DRE 1012 Research Design and Methodological Choices
DRE 1012 Research Design and Methodological Choices
Research design is commonly defined as a program or a blueprint that guides researchers through the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting observations. Its essentialness is rooted in its effects on the validity of knowledge claims. Research design is pivotal in affecting the strength, persuasiveness, and authoritativeness of claims concerning causality, external validity, and construct validity (to name a few). Research design is both a science and an art. While some of the major principles are firmly established, we continuously observe renovations, extensions as well as bold innovations.
At the end of the course, the students should have developed:
Knowledge
A better understanding of important aspects to consider when planning for doing research
Knowledge about different research designs
Knowledge about strengths and weaknesses of various research designs
Knowledge on the variety of philosophical perspectives underlying research in the social sciences
The ability to choose an appropriate methodological design
The ability to present/write about empirical findings in a more persuasive way
The ability to critically reflect upon possibilities and limitations with different ways of doing research
The ability to review/referee a research paper submitted to a leading journal in the social sciences.
The course will cover a wide range of issues including:
- Research designs
- Theory and theoretical contribution
- Validity and reliability
- Sampling
- Research with quantitative data
- Modeling relationships
- Moderation and mediation effects
- Issues of endogeneity
- Introduction to databases
- Overview of methods in quantitative research
- Research with qualitative Data
- Overview of methods in qualitative research
The course requires high level of investment from all participants. The design necessitates ex-ante and ex-post course presentations of your research design, the development of your research design and evaluation of research designs published in leading international journals.
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Enrollment in a PhD programme is a general requirement for participation in PhD courses at BI Norwegian Business School.
External candidates are kindly asked to attach confirmation of enrollment in a PhD programme when signing up for a course. Other candidates may be allowed to sit in on courses by approval of the course leader. Sitting in on a course does not permit registration for the course, handing in exams or gaining credits for the course. Course certificates or confirmation letters will not be issued for sitting in on courses.
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| Assessments |
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Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 100 Grouping: Individual Duration: 2 Month(s) Comment: One unique file will be submitted at the end, while receiving feedback on occasions during the semester Exam code: DRE10123 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination when next scheduled course |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Group work / Assignments | 230 Hour(s) | Specified learning activities (including reading) |
Student's own work with learning resources | 80 Hour(s) | Autonomous student learning (including exam preparation) |
Feedback activities and counselling | 10 Hour(s) | Two class presentations. |
Teaching | 60 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 12 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 320 hours.