Course syllabus
Course-PM
TEK291 Research methodology lp4 VT22 (7.5 hp)
The course is offered by the department of Technology Management and Economics (TME), Science, Technology and Society (STS) Division
Contact details
Lecturer
Jonas Bertilsson, STS, TME
031 772 4044
Examiner
Catharina Landström, Associate Professor STS, TME
catharina.landstrom@chalmers.se
031 772 6425
Guest lecturer - quantitative approach
Professor Teodosio Perez Amaral, Complutense University of Madrid
Course administrator
Stina Hallman
Administrator STS, TME
031 772 4642
Course purpose
The course aims at providing knowledge of, and training in, methods and skills used in research and investigations. The students should achieve the ability to choose between alternative techniques to collect and process data, be able to conduct a study in accordance with ethical principles, and be able to evaluate the trustworthiness of research data and analyses. The course also has the purpose to improve the student's ability to present research/investigation results. At the end of the course the student should be able to prepare a brief for a research/investigation project and to evaluate and decide on methods for a master's thesis.
Schedule
A detailed schedule will be published next week in the 'Course Information' module on the right in addition to:
Course literature
Coursebook:
Business Research Methods. Fifth Edition. Emma Bell, Alan Bryman, Bill Harley (2019) Oxford University Press.
The course book can be purchased from Cremona, other bookshops or on-line book sellers. Additional readings may be supplied ahead of specific course sessions.
Course design
Teaching includes lectures, seminars and group exercises.
The content includes:
- Introduction to methodological debates
- Clarification of methodological challenges
- Introduction of ethical guidelines for research
- Identification of ethical dilemmas
- Application of methodological principles in analysis of scientific publications
- Application qualitative and quantitative data gathering techniques
- Preparation of collected information
- Analysis of empirical materials
Note that the Critical Review exercise (focussing on quantitative method) has been replaced with the Quantitative Bootcamp this year.
Learning objectives
After completion of the course students should be able to:
- Explain key methodological issues in research on sociotechnical change.
- Account for different social science methods and their use in critical analysis.
- Recognise common mistakes in applications of research methods.
- Identify ethical challenges associated with various methods and discuss how they can be resolved.
- Critically reflect on choosing methods and understand the consequences of selecting one method rather than another.
- Reconstruct the methodology of published articles and reports and analyse the relationship between method selection and research results.
- Assess the suitability of research methods relative the research questions posed.
Examination form
The assessment of this course comprises one individual take-home exam, and two compulsory elements: participation in the Quantitative Bootcamp on Zoom, and a pair exercise with a written report and student peer review (Methods Chapter).