Training of Researchers
Survey methodology is taught at some universities. Such training is
necessary and helpful since it shows the ground rules of scientific method applied to the
study of society. We provide this orientation for those who get jobs in market research
but lack this university training. An example is the first course in market research that
Karin Busch Zetterberg has set up for City University in Stockholm and the Swedish Market
Research Society. Check the topics of this basic course
(in Swedish)!
Sampling and statistical analysis are well covered in current academic training and
consulting. The main deficiency today is questionnaire construction. The heart of
survey research is the questions addressed by interviewers to the general public or to
various target groups. The formulating such questions is a central topic in the training
of survey researchers. Many research institutes with surveys on their agenda pay too little
attention to the practice of formulating survey questions. To some extent it is an art. To
a considerable extent, however, it is a teachable and learnable skill. We have long
practice, and we make a genuine effort to increase the awareness of what makes a good
interview question.
Schoolbook knowledge is not sufficient for those who practice
large-scale survey research. The division of labor within a survey organization requires
different methodological and organizational skills; needless to say, fieldwork is very
different from report writing. Specialized knowledge requires specialized
training.
In the survey industry one cannot separate organizational and methodological
issues.
Organizational stability translates into scientific reliability. Organizational
flexibility translates into methodological creativity. Thus the methodology of research
must be taught together with the administration of research. The consultations we give on
methodology may well include consultations on organization.
Data collection, statistical processing, and report production are nowadays assisted by
computers and run on the internet and on intranets. Thus the consultations on methodology
may include also consultations on computer systems and data bases.
An expanding branch needs training programs. We set them up.