ISR Short Courses, Spring 2004

(Form)

Focus Groups For Social Research

This course is an introduction to focus group research. The morning session will deal with the basic features of focus group planning and implementation, including current applications for focus groups, strengths and weaknesses of this research method, ethical issues involved, and the various stages of focus group research. The afternoon session will consider practical aspects of conducting focus groups, including appropriate settings for focus groups, participant recruitment, developing the discussion outline, taping focus groups, and moderator techniques. Participants are invited to raise concrete problems for discussion relating to focus group design, the identification and selection of participants, and data collection. This presentation is suitable for students, faculty, staff and other researchers who are considering focus group research for the first time and for those seeking to refresh their knowledge of this social research method.

Interpreting Qualitative Data - An Overview

This workshop provides a conceptual overview, with hands-on examples, of strategies for analyzing qualitative social science research materials, such as field notes or transcripts of in-depth interviews and focus groups. Major topics include the characteristics and process of qualitative analysis, organizing data, emergent concepts, and analytic memos. Organized around the major themes of keeping track of what you are doing, what you are finding and how you are feeling about it, the session will pay particular attention to the initial stages of analysis and to coding and indexing as integral components of the analytic process. The workshop is well suited to researchers who are relatively new to qualitative analysis and those wishing to know more about interpretive analysis in general.

Using Computers In Qualitative Analysis: An NVivo Workshop

The focus of this workshop will be on using the software package NVivo for analyzing qualitative data, such as transcripts of in-depth interviews, focus groups and field notes. The morning session will focus on when and why to use NVivo, how to import text, and how to code it. In the afternoon we will examine the tools for analyzing qualitative data in NVivo. This workshop will include a hands-on component. The workshop will benefit those who have limited knowledge of NVivo as well as those who have some experience using the program but would like to expand their knowledge of its capabilities.

Designing Effective Survey Instruments for the Web

This course presents an overview of issues related to the design of Web survey instruments and procedures, based on theories of human-computer interaction, interface design, and research on self- administered questionnaires and computer assisted interviewing. The course reviews different approaches to Web survey design (e.g., scrolling versus paging) and various design alternatives for a variety of question types. The course discusses appropriate use of various HTML tools (e.g., radio buttons, check boxes, drop boxes) for Web survey design and addresses issues such as the use of colour, layout, tables and grids, movement through the instrument, the design of error messages, and so on.

The course will draw on the latest empirical results from experiments on alternative design approaches as well as practical experience in the design of Web surveys. The course is richly illustrated with examples of both good and bad design, and many practical recommendations will be offered about optimal instrument design for the Web. The course does not focus on the technical aspects of Web survey implementation (hardware, software, programming, etc.), nor on issues of question wording.

An Introduction to Questionnaire Design

This course provides a broad examination of questionnaire design, reviewing methodological research and setting out design guidelines. A wide range of examples will be used to address major design issues such as question wording, question order, avoiding bias, dealing with social desirability, and the problem of recall. The relationship between questionnaire design and data collection, including the role of the interviewer, will be briefly considered.

The Art and Science of Research Interviewing

This applied course on research interviewing will focus on two interrelated areas: 1. Interview design issues, such as interview types, arranging interviews, pre-testing, informed consent and confidentiality, standardization and flexibility, using multiple interviewers, longitudinal studies, and recording interviews; and 2. In-field considerations and techniques, such as probing, maintaining flow, issues of control and adaptation, positionality, and taking field notes.

The relative merits and challenges of a variety of interview types will be considered across a continuum from qualitative to quantitative approaches, including oral narratives, conversational, semi-structured and structured interviews. Practical examples will be provided, as well as some hands-on interviewing scenarios. This cross-disciplinary introductory course will provide a comprehensive and detailed overview that is suitable for both academic and non-academic researchers.

An Introduction to Survey Data Analysis

The practical difficulties of analyzing data from survey research projects are emphasized in this computer-based short course. Initial exploratory analysis will deal with levels of measurement, distributional properties of variables, and simple descriptive statistics. The construction of scales (e.g., attitudes) relevant for a project is demonstrated and fundamentals of statistical inference and hypothesis testing are then discussed, followed by the implementation of an analytical design with basic statistical analyses: of association (contingency analysis); of group differences with respect to means and variances (analysis of variance); and of relationships between variables (correlation and regression). For maximum benefit, participants in this course should have some prior background in basic statistics or the fundamentals of survey research (e.g., questionnaire design). In addition, since the course is computer-based, prior knowledge of SPSS would be beneficial, although it is not required.