Research methodology

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1021029CNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (C) Bachelor - specialised level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

Je moet minstens 45 stp. behaald hebben voor je Onderzoeksmethodologie kan opnemen. Als je een verkort programma volgt, kan je dit vak zo opnemen.

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

Luk Van Mensel
Koen Kerremans (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

13 contact hours Lecture
26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
60 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course provides an introduction to - and an overview of - research methods (quantitative and qualitative) in applied linguistics and related disciplines. Students acquire insights into research methodological concepts (e.g. 'triangulation', 'research population', 'sample', 'axial coding', etc.) and also acquire practical research skills through various exercises and assignments: e.g. searching for (reliable) scientific publications, drawing up interview plans or surveys, designing experiments, creating and analysing text corpora, coding research data in qualitative research, etc. Students also learn to set up, test and refine a research design step by step by means of a small-scale project carried out as part of a team (max. 4 students).

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : personal notes, handouts, copies of articles from professional literature, Canvas

Additional info

Learning content is offered through lectures and seminars on campus or through distance learning. During the semester, students have to do exercises or assignments related to the project work. In addition, there are also short meetings per team in which the progress of each project is discussed with the lecturer.

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes

The student:

has gained insight into the building blocks of a high-quality research design and is able to apply these to his/her own research project
has gained insight into research methodological concepts and is able to apply these correctly in a research project of his/her own
has acquired knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods within applied linguistics or a related domain (journalism, multilingual communication, interpreting, translation) and knows how to apply these in research projects
can work with digital tools to support qualitative and/or quantitative research approaches: e.g. tools for drawing up surveys (e.g. Qualtrics), for coding qualitative data (e.g. NVivo), for creating, managing and analysing text corpora (e.g. SketchEngine)
is able to develop, test and present a high-quality research design – individually or as part of a team – centred around a research question within applied linguistics or a related domain (journalism, multilingual communication, interpreting, translation)

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
SELF Teamwork determines 70% of the final mark.
SELF Report determines 30% of the final mark.

Within the SELF Teamwork category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Projectportfolio with a relative weight of 70 which comprises 70% of the final mark.

Within the SELF Report category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Aanvullend verslag with a relative weight of 30 which comprises 30% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

In the first examination session, each team is assessed on the basis of a recorded presentation and the research material developed within the research project (e.g. a survey, interview, etc.). These results are part of a project portfolio. As part of this portfolio (60%), the contribution and commitment of each student within a team is also assessed on the basis of peer assessment (10%). Afterwards, students are required to submit an additional report with explanations and clarifications in which they demonstrate to have acquired knowledge about all the learning content of the course (30%). Students can choose to make this additional report individually or with other team members.

In the second examination session, students who have not passed the first examination session can draw up, test and present a research design on an individual or team basis. The evaluation method in the second examination session is the same as in the first session. However, if a student works individually on a research project, the peer assessment component (10%) within the 'Project portfolio' will no longer apply. The additional report will count for 30% of the final grade.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context