Transferable Skills & Research Methods
It is important to think about what skills you will develop during your year abroad research project when choosing what and how you will study – it is a large piece of independent work and is therefore something you can really sell to employers.
Some transferrable skills will apply to any type of research abroad project. These include:
- Planning and Organisation
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Problem Solving
- Initiative
- Written Communication
However, different types of project will also provide you with other skills. This document highlights some of the specific key skills you may be able to develop during your research abroad, ordered by research method. Each project is unique and will present its own challenges, but take this as a starting point for reflection on what you want to get out of your project, and realities of doing that.
Linguistic Research
Skills developed
- Project Management – You will show that you are able to set objectives, by laying out your hypothesis, and select the most effective methods of completing those objectives, in the way you choose to collect data.
- Problem Solving and Analytical Skills – Linguistic research lends itself to quantitative research, which helps you to develop competence in excel and data analysis skills.
- Numerical Literacy – If you are analysing numerical data, you will be able to develop numerical literary – alongside a humanities degree this shows a well-rounded skill set.
- Social responsibility and global citizenship skills – By using human participants, you gain an awareness of ethics procedures and sensitivity to issues of confidentiality and data protection.
Text-Based Research
Skills developed
- Intellectual & Subject Knowledge Skills – By choosing a topic which is linked with your YA destination and perhaps benefiting from expert knowledge, you will gain very specific subject knowledge.
- Language Skills – By using secondary texts in the target language, you will be able to develop your reading and writing skills.
- Creativity – You can show that you are able approach topics in new and creative ways, if investigating a concept which has already been studied.
Ethnographic Research
Skills developed
- Self-management and personal effectiveness skills – Ethnographic research really forces you to ‘get out there’ and get immersed in your local culture, developing interpersonal language skills and confidence.
- Communication Skills – You learn how to apply qualitative research methods, which develop transferrable interpersonal skills for the world of work, such as attentive listening and the ability to conduct interviews or focus groups.
- Initiative – In terms of topic, ethnography is the broadest: you can choose something you are really passionate about, come up with an original idea and follow it through by developing it into an extensive piece of study.
- Intercultural Competence – Due to the self-reflective element of ethnography, you have the chance to learn develop intercultural competence, which is invaluable in the international market.
- Networking Skills – When participating in a new social environment, you will be using networking skills (in order to find participants) as well as adapting to new sets of norms, which shows the willingness to step out of your comfort zone.
- Social responsibility and global citizenship skills – By using human participants, you gain an awareness of ethics procedures and sensitivity to issues of confidentiality and data protection.