Young researchers

Would you like me to give a workshop or course, but is your topic not in the list? Please contact me for a customize approach.

The purpose of this workshop is to boost your skills in (advanced) statistical analysis. I will refresh these skills by discussing hypothesis testing, bivariate and multivariate models (e.g t-test, ANOVA, regression analysis), using SPSS. And (of course) we will address all your questions, puzzles and especially requested methods.

Interviews as a method of data collection become increasingly popular. This is partly because societal questions become more complex. Answering these questions with a simple questionnaire does not cover the depth and breadth of research questions. During this course, I will show you how to set up and carry out interviews and when and how to use interview techniques. As a result you will be able to do interviews effectively and efficiently.

This workshop can be combined e.g with a workshop on thematic analysis.

Nowadays, Thematic analysis is frequently used when analyzing qualitative material. It is a stepwise approach to uncovering interview data, audio- and video material. During this workshop I will show you how you can use the six-step-method to create fragments, codes and themes in your material and how to present the results. We do not use any expensive software during this workshop: for the analysis we will work with Word, Excel and (freeware) Taguette. A combination with other workshops is possible, e.g interviewtechnique and analysis.

When doing qualitative analysis, there are a lot of software packages to choose from, some very expensive and complete, others a lot cheaper but simpler. During this workshop you will get acquainted with ATLASti, a package for qualitative analysis that’s being used in many research organizations and institutes of higher education. You will learn how to upload your data into the program, how to assign codes, create themes and visualize your diagrams. Combinations with other workshops are optional, e.g interview technique and analysis.

The software package SPSS is considered the standard when doing statistical analyses. Many higher education programs teach their students how to work with SPSS. However, it still occurs a lot that starting professionals have insufficient baseline knowledge of how the program works. This workshop leads you into uncovering the basic principles of SPSS. The target group are junior researchers / professionals or researchers that change from qualitative to quantitative analysis.

Many research results are used in policy development, for instance with local or regional governments. This workshop is suitable for applied researchers who want to know more about bridging research and policy development. How can research help develop or support policymaking? How does research fit into the policy cycle; how do you convince policymakers to use research results when developing policies.

Key in high quality research results is the extent to which the ‘right’ questions are asked. So, you need to listen carefully to your contractor and make the right research choices during your study. Asking good quality questions plays a major role during every phase of your research project. During the workshop we discuss which questions to ask during every phase and how you can monitor the ‘question quality’. It goes without saying that your questions and challenges will be addressed.

During this workshop we discuss aspects of research-quality such as reliability, validity, and usability. The impact of research quality can differ dependent on the choices you make as a researcher: qualitative of quantitative approach, expected width and breadth. Besides standards in research-quality we discuss the use of a multiperspective as a criterium for quality. And of course, your challenges and puzzles will be discussed.

Have you just started to work as a professional or researcher? Fresh from college? Is doing research part of your job description? Or have you been working as a professional, but you only recently started to carry out research projects? Then one of the introductory workshops or courses might work for you. Whether it’s choosing the right design, research quality, data collection or analysis, I offer a clear introduction and make sure that you can start your research well equipped. In general I work in small groups and in-company.