Methods and Techniques of Research

Recommended Prerequisites

There are no specific pre-requisites for this course, but it is recommended that students have acquired basic knowledge in statistics.

Teaching Methods

Theoretical/practical teaching, comprising:

1) Exposure of main theoretical contents for each issue with use of audiovisual means;

2) Resolution of methodological problems, using practical exercises, through specific software for data analysis.

Students must choose one of a) or b) options:

a) Periodic evaluation (two exams during the semester - Type A + Type C - 50% each examination)

 b) Final examination (covering all syllabus - Type A + Type C – 50% each examination)

Group classwork (to be defined)

Participation on research projects (to be defined)

Learning Outcomes

The Methods and Techniques of Research course unit aims to develop theoretical and technical skills required to conduct research in social and human sciences. Emphasis is placed on the study of fundamental processes and specific strategies of research planning, data analysis, data interpretation, and data presentation.

It is expected that, by the end of the course, students are able to:

1) identify a research problem and formulate research questions linked to theory and previous studies on the same topic;

2) elaborate a research project with indications of the objectives and appropriate theoretical foundations;

3) implement a research plan in accordance to the required conditions of validity of results;

4) collect data and perform analysis;

5) interpret and discuss results in appropriate ways to answer the research questions;

6) present the findings in the research report.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. INTRODUCTION: EPISTEMOLOGY AND METHODOLOGY

- basic concepts

- research plans and scientific hypothesis

- steps in research

2.  DATA ANALYSIS IN SPSS

- Building databases

- Measurement scales

- Descriptive and inferential statistics

- Compute and processing of variables

- Parametric and nonparametric statistics

- Interpretation of outputs

3.  RESEARCH STRATEGIES

3.1  Experimental research

-  From scientific hypothesis to planning of experiments

-  Independent and dependent variables

- Experimental designs

- Uni and multifactorial designs

3.2  Quasi-experimental research

3.3  Non-experimental research

- Validation issues and practical relevance

- Correlation coefficients: Significance and shared variance

- Correlation, prediction and causality

- Coefficients of determination and coefficients of regression

- Analysis of multiple regression and causal modeling

- Factor analysis and psychometrics

4. PRACTICAL EXERCISES (SPSS and AMOS).

Head Lecturer(s)

José Manuel Pacheco Miguel

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Exam: 50.0%
Frequency: 50.0%

Bibliography

Alferes, V. R. (1997). Investigação científica em psicologia: Teoria e prática. Coimbra: Almedina

Bickman, L., & Rog, D. J. (Eds.).(2008). Handbook of applied social research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum

Crano, W. D., & Brewer, M. B. (2002). Principles and methods of social research (2nded.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum

Kirk, R. E. (1995). Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences. New York: Brooks/Cole

Rosnow, R. L., & Rosenthal, R. (2012). Beginning behavioral research: A conceptual primer. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Shadish, W. R., CooK, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Vogt, W. P., & Johnson, R. (2011). Dictionary of statistics & methodology: A nontechnical guide for thesocial sciences.