The social and organizational life data archive (SOLDA)

Abstract

THIS PAPER DESCRIBES a current project designed to improve the capacity and confidence of undergraduate and post graduate students in using empirical data. Recent decades have witnessed rapid growth in the volume of data generated through the collection of official statistics and through social surveys. However, students are generally exposed only to summary results rather than the data themselves. We argue that these collections offer an untapped resource in fostering inquiry and independent learning, if adequate support, guidance and access are developed.

The project establishes an on-line collection of survey and other statistical data relevant to research in the fields of management, organizational studies, industrial relations, marketing and other related social science fields (The Social and Organisational Life Data Archive”—SOLDA). SOLDA uses CD-ROM technology and the World Wide Web to deliver:

• • data for teaching research methods courses;

• • support material for substantive subjects—in the form of PowerPoint slides, Excel tables and graphs—suitable for lectures, tutorials and assignments;

• • customized datasets (and appropriate support material) to enable advanced undergraduates and postgraduates to undertake basic empirical research.

A secondary benefit of the project is that it provides a collection of publicly available national and international survey data appropriate to the needs of researchers and postgraduate students.

The system is designed to be independent of a specific computing platform and adaptable to a wide range of software combinations and configurations. It is integrated with the standard statistical packages and with MS Word and Excel. It uses writeable CD-ROMs as a basis for a custom-built and flexible current collection, a mass storage system to hold the complete collection and for production of teaching and research materials, and a university Intranet. The Web provides access to the datasets, and includes a hypertext information system describing the datasets, provide guidance in their use, reference lists of published work based on the data, relevant documentation, computer programs, and supporting material.