ARHIV DRUŽBOSLOVNIH PODATKOV

This course will give a theoretical and application oriented overview of classical and up to date literature on the concepts related to comparability and types of equivalence in cross-cultural research. In the first unit of the first day, the major concepts of cross-national comparisons are presented and discussed. Then, in two further units, empirical applications of cross national invariance tests are presented. In unit 2, the invariance testing of nationalism and patriotism using the ISSP national identity module 2003 across 34 countries is discussed. In unit 3 we present the invariance testing of human values using the Europen Social Survey data rounds 1 and 2 across 20 countries and 2 time points. In unit 4 students are divided into groups and have to prepare a power point presentation of cross-cultural comparison for the next day using items and constructs of their choice from the ESS. The 3 instructors consult the students in the process of preparing their presentations.

In unit 5 on the second day we discuss more sophisticated concepts of validity and its implementation in cross-national research proposed by Borsboom. In unit 6 the issue of response sets in cross-national research and its effect on comparability is taken up. More specifically, acquiescence response set, style effects and translation problems will be analysed in a cross-cultural framework. In the 7th unit the limits of the quantitative approaches present the starting point for the introduction of cognitive techniques to analyse the meaning of items and constructs. As an example, we examine national identity in Israel and Germany using a mixed methods approach, which combines confirmatory factor analysis and cognitive pretests. In the last unit, participants present their chosen examples for cross-national comparisons to improve the transfer of the abstract knowledge on cross-national comparison to concrete research questions.