Wider Issues in Capacity Building the view from the SRA

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building the view from
the SRA

• Presentation to the ESRC Researcher Development
  Initiative Conference
• Developing the Researcher
• Royal College of Physicians
• 6-7th February 2007
• Ceridwen Roberts
• Social Research Association

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building the SRA view

• The Social Research Association
• has about 1100 members
• throughout the UK SRA Scotland,
  Ireland, Cymru
• from all sectors academia,
  central/ local government
• 
  agencies, voluntary commercial
• covering all social science
  disciplines
• provides training and development
  opportunities
• develops and publishes good practice
  guidelines

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Wider issues in capacity building the SRA view

• Over the last few years there have been many
  reports on different aspects of training need
  across the sectors. These include
• SRA 2005. Report of the SRA Working Group on
  Training Activities
• and Functions
• Purcell and Elias 2005 The Employment of Social
  Science PhDs in academic and non academic jobs
  research skills and postgraduate training
• Wiles et al. 2005 Assessment of needs for
  training in Research Methods in the UK Social
  Science Community
• Laria 2005 Local authority research
  effectiveness
• Scott and Alcock 2006 Using Research

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Wider issues in Capacity Building - the SRA view

• At the same time there has been
• An increase in training providers many
  unregulated
• Establishment of specific Masters for Government
  Social Researchers
• Diploma of Market and Social Research MRS
• Increasing discussion of core competances
• Attempts by NCVO and Big Lottery Fund to develop
  capacity
• Increasing interest within ESRC in reaching out
  beyond academia
• Devolution

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building -the SRA view

• What is the demand for training? 1
• About 40 of social science PhDs work outside
  academia Purcell Elias,2005
• An even higher of social science undergraduate
  and Masters students work in research based jobs
  outside academia
• All sectors of social research have seen a growth
  in activity and staff numbers over the last 20
  years

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building - the SRA view

• What is the demand for training? 2
• Increased emphasis on evidence based policy and
  practice
• Increased emphasis on research evaluation/impact
• Increased emphasis on improving research
  effectiveness
• Increased standards
• As well as growth in numbers of young researchers
  employed

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building - the SRA view

• What is provided for PhD level ?
• Specific research methods and development of
  research skills as well as professional research
  related skills such as research management ,
  team building, and career development skills were
  needed
• Little of this was formally provided within the
  PhD more is now
• Interviews showed that more quantitative skills
  and experience of wider research methodologies
  were wanted
• There had been little formal training in data
  collection, interpretation presentation
• Almost no training in more general / transferable
  professional research skills
• Purcell and Elias 2005

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building - the SRA view

• What is provided for others?
• Employer based - induction but variable in
  quality and formal career development
• University based Masters and short courses
• Professional organisations - short courses often
  delivered by practitioners
• Commercial providers
• But provision is patchy across the country and
  biased towards early career researchers

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building - the SRA view

• What is needed? 1
• Core competences are being identified by many
  groups. SRA Scotland has identified the
  following social research competences-
• Evaluation systematic reviews sampling
  questionnaire design awareness of government
  surveys interviewing skills SPSS Excel Access
  experimental and quasi-experimental design RCTs
  qualitative research and analysis in-depth
  interviews and qualitative software mixed
  methods longitudinal design report writing and
  dissemination research ethics procurement and
  commissioning project management
• And quite a few more including team working and
  staff management

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building - the SRA view

• What is needed ? 2
• But in most sectors there are no agreed
  competences and little systematic training and
  development trajectories.
• Local government researchers need a range of
  skills but there is no one common set of
  criteria skills in commissioning and using
  research are often not there at the service
  levels there is often a lack of capacity to
  define, manage and use a research project LARIA
  2005
• There is clearly a considerable and unsatisfied
  demand for research development in the voluntary
  and community sector Scott and Alcock

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building - the SRA view

• Problems in provision
• There is considerable unevenness in provision
• Between sectors
• Weak in Wales and N.Ireland, strongest in London
  S.E
• Mismatch between what is needed / provided
• Lack of research management, dissemination and
  utilisation training
• Training by experienced researchers not just
  teachers
• In weaker sectors lack of research
  culture/resources limited budgets
• Lack of information about provision and value of
  continuing development

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building - the SRA view

• What is to be done?
• Map provision/needs
• On regional/ country basis - SRA Scotland about
  to do this for
  Scotland. SRA Ireland hopes
  to look at training needs
• Within sectors e.g. Local government VCS
• Within disciplines -possibly
• Develop agreed core competences within and across
  sectors
• Build partnerships between academic based and
  practitioner led training
• Provide short refresher courses around the
  country.

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Wider Issues in Capacity Building - the SRA view

• The consequences of not acting now
• Will lead to weakening of the social science
  based research capacity
• Will weaken public, policy maker practitioner
  esteem understanding of social science research
• Will lead to less understanding of the social
  context and meaning of social behaviour and less
  quality evidence based policy and practice
• www.the-sra.org.uk
• SRA Improving the Quality of Social Research