Essays on Well-Being Comparisons, Gender Dynamics, and Economic Resilience. 

This thesis employs big data and computational methods to investigate aspects of human behavior and well-being across four diverse studies.

Chapter 1 introduces a new measure of financial vulnerability using survey data to assess the resilience of households in seven EU countries during income shocks, such as those triggered by COVID-19. Using microsimulation techniques, it finds that employment protection benefits significantly reduced vulnerability, though disparities remain for certain groups, notably younger individuals, single parents, women, and non-EU-born individuals.

Chapter 2 leverages over 60 million online hotel reviews to explore cultural heterogeneity in self-reported assessments of well-being across nationalities. The study reveals that differences in scale usage for identical experiences correlate with broader life satisfaction scores, highlighting the complex influence of national characteristics on subjective well-being measures and challenging universal comparisons.

Chapter 3 narrows this focus to examine the impact of minor events, such as a football match, on well-being reports, showing that responses can shift significantly depending on outcome, thus questioning the stability of subjective assessments in cross-national analyses.

Chapter 4 utilizes machine learning and audio analysis to study peer interactions in academic seminars, particularly regarding gender dynamics. Results reveal a pattern where female speakers face more frequent, earlier, and often negatively toned interruptions. These findings contribute to the literature on gender biases in professional settings.

Together, these studies demonstrate how computational approaches and high-dimensional datasets can advance economic research, providing new insights into well-being, cultural reporting biases, and gender dynamics.

• Promovendus: Mateo Seré
• Promotor: Prof. dr. Koen Decancq
• Date and time: Monday 13 January 2025, 5 p.m.
• Location: Stadscampus, F. de Tassiszaal (Hof Van Liere, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerpen)

If you plan to attend in person, please confirm your attendance by mail (mateo.sere@uantwerpen.be) before Wednesday 8 January 2025.

The defence is followed by a reception. 

BUILDING MINDS BY SOLVING PROBLEMS Exploring Computational Thinking and STEM Integration in Vocational Education

Computational Thinking (CT) and STEM education are vital for developing problem-solving skills in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. As automation and emerging technologies reshape workforce demands, vocational education plays a key role by offering hands-on learning aligned with real-world applications. This dissertation examines the integration of CT and STEM in vocational education through six studies. 

Study 1 establishes a theoretical framework that aligns computational thinking and STEM integration with vocational education and training’s practical, hands-on nature. By identifying synergies between computational thinking and STEM, the study positions computational thinking as a problem-solving approach, adaptable across vocational disciplines. Studies 2 and 3 develop and validate instruments to measure students’ motivation and computational thinking skills. Key findings reveal diverse motivational profiles, gender differences in engagement, and a disconnect between self-reported and demonstrated computational thinking abilities, emphasizing the need for robust assessment tools. Studies 4 and 5 explore teachers’ attitudes and classroom practices using a framework based on technological pedagogical content knowledge. These studies highlight the role of self-efficacy and perceived relevance in shaping teaching practices and underscore the need for tailored professional development to address varying confidence levels among educators. Study 6 applies the computational thinking and STEM framework in the 'Social Robot' project, a case study demonstrating how integrated computational practices engage vocational education and training students in problem-solving. Findings reveal the importance of adaptable instructional strategies to meet the diverse needs of technical and non-technical students.

Collectively, these studies contribute to a deeper understanding of how computational thinking and STEM integration can be implemented in vocational education settings. 

• Promovendus: Seppe Hermans
• Promotor: Prof. dr. Peter Van Petegem & prof. dr. Francis wyffels
• Date and time: Thursday 6 February 2025, 5 p.m.
• Location: Stadscampus, Promotiezaal van de Grauwzusters (Lange St-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerp)

The public defence will be followed by a reception. Kindly confirm your attendance by January 27, 2025: register online. 

If you have any qustions, please don't hesitate to contact Seppe Hermans via e-mail (seppe.hermans@uantwerpen.be).

Learn to lead - together!

The effectivity of professional development trajectories for school leaders: opportunities and challenges for sustainable professional development and school development

It is generally believed that school leadership contributes to efficiency and equity in learners' academic performance. The focus on their important role ensures that school leaders consistently apply leadership strategies that are more goal-oriented and demonstrate the effects of their policies on learning outcomes. Therefore, it is essential that professional development initiatives for school leaders adequately focus on aspects of effective leadership. Professional development of school leaders asks for high-quality professional development trajectories that promote concrete transfer and sustainable implementation of the content provided.

This dissertation presents research on the effectiveness of a two-year professional development trajectory for school leaders in primary and secondary education in Flanders and the Brussels region. In five sub-studies, it investigated the experienced impact of the specific organizational and didactic approach of the trajectory on the sustainable professional development of school leaders and on school development, both during and after the trajectory.

The research contributes to a better understanding of the key factors for a thoughtful organization of and approach to professional development trajectories for school leaders. In addition, it provides valuable insights for school leaders, school boards, and the government to facilitate sustainable professional and school development.

• Promovenda: Els Tanghe
• Promotor: Prof. dr. Wouter Schelfhout & Prof. dr. Tom Smits
• Date and time: Thursday 13 February 2025, 4 p.m.
• Location: Klooster van de Grauwzusters (Lange St-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerp)
• Language: Dutch

The defence is followed by a reception.

Please confirm your attendance before 3/02/2025 using the online registration form. 

Meat at steak. Exploring masculinity in meat consumption and reduction on personal and interpersonal levels. 

On a warm summer evening, the smell of grilled meat fills the air as men gather around the barbecue. This familiar scene reflects a broader pattern where meat consumption is deeply tied to identity, particularly masculinity. Across many Western cultures, meat—especially red meat—is associated with power, strength, and dominance, reinforcing traditional male identity norms. This connection contributes to men's resistance to plant-based diets despite growing awareness of environmental, health, and ethical concerns. Consequently, men consume more meat than women and hold more positive attitudes toward it. Meat avoidance, by contrast, is often perceived as incompatible with traditional masculinity, creating social tensions between meat eaters and meat avoiders. However, the specific role of gender identity and intergroup contact in shaping these attitudes remains underexplored.

This dissertation investigates the intersection of masculinity, identity, and meat consumption through four empirical studies across two levels: personal and interpersonal. At the personal level, an online survey examines how both sex and gender influence meat consumption attitudes and behaviors. A second study analyzes publicly posted tweets (now on X) to explore how men and women express their views on meat in digital spaces.

At the interpersonal level, an online experiment examines how men engage with social media posts about meat consumption, simulating real-life digital interactions. The final study investigates face-to-face discussions between meat eaters and meat avoiders, exploring how intergroup and intragroup dialogues shape attitudes toward dietary choices. Together, these studies provide a comprehensive look at how masculinity and identity influence—and are influenced by—attitudes and interactions around meat consumption.

This research moves beyond biological sex to highlight the social and identity-driven dimensions of dietary behavior. It underscores the role of traditional masculinity norms and the importance of intergroup contact in fostering openness to plant-based diets. Practically, these findings offer insights for encouraging dietary change by promoting respectful dialogue and challenging restrictive gender norms. By targeting young men—a demographic with high meat consumption—this work contributes to efforts addressing the environmental, health, and social challenges posed by excessive meat consumption, paving the way for a more sustainable future.

• Promovenda: Amber Peeters
• Promotors: prof. dr. Charlotte De Backer, prof. dr. Gaëlle Ouvrein, prof. dr. Alexander Dhoest
• Date and time: Wednesday 26 March 2025, 5 p.m.
• Location: Stadscampus, Hof van Liere, F. de Tassiszaal (Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp)
• Language: Dutch

The defence is followed by a reception.

