Presentation at the HEA-funded workshop 'Making undergraduate social science count: engaging sociology and criminology students in quantitative research methods'. This workshop aimed to encourage pedagogical reflection and debate on the teaching of quantitative methods to sociology/criminology undergraduates and provide delegates with opportunities for the sharing of best practice in this area. The event included dissemination of the outputs of two recent HEA-funded projects on teaching research methods in the social sciences. Delegates were also introduced to some new and existing quantitative datasets and resources and explore the potential for integrating these across the undergraduate curriculum. This presentation is part of a related blog post that provides an overview of the event: http://bit.ly/1iBrVMR For further details of the HEA's work on teaching research methods in the Social Sciences, please see: http://bit.ly/15go0mh

1. Funded as part of the HEA Social Sciences strategic project 2012 – 13
Introduction to new
teaching datasets and associated resources
Emma Calvert and Paula Devine
Queen’s University Belfast

2. Overview
• Introduce ARK and its resources and how
these can facilitate the teaching of
quantitative methods (QM)
• Highlight the new teaching datasets and
discuss issues in creating them/utilisation
in teaching QM

3. Background to ARK
• Joint QUB/UU initiative, established 2000
• Aim: To make material on the social and
political life of Northern Ireland available to
the widest possible audience
• Provides access, research and knowledge

4. ARK resources (www.ark.ac.uk)
• Background facts and figures on N Ireland
• Extensive and varied material on the conflict
• Tables of results from surveys
• Raw data from ARK surveys
• Questionnaires
• Bibliographies and summaries
• Audio-visual and qualitative data
• Election results
• Critical policy unit .................and much more!

5. ARK activities
Guide to ARK
• Conflict and Politics
• Policy Research
• Surveys
Outreach, Dissemination &
Training
• Seminar series – view these
online
• Critical social policy round
tables
• Lay-friendly Research
Updates, occasional papers
and fact sheets

6. Introduction to ARK

7. Surveys
Kids Life &
Times
Primary
7
Young Life
& Times
16 year
olds
Northern
Ireland Life
& Times
Adults
18+
ISSP
Global

8. Why?
Through our surveys we provide time-series
attitudinal data to inform policy development and
provide a public voice
These three annual surveys monitor the attitudes of
people of different ages in Northern Ireland to a
wide range of social and political issues

9. Overview of ARK surveys
While the samples and methods of data collection
vary, all 3 surveys have common features:
• ‘Modular’ construction (discrete, topic-based sets
of questions)
• Completely free and easy access to the data
shortly after fieldwork is completed, including
tables of results, dataset, questionnaires,
technical report

10. NI Life and Times
• Annual survey, began in 1998
• Monitor the attitudes and behaviour
of people in Northern Ireland
• Time-series and public record of
attitudes and behaviour
• Descendent of Northern Ireland Social
Attitudes Survey 1989-1996
• Modular format : 4-5 per year, but
always community relations

14. Young Life and Times
• Annual survey of young
people
1998-2000: 12-17 year olds
living in household of NILT
respondent
2003 onwards: 16 year olds
• 6-7 modules per year

15. YLT topics
Community Relations - asked in 2003 - 2012
Cross Community Contact - asked in 2003 - 2012
Education - asked in 2003 - 2010, 2012
Environment and global issues - asked in 2006
Family - asked in 2006 - 2012
Health (including mental health) - asked in 2004 -
2008, 2011
Identity - asked in 2003 - 2012
Leisure and Play - asked in 2007 and 2010
Mental Health and Self-harm - asked in 2008 and 2009
Minority Ethnic Groups - asked in 2004 and 2007 -
2012
Politics - asked in 2004 - 2007, 2010, 2011
Poverty - asked in 2007
Pressures and Influences - asked in 2004, 2005, 2007
and 2008
Rights and Perceptions - asked in 2007, 2009 - 2012
Sexual Health - asked in 2011
Sexual Risks - asked in 2010
Social Capital - asked in 2003 - 2012
Background - asked in 2003 - 2012
Volunteering - asked in 2009
Young Carers - asked in 2010

