing demand for impact evaluation in social work, a profession increasingly pressured to demonstrate effectiveness through measurable outcomes. Dominant frameworks, rooted in managerial logics, rely on linear models and standardised indicators. While such models enhance transparency and comparability, they fall short in capturing the complexity, relational dynamics, and contextual embeddedness of social work. This thesis, therefore, advances an evidence-informed, participatory, and reflexive approach that integrates scientific, professional, and experiential knowledge. The thesis makes contributions at three levels. Theoretically, it redefines impact as the social changes—intended and unintended, positive and negative—that emerge in and through social work practices, shaped by context, mechanisms, and relationships. This reconceptualisation shifts the focus from attribution to contribution, from narrow outcome measurement to multidimensional change, and explicitly links evaluation to the core values of social work, including human dignity, social justice, and empowerment. Methodologically, this vision is translated into concrete tools and approaches. The thesis develops and validates three psychometric instruments that render often invisible aspects visible: the Service User Psychological Empowerment Scale (SUPES), co-constructed with social workers and service users, and validated in Belgian Public Centres for Social Welfare; the Buddy Empowerment Scale (BEmS), a multidimensional and participatorily designed tool to assess empowerment in buddy-based social work; the Working Alliance in Mandated Child and Family Interventions Scale (WAMC-I), capturing the quality of professional-client relationships under judicial mandate. Together, these instruments show that empowerment and relational constructs can be measured with psychometric rigour when developed through participatory design. In addition, the study "Not Just Voice" demonstrates how participatory group methods, such as the Méthode d’Analyse en Groupe (MAG), not only reveal mechanisms of change but also strengthen stakeholders during the evaluation process. Epistemologically, the thesis positions social work as a knowledge-producing profession in its own right. By inductively distilling theory from practice and integrating multiple forms of knowledge (scientific, professional, and experiential), it transcends the view of social work as a merely applied field. This orientation culminates in the ACCUMI approach, which articulates six guiding principles for reflexive and participatory impact evaluation. Taken together, the studies demonstrate that impact evaluation in social work cannot be reduced to measuring predefined outcomes. Instead, it is a process of collective knowledge production that supports accountability, fosters organisational learning, and stimulates impact-oriented action. This collective ethos also explains the thesis’s title—It Takes a Village to Map Social Work’s Impact—which highlights that robust, meaningful evaluation depends on the combined contributions of academics, practitioners, and service users alike. By combining psychometric rigour, participatory methodology, and theory-building from practice, this thesis advances an approach to impact evaluation that is scientifically robust, practice-relevant, and empowering.
Practical information
- Promovendus: Jan Depauw
- Promotors: Prof. dr. Peter Raeymaeckers & prof. dr. Kristel Driessens
- Date: Thursday 5 March 2026, 4:00 PM
- Location: Stadscampus, Promotiezaal van de Grauwzusters (Lange St-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerp)
- Language: Dutch
The defence is followed by a reception; please confirm your attendance by February 26 by mailing Jan.Depauw@uantwerpen.be.
PhD defence Thalia Van Wichelen - Beyond Rainbow Broadcasting: representation, production and reception of sexual and gender diversity in Flemish children’s media. - 13/05/2026
- Naam: Thalia Van Wichelen
- Promotors: prof. dr. Alexander Dhoest (UAntwerpen) en prof. dr. Sander De Ridder (UAntwerpen)
- Titel van thesis: Beyond Rainbow Broadcasting: representation, production and reception of sexual and gender diversity in Flemish children’s media.
- Datum: Woensdag 13 mei, 17u
- Locatie: Promotiezaal (Klooster van de Grauwzusters), Lange St-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerpen
- Taal: Nederlands
Abstract:
Contemporary children’s television has become increasingly diverse, with growing attention to sexual and gender diversity on screen. While the inclusion of LGBTQ characters reflects a broader commitment to diversity in media for young audiences, it unfolds within a landscape marked by ongoing societal debates about what children should know, see, and understand. Recent legislative actions, such as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill in the United States or restrictions on so-called ‘gay propaganda’ in parts of Europe, illustrate how expanding representation coexists with intensified contestation around childhood, media, and sexuality. This doctoral dissertation examines how sexual and gender diversity is represented, produced, and received within Flemish children’s fiction through six empirical studies. It combines both qualitative and quantitative methods to capture how different demographic groups (producers, parents, teachers, and children themselves) make sense of these storylines. Focusing on normative ideas about what is considered “appropriate” or “normal” for children, the dissertation shows how LGBTQ characters are often presented in ways that stay close to familiar norms, and how adults draw boundaries around what they consider suitable for young audiences. By bringing these perspectives together, it shows how ideas about childhood and sexuality shape, but also limit, what children are allowed to see.
