What Is the Research Capacity of the UK Education Research Community? Reconsidering the Shortage of Quantitative Skills Phenomenon. Occasional Paper Series.
Saved in:
| Title: | What Is the Research Capacity of the UK Education Research Community? Reconsidering the Shortage of Quantitative Skills Phenomenon. Occasional Paper Series. |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Gorard, Stephen, Taylor, Chris, Rushforth, Katie, Cardiff Univ. (Wales). School of Social Sciences. |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 56 |
| Publication Date: | 2003 |
| Report Number: | OP-56 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Educational Research, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Research Skills, Universities |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom; Wales |
| Abstract: | This paper considers the range of research methods used by the United Kingdom education research community. Using insights from 25 interviews with key stakeholders, it seeks to describe what the current strengths and weaknesses in methods are, and the methodological developments that are needed for the future health of the field. Using survey returns from 521 active researchers, the paper goes on to describe the techniques that the field can use, and those where further "training" or experience is required. Using the 8,691 individual Research Assessment Exercise returns (from a survey of higher education research activities), the paper then summarizes the methods reported to be in actual use. Finally, it uses a brief analysis of journal contents as triangulating evidence. The informants were generally in agreement that there is currently a widespread weakness in the quality of UK education research. Much of this weakness is attributed by them to a shortage of skills in quantitative methods. Other data sources suggest that the latter is less likely than the informants believe. A clear majority of education researchers report having used quantitative methods, and the substantial number of publications involving quantitative methods supports this view. It is, perhaps, rather the type and quality of both quantitative and qualitative research that leads to the poor public image of education research. Improvement is not going to come simply by enlarging the group of people using quantitative methods. Two appendixes provide information about the data collected. (Contains 23 references.) (SLD) |
| Journal Code: | RIEJUL2004 |
| Entry Date: | 2004 |
| Accession Number: | ED482572 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED482572 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: ED482572 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Report PubTypeId: report PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: What Is the Research Capacity of the UK Education Research Community? Reconsidering the Shortage of Quantitative Skills Phenomenon. Occasional Paper Series. – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gorard%2C+Stephen%22">Gorard, Stephen</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Taylor%2C+Chris%22">Taylor, Chris</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rushforth%2C+Katie%22">Rushforth, Katie</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cardiff+Univ%2E+%28Wales%29%2E+School+of+Social+Sciences%2E%22">Cardiff Univ. (Wales). School of Social Sciences.</searchLink> – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: N – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 56 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2003 – Name: NumberReport Label: Report Number Group: ID Data: OP-56 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Reports - Research – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Research%22">Educational Research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+Skills%22">Research Skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Universities%22">Universities</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%3B+Wales%22">United Kingdom; Wales</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This paper considers the range of research methods used by the United Kingdom education research community. Using insights from 25 interviews with key stakeholders, it seeks to describe what the current strengths and weaknesses in methods are, and the methodological developments that are needed for the future health of the field. Using survey returns from 521 active researchers, the paper goes on to describe the techniques that the field can use, and those where further "training" or experience is required. Using the 8,691 individual Research Assessment Exercise returns (from a survey of higher education research activities), the paper then summarizes the methods reported to be in actual use. Finally, it uses a brief analysis of journal contents as triangulating evidence. The informants were generally in agreement that there is currently a widespread weakness in the quality of UK education research. Much of this weakness is attributed by them to a shortage of skills in quantitative methods. Other data sources suggest that the latter is less likely than the informants believe. A clear majority of education researchers report having used quantitative methods, and the substantial number of publications involving quantitative methods supports this view. It is, perhaps, rather the type and quality of both quantitative and qualitative research that leads to the poor public image of education research. Improvement is not going to come simply by enlarging the group of people using quantitative methods. Two appendixes provide information about the data collected. (Contains 23 references.) (SLD) – Name: CodeSource Label: Journal Code Group: SrcInfo Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JC" term="%22RIEJUL2004%22">RIEJUL2004</searchLink> – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2004 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: ED482572 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED482572 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 56 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Educational Research Type: general – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Research Skills Type: general – SubjectFull: Universities Type: general – SubjectFull: United Kingdom; Wales Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: What Is the Research Capacity of the UK Education Research Community? Reconsidering the Shortage of Quantitative Skills Phenomenon. Occasional Paper Series. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Cardiff Univ. (Wales). School of Social Sciences. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Gorard, Stephen – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Taylor, Chris – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rushforth, Katie IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 06 Type: published Y: 2003 |
| ResultId | 1 |
