METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES OF COMPARATIVE RESEARCH. EXPERIENCES FROM EUROPEAN PROJECTS ON GENDER AND SET

International construction of methodological instruments is full of adventures, especially in a European project on gender issues, working together with a mixed team out of different disciplines as well as traditions/non-traditions of feminist thinking. From a former project Womeng we experienced several methodological problems.

The European Coordination Project MOTIVATION “Promoting positive images of SET to attract young people under gender perspective” started on January 2008 and will last until end of December 2009. Participant members are universities and non profit associations from seven countries (Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden).

As methodological measures first, focus group discussions with young people will give information about possible peer group influence. Second, focus group discussions with teachers will give information about their perceived influence on the attitudes of teenagers. Third, teachers’, study and job consultants’ attitudes will be exchanged. Fourth, chances for changing attitudes and examples of good practice will be described in qualitative case studies. Fifth, the practice of mass media as socialisation instances will be exchanged and analysed to show, how for example gender stereotypes in science and technology are represented in TV and in magazines, having teenagers as target consumer group and how these visual and textual presentations can contribute towards a weakening or strengthening of a stereotyped image. Sixth results of case studies and evaluations will lead in developing and designing a website as recommended main action.

The paper will demonstrate potentials and difficulties in international and multi methodological approach on gender and take European Commission Project MOTIVATION about SET for young people under gender aspects as example to illustrate some of the methodological problems to be expected. Questions of national differences in political correctness will be reflected besides Co-operation in an interdisciplinary research team together with feminist versus non-feminist scientific backgrounds will be discussed.