Department of Sociology, University of Oxford: 26 – 28 June 2007

The Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, is offering a three day course on practical aspects of survey analysis and interpretation, aimed at practising social researchers working in the public and private sectors, academics and graduate students.

The course will be led by Professor Anthony Heath FBA and Jean Martin AcSS, both of whom have unrivalled experience in survey analysis. Professor Heath, currently the Head of the Department of Sociology, was the Director of the 1983-1997 British Election Surveys and principal investigator of many ESRC-funded projects on survey analysis. He has publishes widely, including books, articles in leading refereed journals, and reports for government. Jean Martin is a former Director of Social Analysis and Reporting Division at the Office for National Statistics, and has been responsible for many major government surveys.

This three day course in the Department of Sociology provides a practical guide to all the key elements of survey analysis necessary for drafting a research report or an article.  The focus of the course is on the practical issues that arise in the analysis of survey data and the kinds of decisions that survey analysts have to make from the initial checking the survey to the final write up and presentation of the results.

The full cost of the course is £450, which includes lunch, a drinks reception on Tuesday evening, and a tour of historical Oxford for all participants. The cost for students at academic institutions is £350. The cost of en-suite accommodation is £55.75 per night (inc. breakfast).

• Checking the survey; understanding the quality and biases (if any) of the survey
• Methods (such as weighting) for dealing with bias
• Checking the items and distributions
• Problems arising from missing data and practical ways of dealing with them
• Constructing composite variables and scales
• Initial analyses: getting to know your data and detecting potential problems
• Practical strategies for modelling survey data and common analysis problems
• The distinction between statistical significance and substantive importance
• Understanding and presenting the results of survey analysis.

This course is accompanied by a series of ‘best practice’ guides on the different aspects of reporting one’s study.

The course does not assume any statistical knowledge beyond a basic understanding of descriptive statistics, tests of significance, and cross-tabulations.  Somewhat more advanced techniques will be introduced and explained where necessary but the primary focus of the course is on solutions to every-day practical problems rather than advanced statistics.  The course will involve hands-on classes which will be conducted in an IT lab and will involve the use of SPSS.

The full cost of the course is £450, which includes lunch, a drinks reception on Tuesday evening, and a tour of historical Oxford for all participants. The cost for students at academic institutions is £350. The cost of en-suite accommodation is £55.75 per night (inc. breakfast).

For more information please contact:
Ellie Heath
Practical Survey Analysis Summer School
Department of Sociology
University of Oxford
Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UQ
Tel: +44 1865 281740, Fax: +44 1865 286171
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