Quantitative Methods of Empirical Social Research

Chair of Quantitative Methods of Empirical Social Research

The teaching at the chair covers the entire research process from finding a research question, the theoretical derivation of hypotheses, the choice of a suitable research design, data collection, recording and analysis to the interpretation and clear presentation of the results. The methodological focus of the chair is on vignette analysis (factorial survey), multilevel analysis, and dealing with small numbers of cases.

Research at the chair focuses on social inequalities in different areas, such as education, work and health, and their interdependencies. For example, health-related work ability is studied as a return on education. Furthermore, in a current DFG project, the professional success of doctoral graduates in Germany is studied. International comparative research at the chair focuses, among other things, on the question of how educational systems influence educational inequalities.

Holder of the Chair

Prof. Dr. Christiane Gross

Room 03.101
Telephone: +49 (0)931/31 89418
E-mail: christiane.gross@uni-wuerzburg.de

Administrative Office

Bärbel Janietz
Room 03.102b
Telephone: +49 (0)931/31 89074
E-mail: baerbel.janietz@uni-wuerzburg.de

Academic Staff

Ongoing Research Projects

DFG-project “Subjective and objective professional success of PhD holders in Germany"

The project examines the professional success of PhD holders in Germany on multiple levels and from various perspectives: We will analyze both subjective and objective criteria, conduct inter-individual and intra-individual comparisons, and focus on PhD holders employed inside and outside academia. Thereby, the project fills an existing research gap because only few studies explore the associations between subjective and objective criteria of success by taking into account that professional success is a multidimensional construct. Moreover, in Germany, there is a lack of information on the situation and the careers of current cohorts of PhD holders. The project aims at expanding knowledge about the career trajectories and the professional success of PhD holders from a variety of disciplines and institutional contexts.

The research project uses data from a panel survey with PhD holders of the 2014 examination cohort (Project: Careers of PhD Holders). In this German-wide study, the German Centre for Higher education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) has observed the careers and life courses of several thousand PhD holders from all disciplines and all institutional contexts over a period of five years.

Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – 433155285.

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