Student Research, Part 1

Academic year: 2007-2008 Course code module 2BPSW-06 Semester: 2nd semester Credits: 6 Study load (hours) 168 Theory (hours): Practice/Exercises(hours): 45,00 Other (hours): Part-time program: 2 Instructor(s) Dimitri Mortelmans Language of instruction: Dutch Semester exam information: permanent evaluation Contract restriction information: exam contract not possible 1. Prerequisites *Algemene competenties Students have insight in the Empirical research cycle. Students know the content and form of a scientific problem definition Students have the theoretical background on composing quantitative questionnaires and they know the basics of interviewing (face-to-face and in group). Students can look up scientific literature, perform a literature review and refer to literature correctly in a scientific text. Students have gained basic skills in using SPSS Students have a basic knowledge of statistics Students have a basic knowledge in qualitative coding and analysis. *Sequentiality Students taking this course should have completed (obtained credits for) all first-year courses. 2. Objectives (expected learning outcomes) General: Students can prepare and perform a social scientific research. In this research, they show their ability to apply the knowledge and skills from the methodological and statistics courses in the curriculum. Detailed: Students broaden and deepen their insight in both statistics and quantitative or qualitative research methodology. Students can prepare a scientific research. Students can set up a scientific research. Students can carry out a scientific research. Students can report on a scientific research. 3. Course content The student research is a practical course in which students learn to perform a scientific research within sociology. The specific subject can vary but the complete research cycle is passed through: from the construction of a theoretical framework to the research report. During the first phase students in most researches perform the following tasks: Theoretical preparation: Reading on the research subject and formulation of the research question. Students read the literature provided by the supervisor. Sometimes the supervisor gives additional lessons to prepare students on the research domain. Construction of research instruments. Together with the supervisor, students design a research instrument. The research instrument can go from a classic survey questionnaire to the preparation of an in-depth qualitative interview or a coding scheme for a content analysis. Data collection: Students collect the data for their research themselves: sending out questionnaires, performing telephone surveys or interviewing respondents. 4. Teaching method Direct contact: Tutorials Practical sessions Skills training Personal work: Assignments - individual Assignments - in group Project-based work - individual Project-based work - in group 5. Assessment method Exam: Practical exam Continuous assessment: Assignments Case studies 6. Compulsory reading – study material Specific documentation from every supervisor Mortelmans, D. (2002) Een beknopte handleiding leeronderzoek (SPSS versie). Universiteit Antwerpen: MTSO-INFO 25. (see: http://www.ua.ac.be/mtso/ ). 7. Recommended reading - study material Courses of Research methodology: Quantitative Research Methods, Qualitative Research Methods Courses of Statistics 1 and 2. Huizingh, E. (1999) Inleiding SPSS 9.0 voor Windows en data entry. Schoonhoven: Academic Press. Salkind, N.J. (2000) Statistics for people who (think they) hate statistics. Thousand Oaks: Sage. 8. Tutoring laatste aanpassing: last update: 30/03/2007 14:20 ann.aerts