Call for applications - Advanced Training for Multi-Method and Policy-Oriented Research

Dear All,

 

The message below refers:

 

                                               

Advanced Training for Multi-Method and Policy-Oriented Research

November 8 –23, 2017, Nairobi Kenya

The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) is offering a professional development training programme for multi-method and policy-oriented research in:

1. Advanced Research Design.
2. Research methods in: Engendering Social Science Research Methods; and, Comparative Case Study Analysis.
   
   

The training is unique in using participants’ own research and small group work to explore design innovations in multi-method research to engage public policy. The training emphasises the design of mixed methods strategies and explores some of the different ways and moments that researchers could engage with various policy actors throughout the research cycle. It is applied and participant-centred, and makes use of innovative alternative pedagogic approaches such as e-cases, simulations, animations and peer-learning.

PASGR is an independent, non‐partisan pan‐African not‐for‐profit organisation established in 2011 and located in Nairobi, Kenya. Currently engaged in more than 24 African countries, PASGR works to enhance research excellence in governance and public policy that contributes to the overall wellbeing of women and men. In partnership with individual academics and researchers, universities, think tanks, civil society organisations, governments and policy communities both in the region and internationally, PASGR supports the production and dissemination of policy relevant research; designs and delivers suites of short professional development courses for researchers and policy actors; and facilitates the development of collaborative higher education programmes.

Course Structure and Dates

This is a residential programme that will be offered in three blocks, including a mandatory pre- and post-workshop online engagement:

Block 1: Advanced Research Design (11 training days: November 8-18, 2017)

• Designing Social Inquiry
• Multi-Methods Research
• Critical Policy Engaged Research
• Research Ethics

                                                     

Block 2: Elective Module (3 training days: November 16-18, 2017)       

• Engendering Social Science Research Methods

Block 3: Elective Module (4 training days: November 20-23, 2017)

• Comparative Case Study Analysis

                                                       

Please note:

1. Block 2 module - Engendering Social Science Research Methods is open to any past participant (April 2017 or earlier) of either the Advanced Research Design course or the Multi-Method Research Course.
   
   
2. Block 3 participants must have previously taken PASGR’s Advanced Research Design course or Multi-Method Research Course or be registered for the November 2017 ARD course. Participants registering for the Block 1 and 2 courses are encouraged to also register for the elective Block 3 module.

Certificates of Completion will be issued upon successful attendance of all modules that participants attend inclusive of completion of all required course/peer reading, reviews and assignments

Target Applicant Profile

These are high level professional development courses for active and committed African researchers interested in broadening their knowledge and skills in design and execution of research that lends itself to a multi-method approach application in policy-oriented social science and governance questions. Applicants working in think tanks, universities, policy-research oriented NGOs, civil society, media or government departments are encouraged to apply.

In past years, faculty who teach research methods have incorporated PASGR’s training in their courses. It will therefore benefit university teaching staff engaged in PhD or post-doctoral research.

PASGR is especially interested in receiving applications from female researchers and researchers working in conflict or post-conflict environments.

Participation Fee

PASGR has subsidised the training cost and will cover tuition fees while participants are expected to cater for all other costs, including travel and residential expenses as well as the conference package as outlined below. Participants are encouraged to bring some money to cover any incidentals, dinner and out-of-pocket costs as PASGR does not give per diem.

Block	Conference fees	Accommodation	Total
1	USD 385	USD 540	USD 925
2	UDS 105	USD 180	USD 285
3	USD 140	USD 225	USD 365

This training will be held in Nairobi, Kenya and the actual training location will be communicated to selected participants.

How to Apply

Interested applicants must submit a duly filled application form together with their curriculum vitae (CV). The application form can be downloaded from:

• Advanced Research Design: http://bit.ly/ARDNov2017
• Engendering Social Science Research Methods: http://bit.ly/ESSNov2017
• Comparative Case Study Analysis: http://bit.ly/CCSNov2017

The completed application form and updated CV should be uploaded to the appropriate link, as follows:

• Advanced Research Design: http://bit.ly/ARDNov17  
• Engendering Social Science Research Methods: http://bit.ly/ESSRNov17
• Comparative Case Study Analysis: http://bit.ly/CCSANov17  
  
  

The deadline for submission of both documents is Sunday August 6, 2017.

For questions and/or clarification, please email ddryding@pasgr.org

Detailed Course Content

BLOCK 1: ADVANCED RESEARCH DESIGN MODULES

1. Designing Social Inquiry

The module’s first goal is to develop participants’ critical engagement within the existing state of knowledge in their respective fields. It equips participants with the competencies to question conventional definitions of the problem, the categories or techniques used for its analysis, and possible interpretations.

