2007 Spring Seminar Series
on Social Research Methods

Introduction

ISR's 2007 Spring Seminar Series features two series of courses, one week on survey research and one week on qualitative research methods.

The survey research courses begin with a half-day introduction to general principles, followed by a short and relatively non-technical overview of survey sampling. The second day deals with questionnaire design, followed by a half-day workshop, the next morning, designed to provide some hands-on questionnaire design practice. The third afternoon deals with the design and implementation of self-administered surveys, emphasizing mailed surveys. The fourth and last day provides an introduction to survey data analysis.

The qualitative research courses begin with two one-day sessions, on survey interviewing and on focus groups. The third day deals with approaches to interpreting qualitative data, including textual materials from interviews, focus group transcripts and written texts. This series concludes with a workshop on the computerized analysis of text using the NVivo program.

We also offer introductory courses on SPSS and SAS, designed to equip participants to undertake basic statistical analysis of survey or other quantitative data. Both courses are spread over four weeks, in order to give participants time to practise with their own data.

ISR's spring courses provide a hands-on approach designed to help researchers develop practical skills. They attract an interesting mixture of graduate students, researchers from government and NGOs, faculty members and university staff. We strive to teach in a way that provides a successful introduction to the topic, while offering new insights to more experienced researchers.



Survey Research Methods (May 7-10, 2007)



The Survey Research Process: An Overview

Instructor:
Professor Bryn Greer-Wootten
Date:
Monday, May 7, 2007
Time:
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon (half-course)
Location:
Room 1014
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
30

Survey research combines elements of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and this course offers a discussion of ontological, epistemological and methodological concerns (i.e., the philosophical framing of survey research as an inquiry paradigm) and explores the more practical issues of 'mixed methods' (i.e., of both quantitative and qualitative approaches) in research design. This seminar is designed as a discussion of these broader concerns, in order to contextualize the practical issues of survey research as a set of decision processes implicated in research design.





Survey Sampling in a Nutshell

Instructor:
Professor Michael Ornstein
Date:
Monday, May 7, 2007
Time:
1:00 - 3:30 p.m. (half-course)
Location:
Room 1004
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
50

Often the size and design of the sample dominate the cost of a survey, at the same time setting limits on its analytical power. This session is designed to help the researcher make good decisions about sampling. Topics covered include probability versus purposive samples, types of probability samples and their consequences for analysis, and how to decide how large a sample is required. The topics are illustrated with examples of real sample designs.





Principles and Practice of Questionnaire Design

Instructor:
Professor Michael Ornstein
Date:
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Times:
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Location:
Room 1004
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
50

This course presents a complete overview of and practical guide to designing survey questionnaires. Ideas about what respondents are doing when they complete a survey and what the survey researcher wants to achieve, provide the basis for a discussion of how to write individual questions and how to assemble them into a good questionnaire. Topics covered include differences among mailed, Web, CATI and face-to-face surveys, open and closed questions, what to make of "don't know" answers, asking demographic questions, and the effects of question order. Questionnaire design is understood as a research process rather than a discrete task. The presentation includes many examples.





Survey Design Workshop

Instructors:
Renée Elsbett-Koeppen, MSc
Liza Mercier, BSc
Professor Michael Ornstein
Date:
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Time:
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 noon (half-course)
Location:
Room 1014
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
30

The purpose of this half-day workshop is to extend and deepen your understanding of questionnaire design with some practical experience. Participants from the previous day's session will be given an assignment at the end of the day and will meet in small groups for the first hour to develop draft questions. The rest of the session will be spent discussing the groups' questions.

Enrollment in this session is open only to persons who attend the previous session Principles and Practice of Questionnaire Design on Tuessday, May 8th.





Collecting Data Using Mail Surveys

Instructors:
Liza Mercier, BSc
Renée Elsbett-Koeppen, MSc
Date:
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Time:
1:30 - 4:00 p.m (half-course)
Location:
Room 1014
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
30

The course begins with a discussion of the advantages and limitations of mail surveys in terms of questionnaire content, sampling issues and costs. This is followed by a detailed review of the implementation of this type of survey, emphasizing data quality and maximizing response rates through careful planning. The number and timing of mailouts as well as the layout and length of mail surveys are discussed. Participants will have the opportunity to review many samples of materials used in mail surveys at ISR.

