Quantitative research methods

Om kursen

Nästa tillfälle är i mars 2025. För anmälan kontakta doktfofu.tme@chalmers.se

Prerequisites:
Course participants should be enrolled as PhD students. The maximum number of participants is 15. Priority is given to PhD students from the Department of Technology Management and Economics who register at least one month before the course starts. At least six registrants are required for the course to be given.

Purpose of the course
The purpose of this course is to provide you with the necessary knowledge and skills to get started in doing quantitative research, but it will not guide you all the way to the finish. The focus is on applications rather than on mathematical intricacies.

In terms of learning objectives, students should, after the course, be able to:
  • Read quantitative research in a critical way.
  • Understand how quantitative methods are applied within their own subject area.
  • Detect misuse of quantitative research.
  • Use computer software for basic data analyses.

General organization of the course
The course relies on a flipped classroom approach Flipped classroom, with typically one in-class session on campus each week. Before each session, including the course introduction, participants should read the assigned literature, watch the corresponding videos, and prepare according to the instructions. The session itself is used to delve into the topic, thereby creating a more fruitful setting for learning.

Because both the examination and the course itself fundamentally depend on participants' continuous activities and involvement, attendance at these sessions is mandatory. Hence, if you know beforehand that you will be unable to attend several sessions, or that you will be unable to work half-time on the course during the entire study period, you should not enroll.


Course Content
The course will cover the following topics:
  • Descriptive statistics
  • Sampling
  • Data collection - survey studies
  • Data collection - other methods
  • t-tests and ANOVA
  • Regression analysis
  • Frequency analysis
  • Factor analysis
  • More complex variable relationships

Examination

The examination includes:

a) Individual presentations based on submitted files on Canvas and active participation during seminar sessions.
b) Approved individual course paper.
c) Completed oral opposition on two other participants' papers.
d) Approved individual software exercises.

Mer information

Nästa tillfälle är i mars 2025.

Kurslitteratur

  • Bell, E., Harley, B. & Bryman, A. (2022). Business Research Methods. Oxford University Press. Only Part 2 of the book (chapters 8-16) that contains the material concerned with quantitative research will be covered in the course. However, all participants are assumed to be familiar with the contents of Part 1, which discusses the research process in general. Earlier editions are acceptable to use but note that chapter numbering varies among editions. The book can be found online in various formats.
  • Articles, videos, and other online material through Canvas

Föreläsare

Examinator Professor Björn Lantz (bjorn.lantz@chalmers.se)