Training Course in Quantitative Research Methodology
General Objectives of the Course
1.To promote the understanding of the nature of a quantitative based scientific research within the social and human sciences.2.To spur the reading and critical analysis of scientific research reports.
3.To enable students to plan their scientific research projects appropriately, taking into consideration all the main steps involved in such a project.
4.To describe a quantitative research design, to connect it to the appropriate statistical analysis, taking into consideration the different types of data that can be found in real research problems, and to be able to interpret the results in the problem context.
5.To promote students’ competencies with the software IBM SPSS Statistics, namely when developing a data base, performing a statistical analysis and interpreting the results within the context of the research problem.
6.To describe the main rules for the organization of a written scientific report, whether in the format of an article or a thesis.
Admission Requirements
Graduate students or those in their last year of undergraduate studies from different academic areas.
Require a B1 level of English knowledge in both reading and comprehension competencies (the candidate should be able to read scientific literature and the outputs of the software given in this course) [Cf. Common European Framework of Reference for languages].
Preference will be given to those candidates that are currently preparing their thesis or dissertations and involved in research projects. A formal declaration from the institution where the candidate is studying must accompany his/her candidacy. The selection process will also be based on whether a candidate had completed previous course work in an academic research methodology class. In addition, a Motivation Letter is required to all candidates
Candidates should check the admission requirements available on this site, in addition to the information provided here.
Mode of Study
E-learningTeaching / Evaluation language(s)
PortugueseExamination Regulations, Assessment and Grading
. Final grading: 0-20This course will feature several moments of assessment. The students need to have at least a grade of 10 (out of a maximum grade of 20) to pass the course successfully. Their final grade will be the sum of the different assessment components. There will be two individual and mandatory moments of evaluation: the first one at the end of Module 3, which represents 30% of the final grade; and the second one at the end of the last module (7), worth 45% of the final classification. The remaining 25% of the evaluation is associated with several small activities proposed to students throughout the course.
If a student does not have a positive grade, 10 or above, in the two mandatory assessment moments, there will be a “period of recovery”. During this time, the student can do the new proposed activity with a penalty of 10% in the score’s activity.
Learning Objectives and Intended Skills
At the end of this course students should be able to:-Design and plan a scientific research based on the quantitative paradigm.
-Critically read and analyze relevant published scientific information.
-Take correct and robust methodological decisions during the course of a scientific research project.
-Choose and apply the most suitable statistical analysis, according to the nature of the data collected, and be able to contextualize the conclusions based on the results obtained.
-Properly organize a scientific report, both from a formal and content perspective.
Qualification Requirements and Regulations
Regulation n. 339/2012, published in Diário da República n. 152, 2.nd series, of August 7th (“Regulamento de Criação e Funcionamento de Cursos não Conferentes de Grau na Universidade de Coimbra”)Study Programme
2023-2024
Course Type
Non Degree Course
Qualification Awarded: Diploma/Certificate
Duration: 3 Trimester(s)
ECTS Credits: 3.0