2008 Spring Seminar Series
on Social Research Methods


The Spring Seminar Series have concluded.

Courses will be offered again in Fall 2008.

Please check this website in September
for course information.


Courses
The Art and Science of Research Interviewing
Conducting Focus Groups for Social Research
Interpreting Qualitative Data: An Overview
Using Computers in Qualitative Analysis:
An NVivo Workshop  course full
An Overview of the Survey Research Process
Principles and Practice of Questionnaire Design
Survey Design Workshop
Collecting Data Using Web-Based Surveys
An Introduction to Survey Data Analysis
An Introduction to SPSS for Windows
An Introduction to SAS for Windows


Pre-registration and payment of fees is required for all Short Courses.

Please follow these links for details on:
REGISTRATION
Course Fees
Certificate of Completion
Statistical Consulting Service

Introduction

ISR’s 2008 Spring Seminar Series features two one-week series of courses, on qualitative research methods and on survey research.

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. The week concludes with a two-day workshop on the computerized analysis of text using the NVivo program.

The survey research courses begin with a one-day introduction to general principles. The second day deals with questionnaire design. On the third day, a half-day workshop in the morning provides hands-on questionnaire design practice, and the afternoon features a workshop on designing and implementing Web surveys. The fourth day provides an introduction to the analysis of survey data.

Our introductory SPSS and SAS courses are designed to equip participants to undertake basic statistical analysis of survey or other quantitative data. Each course provides four half-day sessions spaced a week apart in order to allow participants the time to develop skills using 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.



Qualitative Research Methods (April 21-25, 2008)



The Art and Science of Research Interviewing

Instructor:
 Raymond Garrison, MA
Date:
 Monday, April 21, 2008
Times:
 9:30am-Noon; 1-3:30pm
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.




Conducting Focus Groups for Social Research

Instructor:
 John Pollard, MA
Date:
 Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Times:
 9:30am-Noon; 1-3:30pm
Location:
 Room 1009
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, April 23, 2008
Times:
 9:30am-Noon; 1-3:30pm
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, we 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 concludes 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:
 Saunia Ahmad, MA
Date:
 Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25, 2008
Times:
 9:30am-Noon; 1-3:30pm
Location:
 Room 2114
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
 30

This workshop focuses on using the software package NVivo 7 to analyze qualitative data, such as transcripts of in-depth interviews, focus groups and field notes. On the first day we consider when and why to use NVivo 7 and show how to import text into the program, create nodes and basic methods of coding qualitative data. The second day deals with more advanced coding functions and the use of queries for analyzing qualitative data in NVivo 7. The workshop includes a hands-on component. Morning sessions will be mainly instruction and in the afternoon participants will do guided exercises. The workshop will benefit newcomers to NVivo 7 as well as people with some experience of NVivo 7 or with the earlier NVivo 2 who would like to expand their skills.

Because this material is presented sequentially and builds upon the basics presented at the beginning of each day, course participants need to arrive on time and attend the entire session.



Survey Research Methods (April 28-May 1, 2008)



An Overview of the Survey Research Process

Instructor:
 Professor Bryn Greer-Wootten
Date:
 Monday, April 28, 2008
Time:
 9:30am-Noon; 1-3:30pm
Location:
 Room 1014
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
 30

Survey research combines elements of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. This course begins with a discussion of the framing of survey research as an inquiry paradigm and explores the more practical issues of “mixed methods,” which combine quantitative and qualitative approaches in research design. The morning seminar is designed as a discussion of broad principles, which contextualize the practical issues of survey research as a set of decision processes implicated in research design. The afternoon workshop session is organized as small-group explorations of these principles, analyzing how an ISR questionnaire translates potential representations of a research problematique.




Principles and Practice of Questionnaire Design

Instructor:
 Professor Michael Ornstein
Date:
 Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Times:
 9:30am-Noon; 1-3:30pm
Location:
 Room 1004
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
 50

This course presents a complete overview of and practical guide to questionnaire design. 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 good questions and assemble them into a good questionnaire. Topics covered include differences among self-administered, telephone and face-to-face surveys, open and closed questions, what to make of “don’t know” answers, 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, April 30, 2008
Time:
 9:30am-12:30pm (½ 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 Tuesday, April 29th.




Collecting Data Using Web-Based Surveys

Instructors:
 Professor Michael Ornstein
Liza Mercier, BSc
Date:
 Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Time:
 1:30-4pm (½ course)
Location:
 Room 1015
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building
Enrolment Limit:
 30

In recent years, Web surveys have grown tremendously in popularity. This course provides an overview of the design and implementation of effective web surveys, providing examples, tips and strategies. Topics will include the advantages and disadvantages of this mode of data collection, design elements of web surveys, and strategies for soliciting responses and maximizing response rates.

Please note that this course is not about writing survey questions (see the courses above), nor does it teach how to program a Web survey, or set up hardware and systems to run a Web survey.




An Introduction to Survey Data Analysis

Instructors:
 Professor Bryn Greer-Wootten
Date:
 Thursday, May 1, 2008
Times:
 9:30am-Noon; 1-3:30pm
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 is demonstrated and fundamentals of statistical inference and hypothesis testing are then discussed, followed by the implementation of an analytical design with basic statistical analysis of contingency tables, group differences (analysis of variance), and relationships between variables (correlation and regression). Participants should have some background in basic statistics or the fundamentals of survey research. Prior knowledge of SPSS would be beneficial.

Because this material is presented sequentially and builds upon the basics presented at the beginning of the day, participants need to arrive on time and attend the entire session.



SCS Short Courses - SPSS and SAS



Introduction to SPSS for Windows

Instructor: 
 Lisa Fiksenbaum, MA
Dates: 
 Tuesdays, May 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2008
Time: 
 9am-12:30pm
Location: 
 Room 021 (PC 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.

Because this material is presented sequentially and builds upon the basics presented at the beginning of each day, course participants need to arrive on time and attend the entire session.




An Introduction to SAS for Windows

Instructor: 
 Nikolai Slobodianik
Dates: 
 Wednesdays, May 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2008
Time: 
 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Location: 
 Room 021 (PC 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.

Because this material is presented sequentially and builds upon the basics presented at the beginning of each day, course participants need to arrive on time and attend the entire session.




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 Art and Science of Research Interviewing................... $100
Conducting Focus Groups for Social Research.................. $100
Interpreting Qualitative Data: An Overview........................ $100
An NVivo Workshop....................................................... $200
The Survey Research Process: an Overview...................... $100
Principles and Practices of Questionnaire Design................ $100
Survey Design Workshop (½ course)................................ $50
Collecting Data Using Web-Based Surveys (½ course)...... $50
An Introduction to Survey Data Analysis........................... $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.

For those coming to York from off campus, please allow plenty of time to find parking and the building and room where your course is taking place.



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, 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, introduction to the R programming language, and visual methods for statistical data analysis.

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 www.isr.yorku.ca/scs with the on-line Appointment Scheduler.

For further information on SCS courses, please contact:

Professor David Flora
Statistical Consulting Service
Institute for Social Research (ISR)
York University
Email: dflora@yorku.ca
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