Workshop 1
Designing research instruments: Survey design, statistics, and applications
Christopher D. Mellinger and Thomas A. Hanson
This workshop presents the fundamentals of survey research and design. Participants will learn about the development of a reliable and valid instrument from both theoretical and quantitative perspectives. When appropriately designed, surveys can be a powerful research tool to elicit data about a range of variables, including the attitudes, perceptions, and perspectives of respondents. Instruments have been developed and employed in a variety of disciplines, and several important TI studies have demonstrated their applicability to work in the field. This presentation draws on best practices in research design, methodology, and quantitative analysis to give participants the tools needed to develop surveys in their own research areas.
Topics covered:
- Survey and scale development
- Item writing and coding
- Likert-type scales
- Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis
- Reliability measurement
- Adaptation of existing instruments
- Translation of surveys
- Reporting survey results
Workshop 2
Introduction to Research Methods in Translation and Interpreting Studies
Claudia V. Angelelli and Brian James Baer
This hands-on workshop is intended to introduce new scholars, graduate students, and practitioners to conducting research in Translation and Interpreting Studies. The workshop will introduce participants to the importance of formulating meaningful research questions. While learning to differentiate between questions that do and do not merit such research, participants will also learn about the connections between research questions, conceptual/theoretical frameworks, and research methodology. A variety of empirical research methods, involving both quantitative and qualitative analysis, will be presented. Through a variety of learner-centered activities, participants will learn to identify the major research methods in the field and to design studies based on those methods. No previous background in empirical research methods is required.