Research Methodology

Recommended Prerequisites

NA

Teaching Methods

The course unit is taught in a way that encourages students’ participation and strong interactivity.

The methodologies may vary according to the topics addressed, but there is always a combination of expositive approaches with the use of activities with a practical focus and/or that promote critical thinking.

Learning Outcomes

This unit aims to describe the main research paradigms and methodologies, in a way that stimulates their critical evaluation and helps students to design, define and assess a research project, as well as to analyse the research approaches used in empirical studies conducted by other researchers.
As outcomes of the teaching-learning process, the student should be able of:
•    Identifying and reflecting upon the main paradigms and research approaches, evaluating them in a critical way;
•    Critically assessing the secondary sources of data, namely in what concerns their credibility, validity and relevance to the research purposes;
•    Discussing different research methods and techniques and understanding their main advantages and shortcomings;
•    Designing and validating some instruments for collecting data
•    Using some techniques and tools to analyse quantitative and qualitative data, being aware of the requisites that they imply.

 

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Giving a similar emphasis to quantitative and qualitative approaches, the emphasis is on the development of competencies that students need to design coherent and consistent research plan and to critically evaluate the research designs proposed by other researchers. With this in mind, the following topics are addressed:  (1) the nature of scientific research and the demands of the PhD degree; (2) research paradigms and ontological standpoints. Research design and strategies; (3) Management of bibliographical sources; (4) collecting primarydata: some methods; (5) Data analysis: some quantitative and qualitative methods. To put them in place, in each edition a set of modules, taught by different academics, will be selected. Such approach leads to a more variety in the issues to be covered and introduces a degree of novelty in each edition

Head Lecturer(s)

Patrícia Helena Ferreira Lopes de Moura e Sá

Assessment Methods

Assessment
The evaluation system ensures the continuity and integration of the topics, by requiring students to assist the classes, submitting small assignments and, as a final assignment, critically analyzing an empirical research. : 100.0%

Bibliography

Bibliografia base:

BRYMAN, Alan ; BELL, Emma — Business research methods. 2nd ed. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2007. [BP 658 BRY]

SAGE (THE) handbook of qualitative research. Editors Norman K. Denzin ; Yvonna S. Lincoln. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks : Sage Publications, 2005. [BP 303 SAG]

SAUDERS, Mark ; LEWIS, Philip ; THORNHILL, Adrian — Research methods for business students. 4th ed. Harlow : Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2007. [BP 001.8 SAU]

Nota: Para cada temática é indicada bibliografia específica