Peer Review

Pew Research Center

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Overview:: Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. They conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.
Type of Material:: Collection of downloadable surveys, publications, and facts about many topics.
Recommended Uses:: Lecture preparation, assignments, in-class discussions.
Technical Requirements:: Browser, internet access.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The primary goal of the site is to inform the public about public opinion on a wide variety to topics. It provides data on a large number of social issues. This site is terrific for helping students explore many different sociological ideas. It presents national and international data on how technology impacts society, climate change attitudes, parenting trends and the list goes on and on.
Target Student Population:: High school, college – undergraduate and graduate.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: The site houses a lot of interesting information. Students might have difficulty locating specific information. This can be reduced by providing students specific links to the material of interest.

Rating:
Strengths:: This site provides a wide variety of information about survey research including downloadeable data sets, publications, methodological reports, interactives (maps, quizzes), and trend data on a number of topics. The Pew Center is one of the leading survey research organizations in the country. Its methodological reports provide up-to-date information on survey research issues.
Concerns:: None.

Rating:
Strengths:: This should be in every sociologist's toolbox. Having up-to-date information on social trends and opportunities for students to explore the use of data in the social sciences is important. The site provides data sets on a wide variety of topics that could be used in a class that focused on quantitative analysis. The charts provide trend data on topics that would be useful in many classes. Interactives including quizzes and maps could be the basis for class assignments.
Concerns:: The site is not oriented toward instruction but it would be easy to develop assignments that could be used in many classes.

Rating:
Strengths:: The site is very user friendly with tabs located at the top of the site to aid in easy navigation to relevant data. It's easy to use and navigate and is well designed and should be interesting to students.
Concerns:: None.

Other Issues and Comments:: An excellent site that could be used by instructors in many classes. The downloadable data sets could be used in classes that focus on quantitative analysis.
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