Introduction To Research: Methods and Funding Dr Charlie Ball c.ball@hecsu.ac.uk Dr Helen Standage hjstan@essex.ac.uk

What is Social Science? “the study of society and the manner in which people behave and influence the world around us” (ESRC, 2017)

Social Science Disciplines Policy Sociology Politics Psychology Social Anthropology Education Environmental Planning Management & Business Studies Economics Linguistics International Relations

Conducting Research as a Social Scientist

The Research Question The single most important component of a study is the research question. It is the keystone of the entire exercise (Bordage & Dawson, 2003) It determines the rationale, methodology, analysis and write up Tips on generating a research question: Ensure you are familiar with the wider literature Ensure it has relevance to the larger research community Ensure it is feasible, have you got the resources (skills, money, time) to answer your question?

Ethics Each discipline has own code of ethics e.g.,: British Educational Research Association (BERA) British Psychological Association (BPS) British Sociological Association (BSA) Social Research Association (general framework) highlighting ethical obligation to: Society Funders and employers Colleagues Participants

Approaches to Research Qualitative Vs. Quantitative Precise measurement and quantifying Objectivity Using the scientific method Generalisation Qualitative Verbal data Subjective experience Interpreting human meaning

Common Data Collection Methods Qualitative Quantitative Structured questionnaires/scales Structured interviews Physiological measurement (Participant) observation Semi-structured interviews Focus groups

Analysis Interpretation of data in terms of the research question or hypothesis Data is not self-explanatory Analysis considered at the point of project conception

Common Forms of Qualitative Analysis Thematic Analysis Grounded Theory Analysis Narrative Structural Analysis Discourse Analysis Content Analysis

Quantitative Analysis - Statistical

Levels of Measurement Nominal Ordinal Interval Data can be categorised (e.g., ethnicity) Ordinal Data can be ordered (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd in a race) Interval Data can be ordered on a scale where points on scale have equivalent distance between them (e.g., height in cm)

Descriptive/Summary Statistics: Measures of Central Tendency: Mode (most commonly occurring score) Median (middle score of a set of ordered data) Mean (sum of scores divided by number of scores) Measures of Dispersion: Range (difference between lowest & highest scores) Standard Deviation (how much a typical scores differs from the mean)

Inferential Statistics Allow us to make inferences about a population based on a sample e.g., female EU UGs show greater resilience than male EU UGs Not feasible to test all EU UGs Tests of statistical significance measure how likely findings from the sample represent the wider population Computer packages such as SPSS needed (Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics, Andy Fields)

Report - Writing Qualitative Not one accepted convention Typically Quantitative Not one accepted convention Typically Woven around the central theme Include introduction, core material and conclusion (Bogdan & Biklen, 1984) Strict format Title Abstract Introduction Method Results Discussion References

Dissemination Purpose – contribute to a collective body of knowledge Publishing outlets: Professional Bodies e.g., National Institute for Career Education and Counselling (NICEC) Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE) Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU) National/International Peer-reviewed Journals e.g., British Journal of Guidance and Counselling International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance