GISDepartment of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies

The goal of this course is to introduce the students to various quantitative research methods used in the social sciences. When making important decisions, be it choosing a strategy to increase the sales of a product, implementing an intervention program to boost people’s well-being, or selecting a school program to increase students’ learning, people can rely on their intuition and experience, or they can base their decisions on facts: data. In this course, students will develop skills to obtain valid and reliable data through experimental and survey methods. The course will also cover topics related to research ethics, some basic statistics, and APA-style writing.

This course provides an overview of the 'how's and 'why's of quantitative research in social sciences, and it covers such topics as design, ethics, and APA-style writing and such strategies as field experiments and surveys. Students will develop the ability to design, conduct, evaluate, and report empirical studies. By developing hypotheses and critically assessing information, students will improve on their critical thinking skills.

Will be able to gain “DP 1”, “DP 2”, and “DP 4”.

英語 / English

The course consists of lectures, in which general ideas and methods of research will be presented, and hands-on applications of the methods, in which student's research projects will be planned and presented. Although some of the class time will be set aside for planning students’ research, the majority of it will be done as assignments to be completed outside class. Feedback for research will be given during class time. Comments for papers will be given via the Learning Management System.

あり / Yes

なし / No

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[オンライン/online]：Introduction

What is research? Why should we care?

2[対面/face to face]：The Fundamentals of Research

How do we define variables? How do we measure them? What is good research? How do I know if I can trust the findings?

3[対面/face to face]：Common Experimental Designs

Evaluating causal claims with experiments: random assignment and control

4[対面/face to face]：Understanding Research Paper

Understanding the structure of a research paper

5[対面/face to face]：Experimental Research I

Designing and conducting a field experiment

6[対面/face to face]：Experimental Research II

Identifying the various threats to internal validity


Writing clear questions: closed vs. open ended questions

7[対面/face to face]：Data Analyses I

Understanding the basics of inferential statistics and comparing means with t-tests

8[対面/face to face]：Correlational Research I

How are the two variables associated? How can we write clear questions?

9[対面/face to face]：Correlational Research II

Presentation of the research question, hypotheses, and theories

10[対面/face to face]：Correlational Research III

Creating a questionnaire

11[対面/face to face]：Sampling Issues and Validities

How generalizable are my findings?

12[対面/face to face]：Data Analyses II

Computing reliabilities and correlations

13[対面/face to face]：Data Analyses III

Data analysis workshop using a statistical software

14[対面/face to face]：Students Poster Presentations

Poster presentations of group research

Students will have to complete the assigned homework on time to successfully complete the class. They will be asked to do the readings, create research materials, collect data, etc. outside the class. Please bear in mind that the course will require that students spend a considerable amount of time outside class (at least 2 hours every week, sometimes more). Most work will be done in small groups, suggesting that students need to be flexible in finding time to meet other students during the week. Preparatory study and review time for this class are 2 hours each.

No textbooks required.

Morling, B. (2017). Research methods in psychology: Evaluating a world of information (3rd ed.). New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.
Harris, S. R. (2014). How to critique journal articles in the social sciences. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

The reference books will be available in the library and the GIS Reference Room for those who wish to learn about each topic in more detail. Handouts and reading materials are on the course website.

Final grades are based on two research papers (20% and 30%), a poster presentation (20%), and the quality and timeliness of group work done outside class (30%).

Students in previous years found this course very demanding but rewarding. Some students aimed to accomplish at a higher level while others were somewhat struggling to meet the requirements. I will provide office hours and other consulting time outside the class to meet the need of individual students.

For some weeks, students will be asked to bring laptop computers. Students must get the login information for PyscINFO database from the library.

Students who have successfully completed Statistics will be given priority during enrollment.
Students must take and pass this course if they wish to enroll in the Self and Culture seminar. Students who plan to enroll in other seminars in social sciences are also strongly encouraged to take this course.

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