Fatma Orhan Tahrali - Media Reception and Identity Construction of Turkish Young People in Urban, Rural and Diasporic Contexts (İstanbul, Emirdağ and Brussels) - 18/05/2026
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Anna Diedkova – Multiple faces of political leaders: ideal president's personality in Russian politics - 20/04/2026
PhD defence Anna Diedkova 20/04/2026
On Monday 20 April 2026, Anna Diedkova (Department of Communication Studies) cordially invites you to the public defence of her doctoral thesis
Multiple faces of political leaders: ideal president's personality in Russian politics
This project investigates personality qualities ascribed to the concept of an ideal political leader in Russia. We examine how politicians communicate about their personality and how citizens view the ideal president’s personality. This dissertation in the interdisciplinary field of political psychology addresses the gap between personality psychology and political communication by applying clinical theories to the study of impression management and voters' expectations. In addition, our emphasis lies on the investigation of a prototypical president in a unique environment, namely the authoritarian regime in the Russian Federation.
Firstly, we explore personality as instrumental for political success in Russia. We address this through a personality profiling study of the long-term incumbent Vladimir Putin compared with the opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The findings show that both politicians share a set of characteristics linked to political success. Yet, Navalny’s non-conforming profile becomes a liability under authoritarian repression, while Putin’s personality aligns with a system focused on control and stability.
Next, we examine how politicians communicate about their personality. We study which personality attributes presidential candidates highlight in their campaign messages. For this, we analyze media messages during presidential election campaigns in Russia (qualitative analysis) and in the U.S. (mixed methods). Analysis of Russian campaign communication reveals that candidates construct their personality by emphasizing strength, ambition, expertise, integrity, empathy, and loyalty. In U.S. campaigns, competence is universally prioritized, while emphasis on other traits varies across ideology, gender, and media format. Finally, we take the perspective of the public and investigate which personality qualities Russians consider relevant for holding presidential office. To address this objective, we combine qualitative and quantitative approaches through a series of in-depth (20) and structured (450) interviews. As a result, we not only catalogue the attributes voters find important but also map how they reason to arrive at their vision of an ideal political leader.
This dissertation demonstrates the utility of formal clinical and trait-based approaches for studying personality and self-presentation in politics. The research provides insight into the reasoning behind voter expectations. Finally, it further extends leadership research into non-democratic settings, examining how an authoritarian regime can utilize personality attributes to convey legitimacy and maintain stability.
Practical information
- Promovenda: Anna Diedkova
- Promotors: Prof. dr. Christ'l De Landtsheer & prof. dr. Philippe De Vries
- Date: Monday 20 April 2026, 4:30 PM
- Location: Stadscampus, Promotiezaal Klooster van de Grauwzusters, Lange St-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerpen
- Language: English
The defence is followed by a reception; please confirm your attendance by April 12 by e-mail (anna.diedkova@uantwerpen.be).
Oriel Marshall - Translating Contemporary Astronomy Research into Educational Materials - 12/06/2026
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Charlotte Lybaert - De Veranderende Rol van Landbouwadviseurs: Impact op Competenties en Praktijken - 18/06/2026
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Ona Schyvens - Small towns, large conflicts: Everyday meaning-making, racialization and demographic threat narratives in non-metropolitan towns. 17/06/2026
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Santiago Burone - Multidimensional Well-being Measurement Beyond Standard Preference Assumptions - 26/06/2026
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Christa Van Oostende - Adult Learning and Education Participation in Belgium: Trade Unions' Actorship reviewed against the EU's Skills Agenda and its Domestic Implementation - 15/06/2026
On Monday 15 June 2026, Christa Van Oostende cordially invites you to the public defence of her doctoral thesis.
Adult Learning and Education Participation in Belgium: Trade Unions' Actorship reviewed against the EU's Skills Agenda and its Domestic Implementation
In a world of rapid technological change, automation, and the shift towards greener industries, ensuring that workers can reskill and continuously update their skills has become a pressing policy concern. The European Union has responded with ambitious agendas promoting lifelong learning, especially for those people most at risk of being left behind, such as low-skilled workers or those in precarious employment. But how do these European ambitions translate into actual workplace practice? And who shapes that translation?
