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Consultation on methodological research needs in UK Social Science

Consultation on methodological research needs in UK Social Science
Consultation on methodological research needs in UK Social Science
As part of its national strategic remit, NCRM undertakes periodic assessments of national provision and need in methodological research and training through consultation with stakeholders. In November of 2014 NCRM carried out a third consultation on the views of the UK social science research community about current and future methodological research needs. The target population for this consultation was social science researchers and commissioners, both academic and non-academic, across sectors and at all levels of seniority and experience. The approach taken to eliciting submissions was to invite and encourage responses from potentially interested individuals and research organisations by sharing an open invitation to submit responses via an online form widely on relevant email lists and websites. The consultation received 295 responses from researchers and research groups in universities, central government, the private sector, local government, and the voluntary or not-for-profit and across all career stages. The majority of responses were submitted by senior academics. Responses were made representing all major social science disciplines. The largest disciplinary areas were sociology (28%), statistics, methodology, and computing (22%), and psychology (17%). Half of respondents to the consultation were currently, or had in the past been, a Principal Investigator on an ESRC funded grant. Of the 295 suggestions received, 119 (40%) were self-categorised as primarily quantitative, 69 (23%) primarily qualitative, and 95 (32%) were defined as mixed/multi-methods. The remaining 12 (4%) were defined as falling under none of these three headings and categorised as ‘other’. Analysis of the fixed and open responses to the consultation generated fourteen high-level thematic areas which represent the perceived priority areas of methodological research need identified by respondents to the consultation. These were: Digital devices and mobile technologies for data collection; Participatory approaches; Methods for assessing and enhancing survey data quality; Narrative methods; Analysis of longitudinal data; Analysis of online digital and ‘Big Data’; Analysis of administrative data and methods for data Linkage; Innovation in ethnographic approaches; Small Area Estimation; Bio-social data analysis; Experimental and observational methods for policy evaluation; Bayesian Data Analysis; Visual and arts-based approaches; Multi-modal methods.
University of Southampton
Luff, Rebekah
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Wiles, Rose
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Sturgis, Patrick
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Luff, Rebekah
b12da7ec-5b6b-4928-9993-c0228cf140b5
Wiles, Rose
90f598bb-a26c-4b82-88b2-06c51e035bc6
Sturgis, Patrick
b9f6b40c-50d2-4117-805a-577b501d0b3c

Luff, Rebekah, Wiles, Rose and Sturgis, Patrick (2015) Consultation on methodological research needs in UK Social Science Southampton, GB. University of Southampton 33pp.

Record type: Monograph (Project Report)

Abstract

As part of its national strategic remit, NCRM undertakes periodic assessments of national provision and need in methodological research and training through consultation with stakeholders. In November of 2014 NCRM carried out a third consultation on the views of the UK social science research community about current and future methodological research needs. The target population for this consultation was social science researchers and commissioners, both academic and non-academic, across sectors and at all levels of seniority and experience. The approach taken to eliciting submissions was to invite and encourage responses from potentially interested individuals and research organisations by sharing an open invitation to submit responses via an online form widely on relevant email lists and websites. The consultation received 295 responses from researchers and research groups in universities, central government, the private sector, local government, and the voluntary or not-for-profit and across all career stages. The majority of responses were submitted by senior academics. Responses were made representing all major social science disciplines. The largest disciplinary areas were sociology (28%), statistics, methodology, and computing (22%), and psychology (17%). Half of respondents to the consultation were currently, or had in the past been, a Principal Investigator on an ESRC funded grant. Of the 295 suggestions received, 119 (40%) were self-categorised as primarily quantitative, 69 (23%) primarily qualitative, and 95 (32%) were defined as mixed/multi-methods. The remaining 12 (4%) were defined as falling under none of these three headings and categorised as ‘other’. Analysis of the fixed and open responses to the consultation generated fourteen high-level thematic areas which represent the perceived priority areas of methodological research need identified by respondents to the consultation. These were: Digital devices and mobile technologies for data collection; Participatory approaches; Methods for assessing and enhancing survey data quality; Narrative methods; Analysis of longitudinal data; Analysis of online digital and ‘Big Data’; Analysis of administrative data and methods for data Linkage; Innovation in ethnographic approaches; Small Area Estimation; Bio-social data analysis; Experimental and observational methods for policy evaluation; Bayesian Data Analysis; Visual and arts-based approaches; Multi-modal methods.

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NCRM Research Needs Consultation 26Mar15.pdf - Version of Record
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More information

Published date: 24 March 2015
Organisations: Social Statistics & Demography

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 381118
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/381118
PURE UUID: 26585a52-0659-404b-b1be-1b5c58f3e681
ORCID for Rebekah Luff: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7871-0246
ORCID for Patrick Sturgis: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1180-3493

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 16 Sep 2015 13:58
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 21:10

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Contributors

Author: Rebekah Luff ORCID iD
Author: Rose Wiles
Author: Patrick Sturgis ORCID iD

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