Developing our research methods from an insightful SRA conference 2024- a narrative from Deb Faulks- our Research Manager

On 6th June I attended the Social Research Association Conference (SRA). As a member of SRA for some years now, I have benefited greatly from the training that they offer but this was the first time I had attended the conference. So armed with my ECS branded water bottle, I set off at a ridiculously early hour, on the train from Stoke-on-Trent.

The conference took place at the Royal College of Physicians near Regents Park- an absolutely fascinating place and well worth a visit to their museum. But on to the conference.

What a great and informative day. The morning presentations included discussions on how social research can influence government policy and on the use of deliberative engagement in policy making. The use of deliberative engagement means bringing together people from our communities to discuss issues and the trade offs that would need to be made to enact particular approaches or policy decisions to reach a consensus. Deliberative engagement has been used by NICE in recent years and there is a move to encourage greater use by Government and policy makers.

Workshops included making surveys accessible and the work that has been done by RNID to ensure that people who are Deaf or have hearing loss are able to take part in research was really informative and something for us to consider.

In the afternoon the main speakers were my particular highlights. A presentation on the use of AI in Qualitative research, looking at the good, the bad and the ugly, was particularly pertinent as we have been discussing here at ECS whether there is yet a place for AI in our qualitative analysis. It provided food for thought about the robustness of using AI and also the myriad of ethical issues we would need to consider.

And then Sir Jonathan Van Tam, who as Deputy Chief Medical Officer during the pandemic became so familiar to us from the Downing Street Press Briefings. What an amazing man and speaker. The key take aways from his quite light hearted presentation was the importance of team work, commitment and communicating to your audience at their level to ensure that people understand and engage with the work that you are doing. This was so important during the Pandemic for the public health messaging and how it was used to save lives.

 All in all, a brilliant day and I learnt so much, before I returned back to Staffordshire, weary but buoyed up with new knowledge.

 Deb Faulks- ECS Research Manager

To discuss your research needs or to learn what research we can deliver for you, please get in touch and we would be happy to have a meeting with you to discuss your project further: contactus@weareecs.co.uk