Research Methods PG (9505.2)

This unit introduces the skills and techniques used to gather and analyse data and information in the social science and applied social science disciplines including politics, policy and administrative sciences, economics, business administration, management, marketing, HRM, international business, urban & regional planning and information systems. The unit consists of 3 parts. The first part is concerned with using the internet to discover and understand existing data sources in Australia and in other countries. Online access to Australian Bureau of Statistics data will be explored. The second part of the unit introduces students to quantitative methods. Basic concepts in descriptive statistics will be reviewed before moving on to basic laws of probability, hypothesis testing, calculation of confidence intervals, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and correlation and regression analysis. The final part of the unit will introduce students to qualitative methodologies, techniques for gathering data, and methods of analysis. Topics covered include participant observation, interviews, focus groups and visual and textual analysis. Important epistemological issues relating to the social sciences and applied social sciences including questions of validity and generalisability will also be addressed.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of thus unit, students will be able to:
1. Be familiar with key methodological issues and challenges concerning quantitative and qualitative research methods;
2. Be familiar with some of the different qualitative and quantitative methods for gathering research material;
3. Be familiar with some of the different quantitative and qualitative data and information analysis techniques;
4. Reason about how research questions and their underlying theories relate to research methods;
5. Use SPSS;
6. Have an understanding of probability sufficient to interpret the design, analysis, and results of a statistical inquiry;
7. Have a knowledge of key data and national and international indicators from Australia and other Asia-Pacific countries; and
8. Select the statistical analysis methods most appropriate to the data set and specific questions of interest.

Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development

Skills development

Unit offering in 2021: structure of the online course delivered in November/December 2021

This unit introduces the skills and techniques used to gather and analyse data and information in the social science and applied social science disciplines including politics, policy and administrative sciences, economics, business administration, management, marketing, HRM, international business, urban &regional planning and information systems. The unit first examines the key components of designing and implementing sound research, including understanding when different types of research are and are not appropriate, how to design sound research questions and methods, and understanding different types of data. This is designed to enable students to critically evaluate the quality of research they may be considering using, as well as design their own research. Methods for designing (i) quantitative research and (ii) qualitative research in social science disciplines are then examined in more depth. For each, a review of core theory and practice is provided, with a focus on achieving three outcomes: (i) the ability to critically evaluate results of research and data collection done by others and identify whether it is suitable for use, (ii) ability to design sound plans for collecting data, and (iii) skills in data analysis and interpretation.  Examination of quantitative research will include key data collection methods, reviewing basic concepts in descriptive statistics, probability, hypothesis testing, calculation of confidence intervals, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and correlation and regression analysis. Examination of qualitative research will include design of sampling and data collection and differing approaches to data analysis. Important epistemological issues relating to the social sciences and applied social sciences including questions of validity and generalisability will also be examined throughout.

Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

6647 Research Methodology and Research Design B PG 6649 Qualitative Research Methods B PG 6648 Quantitative Research Methods B PG

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.