This dissertation focuses on trade unions as key actors in that process, examining how their actorship influences access to adult learning and education (ALE) in Belgium. Belgium is a particularly interesting case: its tradition of social dialogue gives trade unions a formal seat at the negotiating table, yet its complex federal structure and fragmented political landscape make coordinated learning policy a considerable challenge.
The central question is: how does trade union actorship affect encompassment of ALE-oriented collective bargaining? In other words, to what extent do trade unions help make lifelong learning more inclusive and broad-ranging through collective bargaining? Three sectors are examined (food manufacturing, construction, and transport and logistics), tracing how EU-level policy intentions filter down to sector and workplace agreements.
The research identifies five dimensions of trade union capability that together determine their effectiveness: whether they prioritise non-wage issues like learning; whether they advocate for workers beyond their core membership; how they are organised; what expertise they bring; and how embedded they are in governance structures.
The findings are sobering: whilst trade unions do keep adult learning on the agenda, their influence remains uneven and falls short of consistently delivering more inclusive or expansive learning opportunities. No single capability suffices: all five must work in concert to lead to encompassing ALE-oriented collective agreements.
The dissertation speaks to policymakers, trade union representatives, human resources professionals, and all those with a stake in promoting adults’ participation in lifelong learning and in safeguarding a skilled workforce in a rapidly changing labour market.
Practical information
- Promovenda: Christa Van Oostende
- Promotors: Prof. dr. Peter Bursens & prof. dr. Marcella Milana
- Date: Monday 15 June 2026, 10 AM
- Location: Stadscampus, Hof van Liere, F. de Tassiszaal (Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp) and/or online
- Language: English
The defence is followed by a lunch; please confirm your attendance (physical/online) by June 8 by e-mail (christa.vanoostende2@student.uantwerpen.be).
Glen Molenberghs - Centrale toetsen doen werken. Gebruikersperspectieven op het aan de slag gaan met formele prestatiegegevens. - 24/06/2026
Op woensdag 24 juni 2026 nodigt Glen Molenberghs (Departement Opleidings- en Onderwijswetenschappen) je van harte uit op de openbare verdediging van zijn doctoraal proefschrift
Centrale toetsen doen werken. Gebruikersperspectieven op het aan de slag gaan met formele prestatiegegevens.
Prestatiegegevens uit centrale toetsen vormen een belangrijke bron voor geïnformeerde onderwijsverbetering. Zij stellen gebruikers in staat onderwijsprocessen en -uitkomsten, evenals leerprocessen en leerresultaten van leerlingen, systematisch te evalueren en te optimaliseren op basis van betrouwbare, valide en objectieve informatie. Met de invoering van de Vlaamse centrale toetsen beschikt ook het Vlaamse onderwijs over een systeem dat dergelijke gegevens genereert met het oog op de verbetering van (aspecten van) onderwijskwaliteit.
Het doen werken van een dergelijk systeem vereist echter de erkenning dat prestatiegegevens op zichzelf geen verbetering tot stand brengen. Zij verkrijgen pas ontwikkelingsgerichte waarde wanneer gebruikers deze gegevens interpreteren, bespreken en integreren in hun onderwijs- en leerprocessen. Vanuit dit uitgangspunt onderzoekt dit proefschrift voorwaarden, factoren en processen die cruciaal zijn voor het doen werken van ontwikkelingsgerichte systemen van centrale toetsen.
De verschillende studies tonen aan dat werken met centrale toetsen fundamenteel een sociaal en interpretatief proces is, waarin gegevens, gebruikers en context voortdurend op elkaar inwerken. De bevindingen onderstrepen het belang van de rapportering van prestatiegegevens via betekenisvolle en als valide ervaren normgerichte interpretatiekaders, de centrale rol van betekenisgevings- en attributieprocessen, de bereidheid van leraren en leerlingen om ermee aan de slag te gaan, evenals de invloed van contextuele en organisatorische voorwaarden die processen van informatiegebruik binnen scholen ondersteunen.
