9 ECTS credits
250 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1021116CNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (C) Bachelor - specialised level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Meth III crimin. onderzoek
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Law and Criminology
Department
Criminology
Educational team
Marcus Leys (course titular)
Pia Bieke Bruno Struyf
Yana Demeyere
Activities and contact hours
33 contact hours Lecture
26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
Course Content

This course unit deals with the qualitative research cycle, more specifically formulating a problem definition and substantiating research questions with literature, working out a qualitative research design, collecting and analysing data in practice and reporting the qualitative results in a research report. The lectures provide the student with the necessary knowledge and insight into the subject matter. In the seminars, skills are practiced to conduct qualitative research in the field of criminology.

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Kwalitatieve Methoden en Technieken in de Criminologie, Decorte & Zaitch, ACCO
Handbook (Recommended) : Kwalitatief onderzoek voeren in de praktijk, Breuls, L. & Bougrine, J. (Eds.), VUBPress, 2022
Additional info
  • There is no mandatory attendance for the wpo's, although this is strongly recommended due to the nature of the group assignment. 
  • The task is explained in detail during the first wpo, as well as the planning and expectations. These are all included in the Study Guide that is made available via Canvas before the start of the course.
  • Digital lectures will be available for working students. More information will be communicated via the course unit platform in Canvas.
Learning Outcomes

Algemene Competenties

•    The student can conduct qualitative research and knows the underlying methodological concepts and qualitative research techniques.
•    The student can correctly formulate a criminological problem and the research questions resulting from this, using scientific literature and sources as taught in the course.
•    The student can elaborate an appropriate design for qualitative research and make well-founded choices for data collection and analysis. The student knows the advantages and disadvantages of different methods and can substantiate choices.
•    The student knows the ethical considerations that apply to qualitative criminological research and can collect, process and report data in an ethically correct manner.
•    Individually, the student knows the principles of qualitative data analysis, can apply them and can contribute to group work in order to increase the quality of the research. 
•    The student demonstrates the ability to code, structure and analyse independently in an iterative process.
•    The student can reflect and report critically on the quality of the research process, the methodological choices made, ethical aspects and the results found.
•    The student is able to frame his/her own analysis within a broader scientific context.
•    The student can report oral and written about qualitative research findings. 

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 40% of the final mark.
SELF Paper determines 60% of the final mark.

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

  • Written Exam with a relative weight of 40 which comprises 40% of the final mark.

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

  • WPO Paper with a relative weight of 60 which comprises 60% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The HOC is assessed by means of a written exam with open questions. The WPO is assessed on the basis of the progress of the work during the year, contribution to the group process and an individually submitted paper. Detailed explanations of the expectations of the HOC and references to second seat time for failure to submit partial assignments are provided in the Study Guide made available through Canvas at the start of the class series.

The results of the HOC count for 40% of the total grade, those of the WPO for 60%. If a student scores less than 8 out of 20 for the HOC part or fails the WPO part (less than 10/20), he/she cannot pass the course unit as a whole and the lowest unweighted score of either exam unit will count as the final result for the entire OO.

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

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Criminology: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Criminology: Verkort traject (only offered in Dutch)