Meta Analysis

Prerequisites

Bookings for this module open on THURSDAY, 11 DECEMBER at 10:00 am
For more information see: http://www.ssrmc.group.cam.ac.uk/ssrmc-modules/core/making/windows

This module is part of the Social Science Research Methods Centre training programme which is a shared platform for providing research students with a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research methods skills that are relevant across the social sciences.

Students are introduced to meta-analysis, a powerful statistical technique allowing researchers to synthesize available evidence for a given research question using standardized (comparable) effect sizes across studies. The sessions teach students how to compute treatment effects, how to compute effect sizes based on correlational studies, how to address questions such as what is the association of bullying victimization with depression? The module will be useful for students who seek to draw statistical conclusions in a standardized manner from literature reviews they are conducting.

• Mphil and PhD students from participating departments taking the Social Science Research Methods Centre training programme as part of their research degree

• Students need a clear understanding of fundamental statistical concepts, bivariate association and linear regression
• You must have a University Information Services (Computing) Desktop Services password (http://www.ucs.cam.ac.uk/linkpages/newcomers)
• You must have access to CamTools

Number of sessions: 4

• Session 1: Computational formulas for effect sizes and their variance: fixed/random models
• Session 2: Hetergeneity in effect sizes: Tau-squared, Tau, and I-squared
• Session 3: Sub-group analysis and meta-regression
• Session 4: Vote-counting; publication bias; criticism of meta-analysis

To enable students to draw statistical conclusions in a standardised manner from literature reviews

• To learn to compute treatment effects
• To learn to compute effect sizes based on correlation studies
• To become familiar with heterogeneity tests
• To learn how to compute effect sizes based on relational studies

Presentations, demonstrations and practicals

• One written exercise [optional, dependent upon department]

• Borenstein, M. Hedges, L.V. Higins, J.P.T. & Rothstein, H.R. (2009) Introduction to Meta-Analysis. Chichester: Wiley
• Lipsey,M.W.& Wilson,D.B. (2001). Practical Meta-Analysis. London:Sage

• To gain maximum benefits from the course it is important that students do not see this course in isolation from the other MPhil courses or research training they are taking.
• Responsibility lies with each student to consider the potential for their own research using methods common in fields of the social sciences that may seem remote. Ideally this task will be facilitated by integration of the SSRMC with discipline-specific courses in their departments and through reading and discussion.

Four sessions of two hours

Once a week for four weeks.