Please confirm your attendance before 17/03/2025 using the online registration form or by e-mail at amber.peeters@uantwerpen.be. 

(In)visible and (in)vincible?

Designing theory-based, evidence-based, and strategic communication materials to increase radon protection intentions. 

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, is the second leading cause of lung cancer worldwide. Despite the severe health risks, radon testing and mitigation remain insufficient. This issue is situated on multiple levels, ranging from the individual to the political, economic, social, and physical environment. While effective communication is essential to bridge this gap, radon health communication remains underexplored. This dissertation examines how strategic, theory- and evidence-based communication can enhance public engagement with radon-related behaviours. In the first phase of this research, the current communication was analysed. A systematic review of radon-related mass media interventions reveals that most campaigns rely on informational messaging, often failing to evoke personal relevance or emotional engagement. Moreover, in focus group workshops homeowners emphasised the need for communication strategies that extend beyond awareness-raising, addressing practical concerns such as financial support and regulatory measures. Participants also suggest tailoring messages to different behavioural stages, using approaches such as humour, personal letters, and testimonials. In the second phase, communication materials were developed and tested. An online experiment compared the impact of narrative-based and statistical messages on risk perception and behavioural intentions. Findings indicate that narratives are more effective in increasing personal and general risk perception while also strengthening intentions to seek information, test for radon, and consider mitigation. These results inform the development of a large-scale social media campaign, Radon Buster, designed to motivate individuals to take action. The campaign, implemented across Austria, Belgium, Ireland, and Slovenia, uses Facebook ads incorporating narratives, humour, and social norm nudges to attract attention and drive engagement. A controlled online survey experiment finds that exposure to these ads positively influences information-seeking intentions. A subsequent live Facebook study demonstrates strong audience engagement, with click-through rates and interaction metrics suggesting that social media can serve as an effective platform for radon risk communication. Overall, the findings highlight that radon communication must go beyond merely providing information, but should engage audiences, and align the messages with the decision-making process. While no one-size-fits-all solution exists, integrating social, emotional, and cognitive factors can enhance the effectiveness of communication strategies. This dissertation underscores the importance of a multi-level approach, combining stakeholder-targeted messaging with broader environmental interventions to ensure radon risk communication translates into meaningful action.

• Promovenda: Sofie Apers
• Promotors: prof. dr. Heidi Vandebosch & asst. prof. dr. Tanja Perko
• Date and time: Friday 28 March 2025, 5 p.m.
• Location: Stadscampus, Hof van Liere, F. de Tassiszaal (Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp)
• Language: English

The defence is followed by a reception.

Please confirm your attendance before 24/03/2025 using the online registration form. 

Making sense of absence, distance, and presence: The role of time and space in the meaning-giving processes underlying loneliness in old age

In recent years, the topic of loneliness has garnered significant public attention in Flanders, as evidenced by the substantial growth in its media coverage and the emergence of policies aimed at mitigating and preventing it. Research findings have repeatedly demonstrated the association between loneliness and various health problems, including depression, chronic diseases, and early mortality, thereby raising public awareness that loneliness is a ‘silent killer’ with a detrimental impact on the quality of life across all age demographics. The increasing proportion of life spent in retirement, attributable to changes in life expectancy, underscores the necessity for strategies that promote inclusion, good health, and mental well-being in old age. Such strategies are not merely a matter of fundamental human rights and needs but also benefit society at large. In this regard, researching and formulating strategies to detect, prevent, and alleviate loneliness among older adults is paramount.  By identifying specific attributes that shape the perceptual and conceptual processes by which older adults construct and interpret their social realities and create mental images of absence or presence, distance or proximity, loneliness or belonging, this dissertation seeks to explore the conditions that empower older adults to effectively navigate their spatial and temporal surroundings and attain social connectedness, or, conversely, prevent them from doing so. To that end, the dissertation is structured into three sections: the first part is theoretical, while the subsequent parts are empirical.  The first chapter delineates five core characteristics of loneliness and further elucidates that it constitutes an adverse emotional response to perceived absence, emanating from a series of perceptual and cognitive-evaluative processes in which relational standards and expectations, as well as the capacity to compensate for the perceived absence of human or non-human objects with an internally felt presence or mental image of these objects, are involved.  The subsequent two chapters draw on several principles of grounded theory to systematically analyze two theoretical subsamples derived from a larger data set of 615 in-depth interviews with individuals aged 65 and above. The first study indicates that the dynamic interplay of four evaluative dimensions guides older adults’ interpretations of specific properties of video calling and, subsequently, shapes how they situate video-mediated interactions within the broader realm of their social interactions, allowing them to perceive either distance or closeness, absence or presence. The second study suggests that older adults’ mental representations of past, present, and future spatial settings serve as stable anchoring points, enabling them to (re)construct temporal horizons and contextualize their current living environment. Depending on whether or not older adults are successful in making aspects of their living environments their own and filling in the perceived gaps left by past experiences of loss and exclusion, as well as those anticipated in the future, they perceive either the absence or presence of a place called home, which, in turn, contributes to feelings of loneliness or belonging, respectively. The anchoring points and attributes identified in this dissertation provide researchers with multiple points of departure for further study of the topic, both empirically and theoretically, and allow practitioners and policymakers to seamlessly translate the findings presented into multi-layered loneliness prevention and intervention strategies, which are necessary given the multidimensional and multidisciplinary nature of the phenomenon.  

• Promovenda: Haike Delafontaine
• Promotors: prof. dr. Dimitri Mortelmans & dr. Dries Van Gasse
• Date and time: Wednesday 2 April 2025, 3 p.m.
• Location: Stadscampus, Hof van Liere, F. de Tassiszaal (Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp)
• Language: English

The defence is followed by a reception.

Please confirm your attendance before 24/03/2025 using the online registration form. 

Dream and Nightmare Issues: Interest Group Influence and the Logic of Agenda-Setting

This dissertation examines the agenda-setting influence of interest groups, focusing on their ability to promote ‘dream’ issues while preventing ‘nightmare’ issues from reaching the formal policy agenda. While existing research has extensively explored interest groups' role in later policymaking stages, their impact at the agenda-setting stage remains understudied. To bridge this gap, the dissertation examines how organizational characteristics, lobbying strategies, and issue-specific conditions interact to affect interest groups' agenda-setting influence.

Empirically, the study examines the European Union, with a specific focus on the Green Deal agenda. Using a mixed-methods approach, it integrates expert interviews with public officials, media content analysis, and interviews with interest representatives to evaluate interest groups' agenda-setting influence across 65 policy issues spanning climate, energy, transport, agriculture, economy, health, and food safety—33 of which became policy priorities, while 32 were excluded from the agenda. This comprehensive dataset allows for a systematic evaluation of the factors that facilitate or constrain interest groups’ ability to shape the formal policy agenda.

The findings contribute to three key debates in political science. First, they refine theoretical perspectives on interest group influence by integrating both positive and negative agenda-setting within a single analytical framework. Second, they advance methodological discussions on measuring lobbing influence by combining four different assessments of interest groups’ effectiveness in the agenda-setting stage. Third, they engage with normative debates on democratic governance, examining whether interest group lobbying enhances or distorts the representativeness of policy agendas. Overall, this dissertation provides a comprehensive account interest groups’ ability to exert agenda-setting influence.

• Promovendus: Frederik Stevens
• Promotors: prof. dr. Peter Bursens & prof. dr. Dirk De Bièvre
• Date and time: Thursday 3 April 2025, 4 p.m.
• Location: Stadscampus, Klooster van de Grauwzusters (Lange St-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerp)
• Language: English

The defence is followed by a reception.

Please confirm your attendance before 27/03/2025 by mail at frederik.stevens@uantwerpen.be.