Course syllabus

Course-PM

TEK291 Research methodology RP4  (7.5 hp)

The course is offered by the department of Technology Management and Economics (TME), Science, Technology and Society (STS) Division

Contact details

Examiner and lecturer

Catharina Landström, Associate Professor STS, TME

catharina.landstrom@chalmers.se

+ 46 31 772 6425

 

Guest lecturer

Kristoffer Bäckman, QOM Alumn

 

Lecturers

Kai Lo Andersson, STS, TME

Parissa Mokhtabad Amrei, STS, TME  

 

Lecturer - quantitative approach

Hendry Raharjo, Associate Professor, IRDM, TME 

hendry.raharjo@chalmers.se

+46 31 772 81 81

 

Course administrator

Stina Hallman, Administrator STS, TME

stina.hallman@chalmers.se

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 can be found in the  'Course Information' module on the right in addition to:

TimeEdit

Course literature

Coursebook:

Business Research Methods. Sixth Edition. Emma Bell, Alan Bryman, Bill Harley (2022) Oxford University Press.

The course book can be purchased from Store, 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

 

Changes made since the last occasion

The course now has a decisive individual oral exam

Sessions have been shortened to three hours

Bonus points for active attendance have less weight in total 

 

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives:

• 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.

• Recognise how relations of power (such as gender or minority status) in societies and organisations could influence sampling and data collection in both qualitative and quantitative research.

• 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.

Study plan

 

Examination form

The assessment of this course comprises one individual oral exam, and two compulsory elements: a group exercise with a presentation and brief summary (Critical Review), and a pair exercise with a written report and student peer review (Methods Chapter). Additional points counting towards the course grade can be earned by actively participating in the course sessions.