Educational offer - University of Padova

Information on the course unit

Degree course	Second cycle degree in SOCIAL, WORK AND COMMUNICATION PSYCHOLOGY PS1087, Degree course structure A.Y. 2017/18, A.Y. 2019/20	bring this page with you
Number of ECTS credits allocated	6.0
Type of assessment	Mark
Course unit English denomination	QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Department of reference	Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology
Mandatory attendance	No
Language of instruction	English
Branch	PADOVA
Single Course unit	The Course unit can be attended under the option Single Course unit attendance
Optional Course unit	The Course unit can be chosen as Optional Course unit

Syllabus

Prerequisites:	Basic notions of research methodology in psychology, sociology and social psychology. It is expected a preliminary knowledge of the historical development of methods in social psychology and sociology, as well as of the debate on different forms of realism and constructivism.
Target skills and knowledge:	The course provides an introduction on qualitative and quali-quantitative methods in social psychology and related disciplines with emphasis on their strengths and limits. Students will be invited to form a coherent set of knowledge enabling them to choose and use methods and techniques suited for specific research aims.
Examination methods:	Oral, with a written paper sent in advance. At least five days prior to the exam, students will present a written paper. They are invited to choose a research article, published in a prestigious scientific journal, employing a qualitative or quali-quantitative method encountered within the course. The paper will include a resume, comment and discussion of the research article with links to main themes treated during the course. The e-mail address for sending the paper is alberta.contarello@unipd.it. The object of the mail and the title of the file will be: paperQQM_Name_Surname
Assessment criteria:	The evaluation will be based on theoretical and methodological knowledge with frequent examples of research. The ability to apply and discuss autonomously concepts and methods will be positively evaluated.
Course unit contents:	The course will be composed of two parts. The first will treat meta-theories for qualitative and quali-quantitative research, as well as the "why and how" to do it. The second will present methods, techniques, procedures. Attention will be devoted to research design in qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Interviews, narratives, focus group, archive research will be explored. Content analyses and multivariate analyses will be widely considered, with reference to main software for qualitative and quali-quantitative research (Atlas.ti, Spad, TalTac, Iramuteq).
Planned learning activities and teaching methods:	Lectures will integrate frontal presentation with self-organised students' work. Main software will be presented in practice-oriented workshops. Students will be invited to produce a written report which will become part of the examination.
Textbooks (and optional supplementary readings)	Flick U., "An Introduction to Qualitative Research" (4th or 5th edition). London: Sage, 2014. Creswell J.W., "Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches" (updated version). London: Sage, 2003.