School of Social and Political Science

Description

This webinar forms part of the Research Training Centre's Talking Methods seminar series delivered in association with the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS).

Abstract

The side-lining of quantitative research methods in UK sociology and its allied disciplines has been well documented (Cohn and Farrington, 1990; Payne et al., 2004; McCambridge et al., 2007). However, these studies have relied on proxy measures of engagement with quantitative methods, often looking at the level of quantification in mainstream journals. In this presentation, I will discuss the findings from an online survey of professional sociologists in the UK conducted between 2015-2016. The findings show that less than 10% of respondents self-identified as quantitative researchers. It also revealed that most sociologists saw their discipline as closer to the arts and humanities as opposed to the natural sciences.

The latter half of the presentation will focus on more recent research which has taken a longitudinal approach to understanding the quantitative methods learning journey of UK social science students. These findings suggest that while students agree that they learn lots during their compulsory quantitative methods training and, in some cases, initially opt to use quantitative methods in their final year dissertations, the percentage of students who eventually produce a quantitative dissertation drops over time. The argument is made that while students feel comfortable learning about quantitative approaches, they are less confident about applying these techniques to novel research problems. It is suggested that deep divides, especially in British sociology, may be resulting in students not appreciating the value or place of such approaches in their discipline and subsequently, not applying them in their own research.

Biography

Dr Charlotte Brookfield is a senior lecturer at Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences. Charlotte is the co-director of the Cardiff Q-Step Centre of Excellence in Quantitative Methods Teaching and Learning. The Centre is one of eighteen across the UK which aims to enhance quantitative pedagogy in the social sciences. The activities of the Centre have informed Charlotte’s research which explores the extent to which quantitative approaches are used in British sociology and possible factors which may contribute toward social science students’ resistance to engaging with quantitative techniques.