Course syllabus for Research methodology

Course syllabus adopted 2025-02-20 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameForskningsmetoder
  • CodeTEK780
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPMEI
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyIndustrial Engineering and Management
  • DepartmentTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 26126
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0125 Examination 7.5 c
Grading: TH		 7.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites


Aim

The course aims to provide students with knowledge of, and training in, methods and skills used in scientific research and investigations to support decision making. Students will learn to:
1) design a research/investigation project (including to formulate research questions and select appropriate empirical methods);
2) deploy methods in empirical research/investigations (including analysis of qualitative and quantitative data);
3) present qualitative and quantitative data and analyses (report data and findings);
4) assess the quality of empirical research/investigations (analyse published articles and reports).
The course also aims to make students able to reflect upon and motivate methodological choices and understand ethical ramifications of choices and actions when doing research/investigations.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

a. Describe and discuss the connections between research design, research methods, and data analysis required to answer research questions.
b. Prepare for conducting a practice-driven or theoretically oriented empirical investigation based on a consistent relation between research design, data collection and analysis.
c. Formulate practically and academically relevant research questions.
d. Critically reflect on choosing data collection methods and understand the consequences of selecting one data collection method rather than another.
e. Identify ethical challenges associated with research and discuss how they can be addressed.
f. Recognise how relations of power in societies and organisations (such as gender or minority status) could influence sampling and data collection in both qualitative and quantitative research.
g. Choose and apply methods for qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
h. Recognise common mistakes in applications of research methods in the research process and apply research quality criteria.
i. Reconstruct the methodology of published articles and reports and analyse the relationship between method selection and research results.

Content

• Introduction of methodological debates.
• Problem analysis
• Overview of the array of available data collection methods.
• Clarification of methodological challenges.
• Introduction of ethical guidelines for research.
• Qualitative data collection and analysis
• Quantitative data collection and analysis.
• Discussion of the importance of critical thinking.
• Application of methodological principles in analysis of scientific publications.

Organisation

Lectures, guest lectures, seminars, and exercises, individually and in groups.

Literature

Visit the course website for information.

Examination including compulsory elements

The examination comprises compulsory seminars and workshops and oral presentations, and written examination as specified in the course syllabus. All compulsory elements of the course must be completed to pass the course overall.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers about disability study support.