We propose a new method for analyzing and visualizing information on a large collection of personal networks to uncover the socio-centric structure of relationships among aggregated actors that we clustered into categories. The network of categories identifies the links between groups of sampled ego actors sharing a given attribute (e.g.,…

International organisations have measured adult learning participation since the 1990s, using surveys like the Adult Education Survey (AES) and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). These surveys employ a 'triadic' classification of learning activities -- formal (FAE), non-formal (NFE) and informal learning…

This case study focuses on a multidecade time-series study of changes in public acceptance of evolution in the United States. Change over time is often a central issue in social science research. There are two kinds of change over time. Time-series studies address change in populations or groups over time. Longitudinal studies address changes in…

This paper investigates the methodological discrepancies underlying the measurement of adult learning and education (ALE) participation in the UK by focusing on four major surveys -- APiL, PIAAC, AES, and LFS. Grounded in the Total Survey Error (TSE) framework, we systematically examined the surveys' documentation and compared their definitions,…

Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) are now a popular tool to inform causal inferences. We discuss how DAGs can also be used to encode theoretical assumptions about nonprobability samples and survey nonresponse and to determine whether population quantities including conditional distributions and regressions can be identified. We describe sources of…

This academic article provides the essential steps for designing an effective English questionnaire in social science research, with a focus on ensuring clarity, cultural sensitivity and ethical integrity. Developed from key insights from related studies, it outlines potential practice in questionnaire design, item development and the importance…

In many developed countries, disagreement on important policy issues between groups with different social identities ('ideological polarisation') is increasing. In professional settings, these disagreements undermine cooperation and trust between employees, which negatively affects work relationships and managerial decision-making. We investigate…

This Technical Annex report sets out methodological and technical notes for the 2024 Technical Education Learner Survey. It accompanies two substantive reports -- 'Technical Education Learner Survey 2024: progression of the 2nd T Level cohort' and 'Technical Education Learner Survey 2024: progression of Level 4/5 learners'. The main body of the…

Although self-report surveys are widely used for data collection, data quality can vary across populations because certain groups are more likely to engage in insufficient effort responding (IER). Our study examined how different levels of the educational system--student groups, schools, and cultural contexts--affect data quality due to IER, using…

Randomized experiments involving education interventions are typically implemented as cluster randomized trials, with schools serving as clusters. To design such a study, it is critical to understand the degree to which learning outcomes vary between versus within clusters (schools), specifically the intraclass correlation coefficient. It is also…