Students will be introduced to the quantitative social research methodology by defining fundamentals of social research as well as the main approaches: qualitative nd quantitative. As for the quantitative research the course will mainly focus on the structuring of a research plan, on how to use theories and to choose the proper strategy in the research design. Discourse will ther shift over the encoding of concepts into operational variables, that leads reaserchers to select the right techniques to apply on the research ground. Course will then focus empirically on data analysis and bivariate data analysis, by mean of PSPP.

Classes will specifically focus on:

• Social research main paradigms and approaches: qualitative and quantitative
• Structuring a quantitative social research: strategies, design and methods; theories and hypoteses
• Concepts and variables
• Econding variables
• Scaling techniques
• Data analysis and bivariate data analysis by PSPP

(applying knowledge and understanding).

-  Students will have fully mastery on the meaning of methodology of social research, on the fundamentals of the quantitative research and it’s connections to the qualitative one, as well as on the main paradigms and approaches to social research (interpretivism, positivist and post-positivistic);

-  Students will easily distinguish between the main social research paradigms, to deal with the strategies and theory, and the design of a social research plan, and to choose between the main research techniques to use to undertake a social research plan;

(making judgements).

-  Students will have fully mastery on structuring a quantitative research project, mainly social research survey, and to work on theoretical commitments, the right concepts and variables, and to be ready to apply it empirically on the research field;

-  Students will also be able to deal with the relationships between theory and methodology, and to manage literacy and theoretical framework over research fields, and to keep a strong connection between theories and research hypotheses into the research design;

(communication skills).

-  By undertaking data collection and data analysis exercises, by mean of one of the most important free software (PSPP), students will acquire fully mastery over communication mainly within the work team, in order to define and frame a research plan, and for the reporting of results;

-  Team work and discussions undertaken over the main issues related to a research project will stimulate students to rightly and quickly understand what to communicate, and to whom to communicate;

(learning skills).

-  While managing the framing of a complete quantitative research project students will strongly improve their learning skills, as well as while encoding concepts and theories into operational variables, and during data analysis;

-  By the end of the course students will have a greater ability on how to manage the strategies, the design and the method of a quantitative research work, and to learn from the first data collection as well as from the field work.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

The teaching material and specific communications from the lecturer can be found, together with other supporting activities, inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Frontal lessons and laboratory activities

Attendance

 Attendance is required to at least ¾ of the lessons (9 classes), active participation, and the study of the course books

Course books

Piergiorgio Corbetta, La ricerca sociale: metodologia e tecniche. II Le tecniche quantitative, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2015 (except chapter II);

Piergiorgio Corbetta, La ricerca sociale: metodologia e tecniche. IV L’analisi dei dati, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2015.

Assessment

Attending students must undertake a test at the end of the cours

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Attendance

Attendance to less than ¾ of the lessons (missing more than 3 classes), and study of the course books

Course books

Piergiorgio Corbetta, La ricerca sociale: metodologia e tecniche. I I paradigmi di riferimento, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2015;

Piergiorgio Corbetta, La ricerca sociale: metodologia e tecniche. II Le tecniche quantitative, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2015 (except chapter II);

Piergiorgio Corbetta, La ricerca sociale: metodologia e tecniche. IV L’analisi dei dati, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2015.