ERIC Number: EJ1191094
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1364-5579
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Available Date: N/A
Embedding Quantitative Skills into the Social Science Curriculum: Case Studies from Manchester
Buckley, Jennifer; Brown, Mark; Thomson, Stephanie; Olsen, Wendy; Carter, Jackie
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, v18 n5 p495-510 2015
Those aiming to respond to the recognised shortage in quantitative skills within the UK social sciences have increasingly focused on the content of undergraduate degree programmes. Problems occur when quantitative methods are generally confined to a dedicated module, detached from substantive topics. This model makes it hard for students to understand or engage with the contribution of quantitative research to their discipline and can perpetuate negative perceptions of quantitative training. We suggest a solution to this problem is 'quantitative embedding', in which quantitative evidence and methods are incorporated into substantive teaching in the social sciences. We illustrate quantitative embedding with case studies from an ESRC funded project based in The University of Manchester, where teaching partnerships have developed curriculum innovations in Sociology and Politics. The paper then discusses the challenges of disseminating quantitative embedding, highlighting the need to bridge separate communities of practice that can isolate quantitative specialists.
Descriptors: Case Studies, Statistical Analysis, Curriculum Development, Communities of Practice, Specialists, Foreign Countries, Undergraduate Students, Sociology, Politics, Teaching Methods, Criticism
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Manchester)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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