DEZIM SUMMER SCHOOL 2025

From August 12 to 14, 2025, the third Methods Summer School took place at the DeZIM Institute. Three compact workshop days were devoted to practical methods of quantitative and qualitative social research. Representatives of civil society and members of the research community were invited to participate in the free course program.

The first day began with the workshop “Advanced Data Visualization with R” (August 12), led by Wolf Riepl. The course provided a comprehensive overview of modern visualization techniques with ggplot2. Topics included the “grammar of graphics,” data preparation, and the targeted use of colors and storytelling. In addition, participants gained insights into animations, interactive graphics, and the development of their own themes and color scales. Finally, an overview of useful R packages was provided. The content was always illustrated with numerous practical examples.

On the second day, Dorian Tsolak (University of Bielefeld) held a workshop entitled “Introduction to the R programming language for statistical analysis” (August 13). The course offered a practical introduction to the statistical programming language R and its application in data analysis. Participants familiarized themselves with the structure of the RStudio graphical user interface and learned how to work with data sets in R. They were also introduced to the structure of statistical models using the example of linear regressions. Theory units alternated with numerous exercises, enabling participants to implement their own analyses step by step and, by the end, to be able to continue working independently with R.

The workshop “Introduction to Qualitative Methods” (August 14), led by Dr. Elena Tsarouha, concluded the series. The course began with an overview of epistemological foundations, research designs, and quality criteria for qualitative research. The focus then shifted to the development of guidelines and the conduct of guideline-based interviews, which were tested and reflected upon in small groups. Finally, the focus was on data analysis and the presentation of results, which were illustrated using selected examples. Thanks to the interactive structure and intensive work in small groups, the methods could be applied and deepened immediately.

The DeZIM Summer School 2025 once again offered diverse, methodologically high-quality training and provided participants with an in-depth introduction to various methods in the social sciences. The combination of practical content, interactive formats, and experienced lecturers made the event a complete success again this year.

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day in the Open Space (4th floor), DeZIM Institute (Mauerstraße 76, 10117 Berlin)

12.08.: Advanced data visualization with R (in German with Wolf Riepl)

13.08.: Introduction to statistics with R (in German with Dorian Tsolak, University of Bielefeld)

14.08.: Introduction to qualitative methods (in German with Dr. Elena Tsarouha)

12.08.: Advanced data visualization with R

The course on data visualization will be flexibly tailored to the specific needs and wishes of the participants. An introduction to the seven layers of the "grammar of graphical representation" is possible, which will be explained using practical code examples. The course can also include an examination of data preparation using packages such as 2dyr and forcats in conjunction with ggplot2 and the tidy data format. In addition, the course will provide an opportunity to explore various data visualization practices, such as creating animations with ggplot2 and gganimate or designing interactive graphics.

• Required software: R and R-Studio

Wolf Riepl is a trained radio and television technician and has a degree in sociology. Over a period of around 10 years, he worked in data analysis, mainly with SPSS Statistics, but also with Stata and the SPSS Modeler. He also programmed in Excel VBA. In 2007, he had his first contact with R in a weekend workshop - after which he initially "never wanted to open the program again". This only changed over 7 years later. Since then, he has used R almost exclusively for work and would not want to do without it. His current focus is on training courses, workshops, seminars and webinars, which he enjoys much more than his previous freelance, project-based data analysis.

13.08.: Introduction to statistics with R

This practice-oriented workshop teaches the basics of data analysis with R and RStudio. In the first section, participants receive an introduction to the setup and basic structure of the software and familiarize themselves with central concepts such as data types, variables and functions. The following section focuses on analyzing data, capturing its structure and processing and transforming it in a targeted manner. The third section deals with central statistical analysis methods, including descriptive statistics, correlations, simple t-tests and first steps in linear regression. The final section deals with the graphical representation of data - from basic chart types to individual design.

• Required software: R and R-Studio

Dorian Tsolak is a research assistant at the Faculty of Sociology at Bielefeld University and part of the Quantitative Methods research group, where he is currently completing his doctorate. His current research topics include the intergenerational transmission of female labor force participation, big data, computational social science, and stereotypes, racism and migration. Tsolak holds an M.Sc. in Statistical Sciences and a B.A. in Social Sciences. He has been involved in various research projects, including analyzing extremism in social media and women's employment after migration.

14.08.: Introduction to qualitative methods

The course is divided into four thematic sections. The first block provides a brief introduction to epistemological principles in contrast to quantitative research approaches. Building on this, the variety of qualitative designs, survey methods and analysis procedures are outlined. Central features of qualitative research and quality assurance criteria are discussed. The second section takes an in-depth look at qualitative data collection, in particular guided interviews. In the third section, role plays are used to try out how to conduct interviews and then reflect on them together. This is followed by a brief introduction to qualitative content analysis. In the fourth block, the first steps of the analysis are tested using an exemplary text excerpt. Finally, the presentation of qualitative results is discussed and illustrated using selected examples.

• Required software: none

Dr. Elena Tsarouha is a sociologist and has extensive knowledge of empirical social research, especially in the field of qualitative methods. She works at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences in the accompanying research for the introduction of the new nursing training programs. Previously, she worked in the field of occupational medicine, social medicine and healthcare research at the University Hospital of Tübingen in various research associations on the topics of stress-preventive leadership and mental health in the workplace. She completed her doctorate at the European University of Flensburg on the subject of examinations at universities and worked in qualitative and quantitative methodology.