Comparative Education Research Using Large-Scale Data

Catalog description

This course is designed to give students an overview of large-scale international assessment databases and to demonstrate how these databases can be utilized to investigate critical issues in education from a comparative perspective. A number of empirical studies using large-scale international assessment databases will be reviewed, and these analyses will be replicated via computer labs. Students will develop a good understanding of large-scale international assessment databases and will learn to apply an appropriate method to address a particular topic of interest. Students will also develop a wide range of research skills necessary to independently conduct comparative research, including but not limited to formulating a research question, conducting a literature review, analyzing empirical data, and interpreting results. Although the focus is mainly on datasets relevant to education and education policy research, the skills taught in the course are broadly transferable to other social sciences including sociology.