Unit name | Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences |
---|---|
Unit code | EFIMM0101 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Professor. Andrijasevic |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Management - Business School |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit is designed as an introduction to research design and data analysis in quantitative social research. It includes questionnaire design; sampling and problems of missing data; sofftware packages - Word, Excel, Powerpoint, SPSS; inputting and manipulating data; deriving variables; reliability and scaling; levels of measurement- nominal, ordinal and interval; distributions and three-way tables; crosstabulations; chi-square test; causality and control variables; measures of association; secondary data analysis. The emphasis is on becoming a critical and intelligent user of statistics. Students will be guided through the basics of descriptive statistics to structured analysis using hypothesis testing. By the end of this unit students will be able to evaluate the research practice, data and interpretations of others and conduct their own analyses. Aims:
1.An awareness of main secondary data sources and the ability to access them
2.Capacity to investigate a substantive area of sociological interest using appropriate quantitative tools
3.Awareness of strengths and limitations of data sources and analytical techniques
4.Ability to utilise data analysis software with proficiency and confidence
5.Capacity to evaluate the research practice, data and interpretations of others
Each 2-hour session will consist of a brief introductory lecture and a longer practical computer session where students will be encouraged to use and experiment with data analysis using SPSS
Each of the learning outcomes will be assessed both formatively and summatively:
A piece of secondary data analysis equivalent to a 4000 word essay.
All ILOs are assessed by the summative assessment.
· Alan Bryman (2016), Social Research Methods, 5th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press
· Fielding, J., Gilbert, N., & Gilbert, G. N. (2006). Understanding social statistics. Sage.
· Foster, L., Diamond, I., & Banton, J. (2014). Beginning statistics: an introduction for social scientists. Sage.
· De Vaus, D. (2013). Surveys in social research. Routledge.
· De Vaus, D. (2002). Analyzing social science data: 50 key problems in data analysis. Sage.