Schulman Award Speech Calls for Revamping Training Programs

For Immediate Release
June 22, 2004

(New York, NY) - Veteran survey researcher Mark Schulman urged researchers to revamp social and market research training programs to provide the next generation of researchers with the tools and motivation they need to serve society better in the 21st century.

Schulman's remarks were made at the June 21 meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research New York Chapter (NYAAPOR). Schulman, President of Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas, Inc. (SRBI) received NYAAPOR's 2004 Achievement Award for his contributions to the profession and his service to professional organizations.

"How do we rekindle the sense of the magical power of research and the joys of discovery that our profession's pioneers experienced? Dr. Schulman asked. "To do this, we need to teach research methods not as a recipe book exercise or a collection of arcane statistical methods, but as a way to think about and uncover realities to support better policy decisions."

Schulman urged that the next generation of researchers understand the "awesome power of research in providing deep insights into decision-making." He cautioned that that too many university methods classes "have become just one of those dreaded rights of passage" to advance degrees, without instilling an understanding of how research improves society and business.

He suggested that training programs focus more on applying methods to real-world problem identification and that students need to view research methods as a way to solve real world public policy and marketing problems. Criticizing those who believe that research should be used mainly to reduce behavior to mechanistic formulae rather than being concerned with real-world problems, he said, "I would like us to view our mission as physicians diagnosing patients and curing patient ills rather than viewing human behavior as if it were molecular theory."

To revitalize training programs, he called for breaking down the walls between qualitative and quantitative research because each makes a contribution to our understanding of underlying issues. "Qualitative and quantitative research should work together, hand in glove, in moving closer to our respondents' world" he argued. Qualitative observation and interaction produces insights and hypotheses that inform our survey development, he noted.

Calling for researchers to liberate themselves from their desks and offices to observe the real world, he said, "Too often, we train our students to go on autopilot when developing our studies. We review the literature, cull out and electronically cut and paste what appear to be relevant questionnaire items from the past, and slap together the questionnaire." This often results in research that, while faithful to the past, fails to produce the insights and support necessary for sound decision-making, he said.

He called for students to be trained and encouraged to use such tools as focus groups, roundtable discussions with respondents and stakeholders, in-depth interviews, ethnography, and other observational studies. He also suggested that new training materials emphasize case-study approaches and experiential learning on the job.

He also emphasized the need of researchers to recognize how new technologies, such as the Internet, data mining, and data base marketing will reduce the role of survey research in the future. "Technology is often capturing and recording real-world behavior in ways that transcend survey-based self-reports." He observed that these technologies collect information on entire populations, not just samples. "This introduces a new paradigm into research, data on total populations, not just survey estimates."

Schulman is President of Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas, Inc., a leading international research firm, headquartered in New York City. He was 2002-2003 President of the American Association of Public Opinion Research and former President of the NYAAPOR chapter. He is also on the Board of the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO).