Maintaining a focus on equity is important throughout the career and technical education (CTE) research process, including the measurement and data collection stage. In this blog post, Network member Samuel J. Kamin presents three overarching principles that researchers should consider when identifying measures and collecting data in order to maintain rigorous research standards and ensure the safety of the population being studied: (a) consider and connect with the population being studied, (b) practice critical meta-analysis with the measures selected for the project, and (c) carefully attend to the safety of participants.

The principles correspond with Stage 3 in the Equity Framework for CTE Research. Developed by the CTE Research Network’s Equity Working Group, this framework illustrates how researchers can infuse an equity approach into research from start to finish. Although the framework focuses on CTE research projects, the suggestions can apply to any type of social science research.

This blog post is the third in a series featured on the Sage Methodspace.

• Blog Post 1: Equity Framework for Research Design and Practice
• Blog Post 2: Using an Equity Lens to Design Your Research
• Blog Post 3: Using an Equity Lens in Measurement and Data Collection
• Blog Post 4: Part One: The Need for Equity Approaches in Quantitative Analysis
• Blog Post 5: Part Two: Equity Approaches in Quantitative Analysis
• Blog Post 6: Disseminating Research with an Equity-Focused Lens