It also helps participants to turn ideas or assumptions into researchable questions. This involves making explicit not only one’s own possible explanations or hypothesis, but also rival ones that exist in the literature or are circulated through other media. An important part of this process is to explicitly and carefully define the key concepts in a study. Finally, it introduces participants to advances in concept formation and illustrates how concepts can be modified, redefined, or created to accurately capture the empirical events, actors, or processes being investigated.

1. Multi-Method Research Strategies

Have you wondered about how to improve your research ability to explain the complex world around you? Are you interested in increasing your research’s explanatory power through the use of evidence to explain the cause and effect of social issues relevant to policy actors? One effective way to do this is to combine different research methods within the same research project. This module delves into questions about mixing multiple methods that are of great relevance to researchers that hope to influence policy. Multi-method research refers to the use of multiple quantitative methods, various qualitative methods, or mixtures of these two types of methods. It aims at integrating more than one method in a single research project as a way of strengthening explanations by drawing on the strengths of each paradigm. This module engages participants in exploring a broad range of merits of using multiple methods in research. The training shall focus on the art of mixing and sequencing methods with the aim of showing different aspects of a research issue/problem.

1. Critical Policy Engagement

Researchers engaged in policy-related work stand to benefit if they interest policy actors in the work they are doing, involve them in the various stages of their research project, and get their feedback to enrich the research design. This module aims to enhance researchers’ capacity to strengthen their relationship with policy actors in order to improve their research design and the chances that their findings will be used to engage policy. The module helps participants develop knowledge and skills related to building relationships with various policy actors and decision makers. It refines participants’ ability to communicate research ideas and findings. It equips them with skills to distil the key message(s) they would like to communicate to relevant policy actors.

1. Research Ethics

What is the most important consideration in social science research? Ethics is. While a lot of emphasis has been laid on the importance of appropriate research methodology for validity and reliability of social science research findings, the ethical aspects of research practice has not been given adequate attention. Yet, valid and reliable methodology does turn out to be a danger to humanity in the absence of ethical practice:  the essence of social research, as of all research, is to improve human life and any research that causes harm to human persons would not be justified. Indeed, bad science is bad ethics.  This course is designed to (re)introduce both novices and experienced research practitioners to the theory and application of the three universal basic principles of research ethics: Respect for human persons, beneficence/non-maleficence, and justice. Further, participants will demonstrate appreciation of the negative implications of research misconduct (including plagiarism ad academic fraud) and demonstrate how to avoid these acts of misconduct.      Participatory teaching and learning methods will allow participants to learn and teach at the same time. By the end of this course, participants will possess a firm grasp of the importance of ethics in social research and the implications of research misconduct, and as well demonstrate skills in application of the universal principles of research ethics in specific contexts.

BLOCK 2 ELECTIVE MODULE:

Engendering Social Science Research Methods

What may a man do that a woman may not do and what may a woman do that a man may not do? This is a question on gender, a fundamental category in human life in society. Gender influences how men and women think, speak and act. Social research investigates human behaviour in society: how humans behave, when, and why. Understanding gender is therefore imperative to effectively understanding the social world.  Therefore, all social science research should be gender sensitive. This module emphasizes the need for rigorous mixed research methods and provides a step by step hands-on implementation of gender-sensitive data collection and data analysis. Ethnography and survey will be used to illustrate this. The module also examines issues in social research ethics and policy-engaged research with particular focus on gender analysis. Through a combination of presentations, applied learning (practical experience in field or simulated in class), role play, case studies, group work and feedback, participants will appreciate how to engender their research projects for gender sensitive evidence-based policy.  By the end of this module delivery, participants will demonstrate knowledge and skills to interrogate macro and micro power structures from a gender and intersectional perspective, and demonstrate the use of basic tools to critically incorporate these approaches in their own social science research and policy work. It is assumed that participants taking the module will be a mixed audience comprising both novices and experts in gender-sensitive policy-engaged social research and practice. Through the participatory exercises, synergies will be developed for optimal learning across both groups.

BLOCK 3 ELECTIVE MODULE

Comparative Case Study Analysis 

When presented with research that has policy suggestions or implications, policy actors often ask: “Does it work? Does it cause something to change or to happen?” Only a methodologically sound study can respond convincingly to such questions. The Comparative Case Study Analysis module is packaged to equip researchers to design and execute studies that are sufficiently sound to speak to such questions. It clarifies the question of what a case is, and explains the criteria for selecting cases. It introduces several approaches including experimental, quasi experimental, process tracing and path dependence. It thoroughly deals with different strategies for making causal arguments, various methods of data analysis in case study, and how case study contributes to theory development and concept formation.

We thank Dr Ike Onyishi for the information.

 

Best wishes

Prof Obinna Onwujekwe

Chairman: Senate Research Grants Committee