Focus on Teaching Data Analysis Skills
The Methodspace focus for July, August, and September is on data analysis. In September we are looking specifically at ways to guide and teach researchers in this challenging phase of the inquiry. You can find the unfolding series here. We have two Mentors in Residence to help us think about the skills new researchers need:
Charlotte Brookfield is a senior lecturer of social sciences at Cardiff University. Charlotte is based in the Cardiff Q-Step Centre of Excellence in Quantitative Methods Teaching and Learning. The Centre is one of eighteen across the UK which aim to enhance the quantitative research methods training experience for social science students. The pedagogic activities of the Centre have influenced Charlotte’s research interests and in particular, she is interested in exploring the extent to which British sociology engages with quantitative approaches and the possible factors that may contribute toward sociology students’ resistance to study and use quantitative techniques.
Professor Rhys Christopher Jones is the Associate Dean of Education at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, at the University of Surrey. Prior to this, he was based in the Department of Statistics at the University of Auckland. Over his career he has taught a variety of subjects, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, which include statistics, quantitative methods, and mathematics for science. He has also taught a variety of science-based subjects in FE colleges, which include GCSE, BTEC, Access and A levels. His primary research contributions are in the areas of curriculum development and the role of context in statistics education. Rhys’s research interests also focus on mathematical and statistical anxiety, helping to inform strategies to engage and motivate people in these subjects.
Brookfield and Jones have new books from SAGE Publishing: Essential Math Skills for Exploring Social Data, and Using Excel for Social Research. Use the code SAGE30 for a 30% discount when you order the books from SAGE Publishing.
If you’ve spent any time in the world of qualitative research, you know it is gloriously, wonderfully messy. You’re usually swimming in a sea of interview transcripts, half-annotated PDFs, and those "aha!" moments scribbled on sticky notes that inevitably fall behind your desk. For a long time, it felt like our quantitative colleagues had all the flashy tools while we were left with highlighters and hope. That’s exactly why I’m so excited about the 4th edition of Qualitative Data Analysis with NVivo.
Following up from the launch of Inclusive Research Methodologies, this week Sage Research Methods expands its resources with another timely launch - Sage Research Methods Video: Doing Survey Research, a new video collection supporting learners through every stage of one of the most widely used research methods.
A persistent challenge in qualitative research is synthesis. When you are working with large volumes of text (interviews, field reports, narrative accounts) across multiple countries and time periods, how do you move systematically from individual accounts to broader patterns? And how do you do so without flattening the complexity that makes qualitative data valuable in the first place?
This piece describes how causal mapping, combined with an AI-assisted coding workflow, helped address that challenge in a large, multi-country research and evaluation project and what researchers working with similarly complex qualitative datasets might take from the experience.
Rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence have instigated introspection across the data visualisation field. Though swathes of AI discourse are characterised by hype and gimmickry, if you cut through the noise, it’s clear we are facing a significant new era of technological progress. It’s time to evolve, or die, as the saying goes. But what should our relationship with AI be, particularly with generative AI? To what extent could our authentic craft be usefully augmented by an artificial one?
We’re excited to share that Research Methods - part of the 'Research Skills Toolkit' - has been updated to reflect today’s research landscape. Discover brand new content on Gen AI, Data Literacy and more – designed to support researchers with the skills they need in their careers.
In this guest post, Sage author Carol Rivas explores the current AI capabilities for researching society and culture.
There are some perennial challenges to doing a research project that all of us have faced: formulating a research question, wrestling with paradigmatic assumptions, keeping on track of a multi-year project. The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project has been helping students (and supervisors) for more than 20 years. But in a post-pandemic world with the transformations being wrought by artificial intelligence, datafication, and the rise and fall of social media platforms, there are new challenges facing researchers.
As part of our ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality online learning, we are excited to announce a series of updates to our Sage Campus courses! These enhancements are designed to support academic success by providing practical resources and empowering learners at every stage of their academic journey.
Last month Sage hosted an exclusive webinar with the JASP founder, Eric-Jan Wagenmakers, and fellow JASP creator Johnny van Doorn. Based at the University of Amsterdam, these renowned experts introduced the world of teaching statistics using JASP.
Interviews with this year's winners of Sage's 10-year-impact award, Elo Satu and Helvi Kyngäs.
The editorial team for Sage Research Methods, Sage’s award-winning digital platform, invites proposals for its Datasets format. The successful submissions will be featured in the upcoming Inclusive Research Methodologies collection, launching in 2026.
Watch a free recording of the recent webinar on Data Collection & Analysis by Sage. Presented by Jessica Offenberger and Sean Scarisbrick, this enlightening session equips researchers with essential tools for effective data gathering, analysis, and interpretation.
Dr James Abdey discusses the importance of statistical literacy and applications of methodologies to assist researchers in understanding their data and presenting their results clearly, objectively, and with confidence.
Listen to this interview, and check out Rhys Jones’ latest book: Statistical Literacy: A Beginner's Guide.
Learn about options available in the dynamic landscape of emerging methodological extensions in the PLS-SEM field is the necessary condition analysis (NCA).
Methods Film Fest!
We can read what they write, but what do researchers say? What are they thinking about, what are they exploring, what insights do they share about methodologies, methods, and approaches? In 2023 Methodspace produced 32 videos, and you can find them all in this post!
Christina Silver explains why and how to use qualitative data analysis software to manage and analyze your notes, literature, materials, and data. Sign up for her upcoming (free) symposium!
Use research cases as the basis for individual or team activities that build skills.
How do you find gems in a research project when the data is too thin for generalizations? In this post researchers discuss creative ways to learn from (and write about) the experience.
The focus for Q3 of 2023 was on analyzing and interpreting qualitative and quantitative data. Find all the posts, interviews, and resources here!
Dr. Stephen Gorard defines and explains randomness in a research context.
Mentor in Residence Stephen Gorard explains how researchers can think about predicting results.
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Equity Framework approach draws high-level insights from this body of work to inform equity in data analysis that can apply to groups of people who may face systemic barriers to CTE participation. Learn more in this two-part post!
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Equity Framework approach draws high-level insights from this body of work to inform equity in data analysis that can apply to groups of people who may face systemic barriers to CTE participation. This is part 2, find the link to part 1 and previous posts about the Equity Framework.
Looking back at 2023, find all posts here!
We explored stages of a research project, from concept to publication. In each quarter we focused on one part of the process. In this recap for the year you will find original guest posts, interviews, curated collections of open-access resources, recordings from webinars or roundtable discussions, and instructional resources.