The Launch of Southampton Education School's First Research Data Roundtable

In November, the Southampton Education School launched its Research Data Roundtable initiative! 
 
Dr. Charis Voutsina and Dr. Debbie Stott took the Challenge Seat and presented their opening challenge, which involves written notation, verbal, and non-verbal data for early years Mathematics Education. Together twenty colleagues, including academic staff and PhD students, drew upon numerous educational research disciplines to share exciting possibilities for the next steps of the research data in focus.  
 
Roundtables are focused on research which is in progress, as opposed to finished work. Attendees are supportive participants who share an interest in the data in focus. They may make an input to support and guide the research through to its next stage. Sessions last for one hour. 
 
There are two main goals of the roundtable. The first is to harness the complementary strengths of qualitative and quantitative approaches in addressing research data challenges – thus, inter-disciplinary collaboration is fostered through dialogue between qualitative and quantitative researchers when faced with common data types. The second is to develop confidence in handling innovative research data (particularly longitudinal research), technologies and methods in the face of changing times.  
 
Challenge Seats are taken by academic staff and/or PGR students. The same two groups are welcome as attendees. The colleague in the Challenge Seat opens the session with a ten minute summary of their research challenge. For the rest of the session, attending colleagues chat through possibilities with the Introducer through questions for clarifications, suggestions of relevant frameworks or techniques, or simply learn from the roundtable discussion. 
 
Next month will see Dr. David Galbraith presenting a qualitative challenge and a quantitative challenge for colleagues' discussion and support of his writing research.   
 
 
What can I do with the roundtable initiative?

• Do you have research-in-progress? Approach Nora, to get into the challenge seat during the coming year. 
• Are you working with similar data as colleagues' who will be the challenge seat? Express your interest by indicating your availability when such roundtable sessions are advertised.
• Are you 'only' interested in data that colleagues will be discussing from the challenge seat? Express your interest by indicating your availability and come along! You might learn something for your research in future. 
   
   
  Got questions? Send Nora an email on N.McIntyre@soton.ac.uk.