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

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

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) : Eigen notities, hand-outs, kopieën van artikelen uit de vakliteratuur, 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:
Oral Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
SELF Teamwork determines 50% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Oral exam with a relative weight of 30 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

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

Project portfolio with a relative weight of 70 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Each team is assessed in the first exam session based on a presentation and the research material developed within the research project (e.g. a survey, interview, etc.). These results form part of a project portfolio. As part of this portfolio (40%), the individual contributions and efforts of each student within a team are also assessed on the basis of peer assessment (10%).

An oral exam (50%) tests students' knowledge of the course's learning content and their ability to apply this knowledge to their own projects.

Students who did not pass the first exam session can prepare, test and present a research design in the second exam session either on an individual basis or in teams. The evaluation method in the second examination session is the same as in the first session. However, if a student works on a research project individually, the peer assessment component (10%) within the 'Project Portfolio' section is dropped and the project will count for 50% of the marks.

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