Implicaties voor beleid en praktijk maken duidelijk dat bijzondere aandacht dient uit te gaan naar de ontwikkeling van een schoolbeleid dat doelgericht informatiegebruik stimuleert, naar processen van collectieve betekenisgeving, en naar duidelijke professionele verwachtingen omtrent het gebruik van prestatiegegevens. Daarnaast is het essentieel dat feedbackrapporten voldoende interpretatieve aanknopingspunten bieden om gebruikers te ondersteunen bij het interpreteren en benutten van de gerapporteerde gegevens. Wanneer centrale toetsen zorgvuldig worden ontworpen en ingebed in ondersteunende professionele praktijken, kunnen zij reflectie, professionele dialoog en geïnformeerde besluitvorming bevorderen. Op die manier kunnen zij bijdragen aan onderwijsverbetering en aan het versterken van de leerprocessen en leerresultaten van alle leerlingen.
Praktische informatie
- Promovendus: Glen Molenberghs
- Promotoren: Prof. dr. Jan Vanhoof & Prof. dr. Roos Van Gasse
- Datum: woensdag 24 juni 2026, 16u
- Plaats: Stadscampus UAntwerpen, Kapel van de Grauwzusters (Lange St-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerpen)
- Taal: Nederlands
Na de verdediging volgt een receptie; graag je aanwezigheid bevestigen voor 12 juni 2026 per mail aan glen.molenberghs@uantwerpen.be.
Danika Pieters - Turbulentie in de Publieke Sector: De Psychologische Impact van Intense Organisatieverandering op Medewerkers - 29/06/2026
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Antje Kenis - Reaching All, Teaching Differently:Exploring Teachers' Approaches to Differentiated Instruction in Primary Education - 7/7/2026
On Tuesday 7 July 2026, Antje Kenis (Department of Training and Educational Sciences) cordially invites you to the public defence of her doctoral thesis
Reaching All, Teaching Differently:Exploring Teachers' Approaches to Differentiated Instruction in Primary Education
In increasingly diverse educational settings, the call for teachers to provide instruction that responds to different learning needs has become more prominent than ever. Differentiated instruction (DI) has emerged as a key pedagogical approach for addressing this challenge. Building on a small but emerging body of person-oriented research that recognizes meaningful variation between teachers, the overarching aim of this dissertation is threefold: (1) to provide a comprehensive conceptualization and measurement of DI based on existing validated instruments, (2) to disentangle teachers’ approaches to DI, and (3) to deepen understanding of the contextual embeddedness of these approaches. The dissertation comprises four interrelated studies.
Study 1 develops and validates the Comprehensive Differentiated Instruction Questionnaire (CDIQ), a multidimensional instrument that captures teachers’ conceptions and practices of DI alongside school-level organisational conditions that support its implementation.
Study 2 adopts a person-oriented perspective to identify distinct profiles of teachers’ conceptions and practices of DI in primary mathematics education. The findings reveal substantial heterogeneity among teachers, demonstrating that DI is enacted through different constellations of beliefs, perceived constraints, and instructional practices, resulting in five distinct conception profiles and five distinct practice profiles. The findings further suggest that teachers’ conceptions are closely linked to how they enact DI in practice, while teacher characteristics, including teaching experience and gender, are also associated with profile membership.
Study 3 examines how variation in classroom composition relates to teachers’ practice profiles. The results indicate that greater linguistic diversity among students and larger class sizes are associated with a more constrained DI approach, characterized by a narrower range of practices and lower levels of engagement.
Study 4 investigates how school-level organisational conditions relate to teachers’ approaches to DI practices. The findings show that a shared school vision and strong school-internal cooperation for meeting students’ learning needs are associated with teacher profiles characterized by more extensive engagement in DI.
Together, these findings demonstrate that DI is best understood not as a single pedagogical approach, but as a phenomenon characterized by meaningful variation in both teachers’ conceptions and practices. Moreover, these conceptions and practices are neither solely the result of individual pedagogical choices nor purely context-driven. Rather, they emerge from the dynamic interplay between teacher-, classroom-, and school-level factors. By integrating measurement development, person-oriented research, and contextual analysis, this dissertation provides a comprehensive and context-sensitive understanding of DI and offers new directions for supporting its implementation in primary education.
Practical information
- Promovenda: Antje Kenis
- Promotors: Prof. dr. Peter Van Petegem & Prof. dr. Sven De Maeyer
- Date: Tuesday 7 July 2026, 2 PM
- Location: Stadscampus, Promotiezaal Klooster van de Grauwzusters, Lange St-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerpen
- Language: Dutch
The defence is followed by a reception; please confirm your attendance by June 25 by e-mail (antje.kenis@uantwerpen.be).