The KWI holds a new service, since the placement for method transfers was established in July 2018. The goal of this placement is to facilitate the scientific research practice at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) with different qualitative methods of empirical social research. We understand ‘methods’ as methods of data collection as well as data analysis, but also the display and presentation formats of scientific research results. From now on, this service will be available for every KWI employee.
The function is,
- to reflect on and, if requested, to improve the methods of qualitative research, which are used in the individual projects within the KWI;
- to enhance the chances for applying for third-party funding, while offering advice regarding the methodical part of the application.
By request, the placement holder can observe the methodical approach of the individual projects of the KWI from a scientific-ethnographical point of view. Further, those methodical approaches can be coordinated beyond the projects, eventually with external assistance.
He will also organize the linkage of scientific work within the KWI and will be available for trainings and guidance for the KWI colleagues. In addition, the cooperation and communication with scientists of the Univerity of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr), who work with qualitative methods, will be established and/or intensified.
The Purpose of those measures is the improvement of the KWI colleague’s research competence and the enhancement of the chances to get third-party funding approval.
The plan to establish the offering of qualitative methods in the KWI, is to organize a larger workshop for qualitative methods every winter and each year two or three smaller advanced trainings on selected methods (focusing on interpretative methods, picture and video analysis) or methods which are currently relevant in KWI projects.