Participants without a good working knowledge of questionnaire design and sampling are urged to register for the two courses on questionnaire design, Principles and Practice of Questionnaire Design (May 8th) and Survey Design Workshop (May 9th), as these topics will not be addressed in detail in this session.





An Introduction to Survey Data Analysis

Instructors:
Professor Bryn Greer-Wootten
Date:
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Times:
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Location:
Room 2114
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
20

The practicalities of analyzing survey research data 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) 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). Participants should have some prior background in basic statistics or the fundamentals of survey research. Prior knowledge of SPSS would be beneficial.

It is very important for participants at computer-based courses to arrive on time as the material covered is presented sequentially and builds upon the basics presented at the beginning of the day.



Qualitative Research Methods (May 14-17, 2007)



The Art and Science of Research Interviewing

Instructor:
Raymond Garrison, MA
Date:
Monday, May 14, 2007
Times:
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Location:
Room 1004
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
50

This applied course on research interviewing will focus on two interrelated areas:

  • 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
  • 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. Class participants will also be encouraged to discuss their own research projects in the context of issues raised throughout the course. This cross-disciplinary introductory course will provide a comprehensive and detailed overview that is suitable for both academic and non-academic researchers.





Conducting Focus Groups for Social Research

Instructor:
John Pollard, MA
Date:
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Times:
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Location:
Room 1014
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
30

This course presents an introduction to focus group research. The morning session will deal with the basic features of focus group planning and implementation, including how focus groups are currently being used, strengths and weaknesses of this research method, ethical issues to consider, 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

Instructor:
Raymond Garrison, MA
Date:
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Times:
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Location:
Room 1004
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
50

This course provides a conceptual overview, with hands-on examples, of strategies for analyzing qualitative social science research materials, such as field notes, transcripts of in-depth interviews and focus groups, and documentary and archival materials. Major topics include the 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.

A discussion of the presentation of results from qualitative research will review various formats and approaches, the voice of the author and positionality, ethical and confidentiality issues, and the notions of 'qualitative rigour' and replication. The course will conclude with a brief overview of the advantages and limitations of qualitative data analysis software programs, including NVivo. Class participants will be encouraged to discuss their own research projects in the context of issues raised throughout the course. This course 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

Instructor:
Professor Judy Bates
Date:
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Times:
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Location:
Room 2114
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
35

The focus of this workshop will be on using the software package NVivo 7 to analyze 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 7 and how to import text into the program, create nodes and code qualitative data. In the afternoon we will examine the tools for analyzing qualitative data in NVivo 7. The workshop includes a hands-on component. The workshop will benefit newcomers to NVivo 7 as well as people with some experience of NVivo 7 or with the earlier version NVivo 2, who would like to expand their skills.

It is very important for participants at computer-based courses to arrive on time as the material covered is presented sequentially and builds upon the basics presented at the beginning of the day.



SCS Short Courses - SAS and SPSS



An Introduction to SAS for Windows

Instructor: 
Nikolai Slobodianik
Dates: 
Tuesdays: May 1, 8, 15, 22, 2007
Time: 
1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Location: 
Room 021 (Steacie Instructional Lab)
Steacie Science Library
Enrolment Limit: 
35

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, importing, transforming and storing numeric and character data; and a demonstration of how output can be changed with different options. In addition, some basic procedures in SAS will be introduced.

Sessions Three and Four will concentrate on SAS programming techniques to modify data, create charts and plots and transform temporary datasets to permanent datasets. A demonstration of how to use SAS/INSIGHT and SAS/ANALYST will be presented, as well as a basic description of the general linear model. The course is designed for participants with some introductory level statistical knowledge, but no previous experience in using SAS.