16. Teaching datasets
• Provide concise and comprehensive datasets to
aid teaching and learning QM
• Complete number of respondents, reduced set of
variables
• Focus on particular module
– NILT 2006 & 2008, Good Relations
– NILT 2012, Good Relations New!
– NILT 2012, LGBT New!
– YLT 2003-2012 New!
Supported by HEA

17. HEA project overview
New resources
• Development of new
resources for teaching
QM:
– Teaching datasets
– Accessible technical
report/codebooks
– Teaching workbook
Project objectives
• Support student learning
• Up-to-date “real world” data
• Interesting research questions
• Minimise complicated data
manipulation
• Reflection on data production
• Exercises for independent
study

18. Teaching QM
ASA Guidelines
• Real-world data
• Conceptual understanding
vs knowledge of procedures
• Foster active learning
• Technology to aid
understanding & data
analysis
• Assessments to improve
and evaluate student
learning
Developments in teaching QM
• Push from traditional lectures to more
activity-based formats (Scott & Green
2012)
• What helps learning: group work in/out
of class, explaining and communicating,
frequent rapid feedback, problem
formulation (Moore 1997)

19. Anxiety
Anxiety
which
occurs
when a
student
encounters
statistics in
any form
and at any
level
(Onwuegbuzie
and Wilson
2003)
Confidence
Perceived
lack of
confidence
/ability?
(Ruggeri et
al. 2008)
Surprise
46% of
students
surveyed
were
aware of
the
statistical
content of
their
psychology
degree
(Ruggeri et
al. 2008)
Relevance
Do I need
research
skills?
(Murtonen et
al. 2008)

20. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Strongly agree Agree Neither agree
nor disagree
Disagree Strongly
disagree
Acquiring quantitative research skills is an
essential element of a social sciences degree
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Strongly agree Agree Neither agree
nor disagree
Disagree Strongly
disagree
The idea of learning statistics makes me feel
anxious

21. Creating QM resources
For teaching
• Structure/set-up
• Enabling range of data
analysis
• New variables (scale)
• Simplification of variables
• Data cleaning to remove
“difficult” responses
• Basic workbook
For research
• “Real-life” dataset
– range of topics/limited
duplication
– all survey respondents
• Documentation:
– Accessible technical report
– Codebook

22. intuitive
variable
names
detailed
information from
questionnaire
value labels
set up
following
conventions
correct level of
measurement
Structure

23. Creating new variables (scales)

24. Simplification of variables

25. Data cleaning (2006)

26. Accessible documentation (codebook)

27. Teaching workbook
• Research
questions
• Same variables
• Basic descriptive
analysis
• Instructions/SPSS
screenshots
• Questions for
reflection/further
analysis

28. QM @ QUB
• Core module
• Secondary data analysis
• Approx. 100 Criminology,
Sociology and Social Policy
students
– Large group teaching
– Small group teaching (SPSS)
Researching
perceptions
about
neighbourhood
“neutrality”
Researching
sexuality

29. “Real-world” research
Research sexual
orientation and
attitudes to sexuality
in NI:
– Issues of
measurement
– Sensitive questions
– Attitudinal research

30. “Real-world” research
 Data manipulation (recoding)
 Missing values
 Compare final results
 Further analysis

31. Possible research questions
research
Minority ethnic
communities/
culture/economy
Young people’s
views on
community
relations
(2003-12)
Recent riots/
community
relations
Sexuality and
family

32. Resources online @ ARK
NILT 2012
• Teaching datasets
– Good Relations
– LGBT
• Accessible documentation
YLT 2002-12
• Merged teaching dataset
• Accessible documentation
Teaching workbooks available via email

33. Embedding QM
1. Very safe
2. Fairly safe
3. A bit unsafe
4. Very unsafe
5. Don’t know
1 2 3 4 5
20% 20%20%20%20%
1. Discussion on researching/measuring “fear of crime”
2. Use Personal Response System: How safe do you feel walking
alone in this area after dark?

34. Embedding QM

35. Queen’s Q-Step Centre