SCS and ISR Short Courses, Spring 2005

SCS Courses Data Analysis Using SAS Introduction to SPSS for Windows ISR Courses The Survey Research Process - An Overview Focus Groups for Social Research [Cancelled] Interpreting Qualitative Data - An Overview Using Computers In Qualitative Analysis: An NVIVO Workshop The Art and Science of Research Interviewing An Introduction to Questionnaire Design [Cancelled] Web Surveys: How the Visual Layout of Questions Influences Answers An Introduction to Survey Data Analysis

Data Analysis Using SAS for Windows

This short course provides a basic introduction to the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). Sessions One and Two provide an overview of SAS and its underlying logic; an explanation of the use of the Display Manager System to run a SAS job; an introduction to the SAS Data step for reading, transforming, and storing data; and a demonstration of how statistical analyses may be performed in SAS Insight.

Sessions Three and Four will concentrate on SAS programming techniques to modify data and enhance SAS output. More statistical procedures will be introduced for general linear models.

Introduction to SPSS for Windows

This course presents the basics of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Session One will introduce the computing concepts of SPSS, the different facilities for reading data into an SPSS spreadsheet, and saving SPSS data files for future use. At the end of the first session, participants should be able to run simple programs, including some statistical procedures.

Sessions Two and Three will cover basic data modifications, transformations and other functions including the uses of SPSS system files. More statistical procedures will also be introduced, with an emphasis on the use of graphical methods for examining univariate and bivariate relationships. Session Four will cover Analysis of Variance and Least Squares Regression. As with previous sessions, graphical techniques will be demonstrated. For maximum benefit, participants should have an understanding of basic statistics, up to the level of general linear models.

The Survey Research Process: An Overview

Survey research occupies a relatively unique location in social science research, as it combines, to various degrees, elements of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.The process is contextualized in this overview in two ways: (1) by a discussion of ontological, epistemological and methodological concerns (i.e., the philosophical framing of survey research as an inquiry paradigm); and (2) the more practical issues of 'mixed methods' (i.e., of both quantitative and qualitative approaches) in research design.The morning seminar is a discussion of these broader concerns. The focus subsequently turns to practical issues of survey research as a set of decision processes implicated in research design: workshop sessions in small groups are designed to evaluate the utility of a recent questionnaire used in an ISR survey of health values. No prior background is necessary for this course, which is intended as an overture to further courses offered in the Spring Seminar Series.

Focus Groups For Social Research

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.

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 Questionnaire Design

This course provides a broad examination of questionnaire design, reviewing methodological research and setting out design guidelines. Following a general discussion of approaches to questionnaire design, a wide range of examples will illustrate major design issues, including alternative question formats, question wording and question order. More briefly the course will address the consequences of different modes of data collection and asking questions about of specific topics, including demographic characteristics, socio-economic position and recall of events.

Web Surveys: How the Visual Layout of Questions Influences Answers

This short course focuses on how and why words, numbers, symbols and graphics independently and jointly influence answers to questions in Internet and paper surveys. It begins with theoretical background on why and how the visual aspects of questions are interpreted by respondents and guide their reading and comprehension of meaning. Research that has tested many of these theoretical ideas in questionnaire experiments will be discussed as a basis for how questionnaires should and should not be designed. Applications of the theory and research to designing surveys for individuals and organizations in ways that improve their usability for respondents will be provided. The short course ends with a discussion of the substantial implications these ideas have for the design of mixed-mode surveys in which some respondents are asked to report aurally (e.g., telephone) and others are asked to complete visually communicated (web or mail) survey questions.

Professor Dillman is also presenting this course for the Joint Program in Survey Methods in Washington, D.C. this year as well as at the annual meetings of the American Association of Public Opinion Research in Miami in May.

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.

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