It is very important for participants at computer-based courses to arrive on time as the material covered is presented sequentially and builds upon the basics presented at the beginning of the day.





Introduction to SPSS for Windows

Instructor: 
Lisa Fiksenbaum, MA
Dates: 
Thursdays: May 3, 10, 17, 24, 2007
Time: 
10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: 
Room 021 (Steacie Instructional Lab)
Steacie Science Library
Enrolment Limit: 
35

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. Participants will benefit if they have a basic level of statistical knowledge, but the course is designed as an introduction to data analysis using the SPSS program and not as a statistics course.

It is very important for participants at computer-based courses to arrive on time as the material covered is presented sequentially and builds upon the basics presented at the beginning of the day.




Course Fees

For York students, staff and faculty, the fees are
$40 per full-course and $20 per half-course.


Full-time students at other post-secondary institutions
may register for a fee of
$60 per full-course and $30 per half-course.


For external participants, the fees per course are:

The Survey Research Process: an Overview................ $50
Survey Sampling in a Nutshell...................................... $50
Principles and Practices of Questionnaire Design......... $100
Survey Design Workshop........................................... $50
Collecting Data Using Mail Surveys............................. $50
An Introduction to Survey Data Analysis..................... $100
The Art and Science of Research Interviewing.............
$100
Conducting Focus Groups for Social Research............
$100
Interpreting Qualitative Data: An Overview..................
$100
An NVivo Workshop.................................................
$100
An Introduction to SAS for Windows..........................
$240
An Introduction to SPSS for Windows........................
$240


    All participants: Certificate of Completion..............$5.00 each

Course fees must be paid at the time of registration.
See the registration form for payment options.


Refunds are available upon three business days' notice prior to the course start date
and are subject to an administrative fee.

Please review our policy regarding refunds here.




Registration

  • To register in person (weekdays, from 9:00am to 12:00pm or
    2:00pm to 4:00pm), please see:

Anita Valencia
Room 5075
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building

Anita Valencia
Institute for Social Research
Room 5075
Technology Enhanced Learning Building
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON   M3J 1P3
Canada




Certificate of Completion

  • Available on request, full attendance is required.

  • A $5.00 administrative fee applies, for each certificate requested.




Additional Information

Additional information regarding registration: please telephone 416-736-5061, weekdays, from 9:00am to 12:00pm or 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Directions to York University (Keele Campus), information on parking and building locations click here.




Statistical Consulting Service (SCS)

The Institute for Social Research's Statistical Consulting Service provides consultation on a broad range of statistical problems and on the use of computers for statistical analysis. Its services extend beyond the social sciences to other disciplines that make use of statistics. Consultation is available to assist in research design, data collection, data analysis, statistical computing, and the presentation of statistical material.

Consultation is provided by a group of faculty drawn from York University's Departments of Sociology, Psychology, Geography, Environmental Studies, and Mathematics and Statistics, in conjunction with full-time professional staff at ISR. The faculty and staff have extensive experience with all forms of statistical analysis. Topics for which assistance is available include regression analysis, multivariate analysis, stochastic processes, probability theory, exploratory data analysis, scaling and cluster analysis, analysis of categorical data, structural equation modeling, survey data and longitudinal data, experimental design, survey sampling, and statistical computing.

Three times a year, the Statistical Consulting Service offers short courses on various aspects of statistics and statistical computing, including regular introductions to the SPSS and SAS statistical packages. Recent course offerings have included regression diagnostics, boot-strapping techniques, an introduction to the AMOS module in SPSS, graphical methods for categorical data, confirmatory factor analysis, model-based approaches to cluster analysis, an introduction to the R programming language, and visual methods for statistical data analysis. The Statistical Consulting Service staff also assist in teaching these topics by giving presentations in regular university classes.

The Statistical Consulting Service maintains a regular schedule of office hours during the academic year. The Service primarily serves the York University community; for others, consultation is available on a fee-for-service basis. Appointments can be made at http://www.isr.yorku.ca/scs with the on-line Appointment Scheduler.

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