Course: Social Research Methods

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Course title Social Research Methods
Course code KFL/FVV
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Lesson
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter
Number of ECTS credits 3
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course unspecified
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements Course does not contain work placement
Recommended optional programme components None
Course availability The course is available to visiting students
Lecturer(s)
Course content
1. Introduction to social research 2. Strategies of social research, research goal, research problem, research design 3. Questioning, observation, analysis 4. Public opinion research 5. Qualitative research, comparison and combination among quantitative and qualitative research strategies 6. Social research ethics (ethical principles, informed agreement)

Learning activities and teaching methods
Dialogue metods(conversation,discussion,brainstorming), Self-study (text study, reading, problematic tasks, practical tasks, experiments, research, written assignments), Written assignment presentation and defence
  • Class attendance - 10 hours per semester
  • Semestral paper - 35 hours per semester
  • Preparation for credit - 45 hours per semester
Learning outcomes
Introduction to social research (taking advantage of it in social work, normative principle in science and social work, ethnocentrism, theory creating process in social sciences, inductive and deductive procedures, connection between theory and research). Strategies of social research (deference between physics and social sciences, positivism, interpretative approach, social fact's character, objectivism, constructivism, quantitative and qualitative research strategies, research criterion, reliability, validity ...). Research goal, research problem, research design (research problem, experiment, comparative and long term research, monograph, operation definitions and measuring, indicator selection, types of marks and sampling, general population and sample, process of generalization). Questioning, observation, analysis (types of analysis, analysis process principles, advantages and disadvantages of using analysis in practice; types of questions coding, content analysis, secondary analysis ...). Public opinion research (settings, process, special issues, inquiries, quantitative analysis, two dimensional analysis, multi dimensional analysis, using ICT in the process of social research ...). Qualitative research (its character, principles, advantages and disadvantages, critics, interviews and concerned observation in qualitative research, ethnography, focus groups, content analysis, secondary analysis of data ...). Comparison and combination among quantitative and qualitative research strategies. Social research ethics (ethical principles, informed agreement ...).
Introduction to social research (taking advantage of it in social work, normative principle in science and social work, ethnocentrism, theory creating process in social sciences, inductive and deductive procedures, connection between theory and research). Strategies of social research (deference between physics and social sciences, positivism, interpretative approach, social fact's character, objectivism, constructivism, quantitative and qualitative research strategies, research criterion, reliability, validity ...). Research goal, research problem, research design (research problem, experiment, comparative and long term research, monograph, operation definitions and measuring, indicator selection, types of marks and sampling, general population and sample, process of generalization). Questioning, observation, analysis (types of analysis, analysis process principles, advantages and disadvantages of using analysis in practice; types of questions coding, content analysis, secondary analysis ...). Public opinion research (settings, process, special issues, inquiries, quantitative analysis, two dimensional analysis, multi dimensional analysis, using ICT in the process of social research ...). Qualitative research (its character, principles, advantages and disadvantages, critics, interviews and concerned observation in qualitative research, ethnography, focus groups, content analysis, secondary analysis of data ...). Comparison and combination among quantitative and qualitative research strategies. Social research ethics (ethical principles, informed agreement ...).
Prerequisites
Social issues and consecutive knowledge gained through the educational background.

Assessment methods and criteria
Student's performance analysis

To gain the credit students must join the seminar and write a semestral thesis. Other demands are specified by the lecturer.
Recommended literature
  • DISMAN, M. Jak se vyrábí sociologická znalost. Praha: Karolinum, 1993. ISBN 80-7184-141-2.
  • JANDOUREK, Jan. Úvod do sociologie. Praha: Portál, 2009. ISBN 978-80-7367-644-5.
  • JIHLAVEC, J., PALOUNKOVÁ, Z., PEŠATOVÁ, I., THELENOVÁ, K. Metodika tvorby bakalářské práce. Liberec: TU Liberec, 2010. ISBN 978-80-7372-636-2.
  • SURYNEK, A., KOMÁRKOVÁ, R., KAŠPAROVÁ, E. Základy sociologického výzkumu. Praha: Management Press, 2001. ISBN 80-7261-038-4.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester