GRA 2258 Research Methodology for Organisational Psychology

APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/2017

GRA 2258 Research Methodology for Organisational Psychology


Responsible for the course
Anders Dysvik

Department
Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
The purpose of this course is to provide students with knowledge and skills that enable them to conduct the initial phase of their Thesis projects. The course is process-oriented and has an applied focus, where students are initially given a general introduction to research methodology covering issues in both quantitative and qualitative methodology, the philosophy of science, theories of knowledge and knowledge development, research ethics, and learn to search and critically examine available sources for scientific knowledge. Students are also trained in critical evaluation of research conducted by others as well as their own research.


Learning outcome
After undertaking this course you should:

  • Be familiarized with key insights from the philosophy of science, including issues such as what science is and where knowledge comes from, and research ethics.
    Be provided with appropriate tools for evaluating the validity of inferences drawn from empirical research using both quantitative and qualitative methodology.
  • Be able to apply these insights to conduct research within the field of organisational psychology and understand the main approaches by which researchers attempt to provide answers to research questions within our field.
  • Be provided with a broader understanding of advanced information search strategies. Know what a critical literature review is and how this type of articles may be searched for and used.
  • Be able to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the course when writing and presenting your initial Thesis proposal document.

Prerequisites

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Bryman, Alan, Emma Bell. 2015. Business research methods. 4th ed. Oxford University Press

Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination.


Recommended reading
Books:
Field, Andy. 2013. Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics : and sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll. 4th ed. Sage
Nunnally, Jum C., Ira H. Bernstein. 1994. Psychometric theory. 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill
Shadish, William R., Thomas D. Cook, Donald T. Campbell. 2002. Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Houghton Mifflin
Silverman, David. 2013. A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about qualitative research. 2nd ed. Sage
Silverman, David. 2013. Doing qualitative research. 4th ed. Sage

Course outline
The learning outcomes will be realized by five course components consisting of:
1. Philosophy of science
2. Research ethics
3. Qualitative and quantitative research designs
4. Thesis seminars
5. Practical exercises in a pc lab

During the semester there will be thesis seminars to guide the students towards writing a thesis registration form. This is conducted outside the course.

Computer-based tools
Not applicable

Learning process and workload
A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours.

Research Methodology is a very important course in the MSc Programme as the course is central to the thesis work. Please make sure you read the information about the thesis work in the student portal@bi



Examination



Form of assessment Weight Group size
Written examination 3 hours 90% Individual
Work assignment by the library 10%

Specific information regarding student assessment will be provided in class. This information may be relevant to requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several components of the overall assessment. This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded using points on a scale from 0-100. The final grade for the course is based on the aggregated mark of the course components. Each component is weighted as detailed in the course description. Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam components will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the points system and the mapping scale in the student portal @bi. Candidates may be called in for an oral hearing as a verification/control of written assignments.

Examination code(s)

GRA 22585 continuous assessment accounts for the final letter grade in the course

Examination support materials
Bilingual dictionary
Permitted examination support materials for written examinations are detailed under examination information in the student portal @bi. The section on support materials and the use of calculators and dictionaries should be paid special attention to.

Re-sit examination
It is only possible to retake an examination when the course is next taught. The assessment in some courses is based on more than one exam code. Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes. All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee. Please note that you need to retake the latest version of the course with updated course literature and assessment. Please make sure that you have familiarised yourself with the latest course description.

Additional information
Honour code. Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and are values that are integral to BI's honour code system. Students are responsible for familiarising themselves with the honour code system, to which the faculty is deeply committed. Any violation of the honour code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for academic misconduct. Issues of academic integrity are taken seriously by everyone associated with the programmes at BI and are at the heart of the honour code. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honour code, please ask. The learning platform itslearning is used in the teaching of all courses at BI. All students are expected to make use of itslearning.

Semesters

Translations