ISR Spring Seminar Courses
Simulation research examines processes (e.g., decision making,
problem solving) in a laboratory situation where extraneous or
confounding factors can be eliminated. Survey research relates
attitudes to respondents' real-life roles but in simulation research the
blue collar worker, for example, is asked to be a diplomat; the
executive, a union leader. Simulation research provides researchers
with more exact knowledge of what their efforts for social change can
mean.
Takes place on Monday, May 6 from 9:30 a.m.-12:00 noon in Room
107 Stedman Lecture Halls. Instructor: Prof. Thelma McCormack.
Discusses the merits
of mail surveys, including advantages and limitations in terms of
questionnaire content, sampling issues, and costs. There follows a
review of the implementation of mail surveys, emphasizing data
quality and maximizing response rates through careful planning and
monitoring the survey in progress. The number and timing of
mailouts, as well as the layout and length of mail surveys, are
discussed.
Takes place on Wednesday, May 8 from 9:30 a.m.-12:00
noon in Room 107 Stedman Lecture Halls. Instructor: John Pollard.
Focuses on strategies for analyzing qualitative social science research
materials, such as field notes and transcripts of in-depth interviews
and focus groups. 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 coding
and indexing as integral components of the analytic process.
Takes
place on Tuesday, May 14 from 9:30 a.m.-12:00 noon and 1:00-3:30
p.m. in Room 1158 Vari Hall. Instructor: Darla Rhyne.
Presents a particular focus group study from conceptualization,
through coding, to final analysis. This seminar will help participants
understand the nature of focus group work and concerns associated
with coding and analysis. Participants will be asked to listen to
taped segments of a focus group meeting and to carry out some
elementary coding.
Takes place on Wednesday, May 15 from 9:30
a.m.-3:30 p.m. (there will be a one-hour lunch break) in Room 1158
Vari Hall. Instructor: Prof. Paul Grayson.
Introduces how PCs can be used to collect,
manage, search, retrieve and analyze text-based data. Tools and
techniques for data entry, editing, coding, markup, tagging,
verification, standardization, indexing, retrieval, concordance, text
comparison and classification are discussed. Commercial, shareware
and free software will be discussed, along with useful Internet
resources.
Takes place on Thursday, May 16 from 9:30 a.m.-12:00
noon in Room 1158 Vari Hall. Instructor: Prof. Paul Craven.
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