The Laboratory of Applied Sociological Researches

            The Laboratory of Applied Sociological Researches is one of the main research centers at the Faculty of Sociology. The focus of its studies is rather broad starting with the issues of Armenian higher educational system up to the most urgent social problems in Armenian society. The Laboratory of Applied Sociological Researches supports the development of research potentials and skills of students and professors as well. Thus it reaffirms the crucial traditions of State University, promoting the enlargement and increasing the effectiveness of educational-scientific activities within the faculty.
The research activity of the Laboratory is addressed to such tissues as:

1. Studying and analyzing the issues of self-government of higher educational institutes (HEI);
2. Monitoring and evaluation of the quality of higher education;
3. Testing and evaluation of effectiveness of innovation programs in the State University;
4. Supporting the conduction of researches in the field of Armenian sociological traditions;
5. Organizing the practical courses for the students of the Chair of Sociology;
6. Organizing methodical conferences, summer schools, seminars, etc;
7. Testing of new educational methods;
8. Studying and analyzing the contemporary social problems in Armenian society,

Since 2006 the Laboratory has conducted an amount of projects including:

• "Monitoring and Evaluation of the Higher Education System in State University" in 2008. Within this program was implemented the project on "The Elaboration of categories for higher education quality evaluation" that was addressed to designing the criteria system for higher education quality assessment on the basis of local and international experience analysis.
  
• In 2009 the Laboratory is implementing the program on "Elaboration and testing the methodology for higher education quality assesment". In the frameworks of the latter the sociological research in "Participatory evaluation of higher education quality" is implementing which is addressed to the solution of the following issues:
  1. To clearefy and give a comprehensive definitions to the already selected criteria for evaluation of higher education quality;
  2. To design research tools and test them;
  3. To conduct the field work and analyse the results;
  4. To elaborate the preliminary model for higher education evaluation;
  5. To test the preliminary model for higher education evaluation;
  6. To design the general model for higher education evaluation.
  
  

Another project of "Monitoring and Evaluation of the Higher Education System in State University" was addressed to asses the effectiveness of teaching methods in Yerevan State University,

• Testing and evaluation of effectiveness of innovation programs in the State University. The Laboratory has implemented the project on "Evaluation of Master's program in faculties of social sciences in Yerevan State University" that was addressed to estimate the effectiveness of Master's program functioning and to suggest certain ways of its improvement.
  
• "Studing the image of YSU student". The Laboratory has implemented the research directed to study of sociologist-students social portrait. The objective of the survey was to reveal the features of sociologist-students’ self-identification and its dynamics in studying process.
             The Laboraoty of Applied Sociological Researches has facilitated the following research programs.
  
• The research works of the Faculty of Sociology. Particularly, Laboratory promoted methodological support for the sociological researches implemented on the frameworks of practical courses at the Faculty of Sociology. The researches that were implemented by the support of Laboratory are the following: within winter practices - "The correspondence between State University's educational system and the demands of Labor market" (2006-07), "The factors effecting the youth migration in Armenia" (2007-08), "The peculiarities of Armenian identity" (2008-09); with summer practices - "The issues of immigration and the transformation of community identity Zhambarak" (2008), "The description of social structure of Vardenik community" (2009).
  
• The creation of sociological literature' database on the basis of the most contemporary research works implemented at the Faculty of Sociology. The Laboratory has designed catalogues of sociological research methodology literature lists on the basis of the modern reseach literature and journals existing in libraries of Yerevan.