Increasing Researcher Use of Large Scale Social Surveys in the Social Sciences through Teaching and Support

定量方法的使用是社会科学研究人员工具包的一个组成部分。了解如何进行基本的定量分析可以增强研究并补充其他定性研究，这本身就是一个目标。然而，社会科学许多领域的定量研究能力很差，需要加强，特别是在当前的目标和排行榜凸显定量方法无处不在的时代。该项目的目的是提高英国社会学和犯罪学研究人员在教学和研究中使用定量方法的能力。这些活动针对整个职业生涯的学者，南安普顿大学和其他学术机构的社会科学家都可以参加这些活动。许多研究人员在他们的研究中甚至在教学中根本不使用定量方法。这引起了他们所教授的学生对这些技术的怀疑，并限制了可以进行的研究范围。该项目将通过提供嵌入实质性课程的简单方法来教授定量方法，从而提高研究人员进行定量分析的能力。在正常定量课程之外学习这些方法可以向学生展示如何应用技术，而“非定量”教师将通过指导自己学习这些技术。将制作教学包，可以在其他教育机构中使用现成的，也可以进行修改以适应将使用它们的特定模块的学习成果。这些将包括学生的计算机工作表、教师的教学笔记以及可以完成以加强教学的进一步活动。该包的重点将是对大规模社会调查的分析，例如英国犯罪调查和劳动力调查。这些资源未被充分利用，可以为有关我们工作方式和周围世界的重要问题提供答案。为了支撑这些教学包，将举办涵盖大规模社会调查的基本定量分析的研讨会。一个研讨会将重点讨论英国犯罪调查，另一个研讨会将重点讨论劳动力调查。这将确保使用教学包的研究人员对此充满信心。这些研讨会还将帮助这些研究人员掌握进行自己的研究或继续学习更高级的定量方法课程的技能。在这些研讨会期间，将鼓励研究人员在项目研究人员的支持下开展自己的研究。最后一个方面是研讨会结束后对研究人员的支持。很多课程在教学结束后宁愿放弃学员，让学员遇到任何问题都不知所措。定量专家将为那些使用新方法进行研究和参加研讨会的人提供一对一的支持，并为南安普顿大学的研究人员提供支持。通过研讨会和支持，将形成使用定量方法的研究人员网络，以便给予同行支持。总体而言，该项目旨在增加定量方法在教学和研究中的使用，提高感兴趣的研究人员的技能水平，并以较小的方式帮助缩小社会科学在统计方面的技能差距。

The use of quantitative methods is an integral part of the social science researcher toolkit. Knowledge of how to conduct basic quantitative analysis can enhance a study and complement other qualitative studies as well as being an aim in itself. However, the quantitative research capacity in many areas of social science is poor and needs to be strengthened, especially in the current age of targets and league tables that highlight the ubiquity of quantitative methods.The aim of this project is to increase the capacity of UK researchers in Sociology and Criminology to use quantitative methods in both their teaching and research. Aimed at academics across the career lifecourse the activities will be available to social scientists at both the University of Southampton and in other academic establishments.Many researchers do not use quantitative methods at all in their research and, by association, in their teaching as well. This breeds suspicion of these techniques in the students they are teaching as well as limiting the scope of research that can be conducted. This project will increase the capacity of researchers to conduct quantitative analysis through providing simple ways to teach quantitative methods, embedded within substantive courses. Learning about these methods outside of a normal quantitative course shows students how techniques can be applied, while the 'non-quantitative' instructor will learn these techniques through instruction themselves.Teaching packs will be produced that can be used either off-the-shelf in other educational establishments, or modified to fit the learning outcomes of the specific module within which they will be used. These will consist of computer worksheets for the students, teaching notes for the instructor and further activities that can be completed to enhance the instruction. The focus of the packs will be on the analysis of large scale social surveys such as the British Crime Survey and the Labour Force Survey. These are resources that are underutilised and can provide answers to important questions about the way we work and the world around us.In order to underpin these teaching packs, workshops that cover basic quantitative analysis of large scale social surveys will be given. One workshop will focus on the British Crime Survey, while the other on the Labour Force Survey. These will ensure that researchers who are using the teaching packs are fully confident in doing so. The workshops will also equip these researchers with the skills to conduct their own research or to move onto more advanced quantitative methods courses. During these workshops the researchers will be encouraged to work on their own research, with the support of the investigators on the project.A final aspect is support for the researchers after the workshops are completed. Many courses rather abandon the participants after the teaching has finished, leaving the participants at a loss if they encounter any problems. A quantitative specialist will offer one-to-one support to those undertaking research using new methods and who have attended the workshops, as well as supporting researchers in the University of Southampton. From the workshops and the support a network of researchers who are using quantitative methods will be formed in order to give peer support.Overall the project aims to increase the use of quantitative methods in both teaching and research, improving the skill level of interested researchers and helping, in a small way, reduce the skills gap in the social sciences with regard to statistics.