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Introduction to Quantitative Social Research

Overview

  • Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
  • Convenor: Barry Maydom
  • Tutor: to be confirmed
  • Assessment: three short-answer assignments (10% each), a 500-1000-word project plan (20%) and 4000-word project (50%)

Module description

This module introduces you to quantitative research methods, through hands-on experience using SPSS computer software. You will be introduced to survey methodology and experimental research designs and will conduct your own projects using quantitative data. Part-time MRes students will take this course in their second year.

You will learn research methods which will prepare you to undertake further independent research in the political and social sciences. The module covers contemporary statistical methods and research techniques.

Indicative module content

  • Operationalisation of research questions
  • Hypothesis testing
  • Basic mathematics for social scientists
  • Experimental designs
  • Survey research
  • Descriptive statistics
  • OLS regression

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will:

  • be aware of a wide range of research resources available to social scientists
  • be able to perform quantitative analyses on a variety of data in an intelligent and thoughtful manner
  • have had hands-on experience of the SPSS computer package
  • be able to pick and apply research techniques that are suitable for the analysis of your own research problems
  • be able to interpret and critique published research
  • be able to write up and present the findings of quantitative analysis
  • be aware of debates around the applicability of quantitative and qualitative methods.