02 June 2026
Twenty participants from the humanities and social sciences attended a R-programming workshop at Stellenbosch University from 12-14 May. The workshop was hosted by SADiLaR’s ESCALATOR Programme in collaboration with their Child Language Development Node (CLDN), housed in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Stellenbosch University. Facilitated by Dr Bianca Peterson, the workshop introduced participants to the core functions and applications of R-programming.
Participants were introduced to the fundamentals of R-programming, with a focus on the use of R for data management, analysis and visualisation. Dr Peterson created an engaging learning environment, giving participants the opportunity to apply their newly acquired skills through practical activities. The workshop also encouraged both individual and collaborative problem-solving, enabling participants with little or no prior experience in R to build a strong foundational understanding of the R “language”.
One of the highlights of the workshop was the data visualisation section, which generated considerable enthusiasm and excitement amongst the participants. From bar graphs to scatter plots, participants explored a range of visualisation techniques and gained practical insight into how R can be used to display and communicate data effectively.
The workshop highlighted the importance of computational and data analysis skills within humanities and social sciences research, particularly in equipping and empowering students and researchers with the skills they need to execute their data analysis independently and engage more confidently with quantitative data. We would like to thank Dr Bianca Peterson for facilitating an informative and well-organized training session.
Written by: Chelsea Bronn and Viola Nethathe