Social Research Methodology Division

The Division of Social Research Methodology (SRM) is committed to the study and practice of methods of inquiry in educational and social research. The SRM curriculum emphasizes conceptualization of applied problems, design and conduct of research and evaluation, development and application of new methodological techniques, and analysis and interpretation of data in the context of educational theory and practice. The research interests and expertise of the faculty are broadly grouped into three areas of emphasis: quantitative methods, qualitative methods, and applied methods and program evaluation. However, these areas do not constitute formal tracks of study within the program. Student programs of study in the SRM program are highly individualized in accordance with student research interests and academic and professional needs.

The SRM Division focuses on partnering methodological innovation with practical applications. The faculty specialize in either statistical inferential, or qualitative-interpretive methods of research, and a multiple methods approach to address the complex dimensions of research in social science and education. As a faculty, we are interested in the multiple forms of inquiry about educational questions, the development of critically reflective/reflexive habits of mind about research, and the way to effectively represent that research in writing.

SRM students are primarily interested in methodology as an area of research but typically have particular interests in specific educational areas or issues. In addition to core required courses, the program of study is individually customized to meet the students’ interests and needs in consultation with and with guidance from their faculty advisor(s). The division offers a wide range of foundational, intermediate, and advanced courses in research design, statistics, measurement, evaluation and policy analysis, qualitative methods, philosophical issues in inquiry, and writing. Substantive training and experience is gained through relevant research projects and elective coursework in other divisions. Additional training and mentoring available to students include research and teaching assistantships, seminars, apprenticeships, and conferences, among others. This highly individualized program of study is designed to prepare students to contribute to inquiry across a range of methodological and substantive problems, processes, and practices central to education and related fields.

SRM students’ dissertations grow out of the integration of their own research and that of the faculty, in areas such as the study of educational programs and policies through modern quantitative or qualitative methods; the development, refinement, application, or comparison of statistical or psychometric models, or qualitative data analysis techniques and procedures; or the design, application, and analysis of program evaluation procedures. A representative cross section of recent dissertation topics across these broad categories includes:

• Multilevel Covariance Structure Analysis and Student Ratings of Instructional Practice
• Evaluations as Interventions: Evaluation Process Use of Programs Recipients
• Navigating, Negotiating, and Nurturing: Exploring How Students’ Cultural Toolkits Serve as Resources for College Persistence.
• Cultures and Contexts of Data-Based Decision-Making in Schools – Measuring Student Engagement in Higher Education: A Validation Study Using a Unified Framework
• Hierarchical Item Response Models for Cognitive Diagnosis
• Tracing the Pathways of Evaluation Influence: From Theory to Practice
• Investigating Measures for Inclusion in a Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation System
• Talking Our Way Around Expert Caution: A Rhetorical Analysis of Value-Added Modeling in Teacher Evaluation

The Certificate in Advanced Quantitative Methodology in Educational Research is offered by the Social Research Methodology Division (SRM) in the Department of Education. SRM is committed to the study and practice of methods of inquiry in educational and social research. The curriculum emphasizes conceptualization of applied problems, design and conduct of research and evaluation, development and application of new methodological techniques, and analysis and interpretation of data in the context of educational theory and practice. The division prepares individuals who can critically examine educational research and evaluation, develop data collection designs and instruments, and conduct conceptual and statistical analyses in education and the behavioral and social sciences. 

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