Qualitative Methods

Introduction to Item Response Theory

October 24, 2023
Mingfeng Xue
by Mingfeng Xue. Measurements (e.g., tests, surveys, questionnaires) are inevitably involved with various sources of errors. Among many psychometric theories, item response theory stands out for its capability of detailed analyses at the item level and its potential to reduce some of the measurement errors. This post first discussed the limitations of conventional summation and average, which give rise to the IRT models, and then introduced a basic form of the Rasch model, including expressions of the model, the assumptions underlying it, some of its advantages, and software packages. Some codes are also provided.

Introduction to Field Experiments and Randomized Controlled Trials

July 24, 2023
Leena Bhai
by Leena Bhai. This blog post provides an introduction to field experimentation and its significance in understanding cause and effect. It explains how randomized experiments represent an unbiased method for determining what works. It delves into essential features of experiments such as intervention, excludability, and non-interference. It then works through a fictional example of a randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of an experimental drug Covi-Mapp.

Unlock the Joy and Power of Reading in Language Learning

August 21, 2023
Bowen Wang-Kildegaard
by Bowen Wang-Kildegaard. I share my story of how reading for pleasure transformed my English speaking and writing skills. This experience inspired my passion to promote the joy and power of reading to all language learners. Using natural language processing techniques, I dive into the Language Learning subreddit, revealing a trend: Learners are often highly anxious about output practices, but are generally positive about input methods like reading and listening. I then distill complex language learning theories into actionable language learning tips, emphasizing the value of extensive reading for pleasure, pointing to potential methods like using ChatGPT for customization of reading materials, and advocating for joy in the learning journey.

Getting Started with Surveys

October 18, 2022
Ariel Siegel
Getting Started With Surveys

Surveys can be an extremely useful tool for gathering information from individuals and groups. They are used across disciplines and industries to help researchers learn more about populations and gain actionable insights. I’ve done extensive survey research in nonprofit and industry settings, using these data to improve programs, make changes to technology, design communications plans, make content acquisition decisions, and much more. In this blog post, I’ll focus on one of the most important parts of survey research — planning....

Abhishek Roy

IUSE Undergraduate Advisory Board
Economics
Data Science

I'm Abhishek Roy and I'm double majoring in Economics and Data Science. I've been a part of D-Lab's IUSE project since Spring 2020 and have truly found an organization that is not only passionate about Data Science but also strives to expand its reach equitably to all communities. I am involved in Research and Project Management roles in various departments and labs at Berkeley and I'm an Editor at the Berkeley Economic Review. I love diving into anything at the intersection of Data Science, Economics, Business, and Computational Social Science. Whenever I'm free, I love writing...

Diana Casanova

Consultant
Graduate School of Education

Diana Casanova is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate with the Graduate School of Education. Diana’s research is focused on the policies and practices that empower family and community stakeholders to act collectively and affect social change. Specifically, she studies the implementation of California’s school finance reform, which includes a more structured and democratic process of stakeholder engagement, seeking to illustrate the relationship between a state initiative aimed at bringing families into policy-making spaces and the ways that families find and make meaning in these spaces...

Tiffany Hamidjaja

Consultant
Sociology

Hello! I’m a Sociology Ph.D. student and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. My research focuses on children of incarcerated parents as collateral consequences of mass incarceration and the criminal justice system. My two current projects examine: 1) the traumatic impact of viewing a parental arrest on a child in their understanding of criminality, law enforcement, and delinquency outcomes and 2) the compounding effect of parental incarceration and the child welfare system on children. Before joining Berkeley, I was a research assistant at Columbia University...

Anushah Hossain

Senior Data Science Fellow
Energy and Resources Group

Anushah's background is in history and economics and she is interested in questions of how technological and social trends inform one another. She uses the models and methods of these disciplines - theories of technological change, an eye towards historical contingencies, and familiarity with programming tools - to undergird her work. In the past she's studied how internet users make sense of barriers they encounter when accessing the web, how cellular communications alter the nature of village life in the Philippines, and how the South Asian diaspora finds...

MaxQDA

Qualitative Analysis