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Course Syllabus

Bachelor 2019/2020

Research Methods

Type: Compulsory course (Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication)
Area of studies: Linguistics
Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages
Where: School of Foreign Languages
When: 3 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies: offline
Instructors: Alexey Bakulev, Svetlana Victorovna Bogolepova
Language: English
ECTS credits: 5
Contact hours: 30

Course Syllabus

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The course is based upon the knowledge and skills acquired by the students in the course “English language” during their first and second years at the university and requires at least Intermediate level of English Intermediate (B2 / IELTS 6,5). There are no specific prerequisites concerning the students’ academic background in the field of methodology as the course starts with the basics of research skills. The research seminar is designed for third year students of NRU HSE who study at the bachelor degree programme “Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication”. The course is aimed at students of all majors and provides them with knowledge and academic skills needed for conducting research. It gives a comprehensive overview of: - different aspects of research theory and practice; - basic research methods for completing a successful research project; - methods of data analysis; - data collection techniques; - methods of sampling and measurement; - analytic frameworks and methods of contemporary linguistics.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • The main goal of the course is to study the basics of methodology and develop students' research competencies in the areas of: - research design; - data collection and analysis; - presentation of research results in oral and written forms. As a result, students will be able to plan, conduct and present research in linguistics and related fields. The course also develops students' social competencies as it includes a long-term group project.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • know principles of ethical research; the essence of scientific methods; design experimental research
  • know types of approaches to research; the difference between Russian and Western traditions in research; set research aims.
  • know the role of theory in research; basic concepts such as dependent/ independent variables, reliability, validity, median, mode, etc.
  • know approaches to sampling; methods within qualitative and quantitative approaches to research; the tools of discourse/ cluster/ thematic/ interpretative analyses.
  • know the analytical methods and frameworks of contemporary linguistics; the structure of a research report/ article; factors limiting research potential.
  • know the analytical methods and frameworks of contemporary linguistics; the structure of a research report/ article; factors limiting research potential.
  • know review literature on the topic; come up with relevant research questions; select appropriate research tools.
  • analyse discourse; use sampling reasonably; the tools of discourse/ cluster/ thematic/ interpretative analyses.
  • code qualitative data; use qualitative analytical methods (e.g. thematic analysis).
  • know the basics of statistical analysis; approaches to sampling; methods within qualitative and quantitative approaches to research;
  • be able to collect data relevant to the research purpose and questions; collect numerical data and analyse them statistically; implement methods of contemporary linguistics.
  • be able to present the results of their research orally and in writing.
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Introduction to the course
    Introduction to the course, course layout. The structure of projects, research design template; research hypotheses, purposes and questions.
  • The role of theory in research.
    The role of theory in research: Literature review. Making references. Plagiarism.
  • Sampling
    Sampling. Biased and unbiased sampling. Types of sampling: simple, random and systematic sampling; cluster sampling. Measurement: its reliability and validity.
  • Different approaches to academic research
    Different approaches to academic research: Russian vs. Western traditions. Empirical research. Experimental and nonexperimental studies. Quantitative vs. qualitative research.
  • Planning and designing qualitative research
    Planning and designing qualitative research: interviews. Structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews. Designing and piloting the interview guide.
  • Planning and designing qualitative research
    Planning and designing qualitative research. The case studies: a research method or a research type? Its definition, some classifications, advantages and disadvantages.
  • Qualitative analytic methods suitable for beginners
    Qualitative analytic methods: Foundational method: thematic analysis (TA), its strengths and weaknesses; interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).
  • Discourse analysis (DA)
    Discourse analysis. Various approaches to DA.
  • Analyzing qualitative data
    Analyzing qualitative data. Familiarisation and data coding. Two main approaches to coding in qualitative analysis: selective and complete coding. Data-derived and researcher-derived codes.
  • Designing quantitative research.
    Designing quantitative research. Understanding the basics of statistics. Scales of measurement and statistical tests. Understanding probability. The mean and standard deviation.
  • Analytic frameworks and methods of contemporary linguistics
    Analytic frameworks and methods of contemporary linguistics: semantic analysis; comparative analysis; language description and linguistic typology.
  • Analytic frameworks and methods of contemporary linguistics
    Analytic frameworks and methods of contemporary linguistics: Corpus-based and corpus-driven analyses of language variation and use. Corpus linguistics.
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Presentation
  • non-blocking Test1
  • non-blocking Test 2
  • non-blocking Test 3
  • non-blocking Test 4
  • non-blocking Group project
  • non-blocking Examination
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • Interim assessment (2 module)
    0.3 * Examination + 0.2 * Group project + 0.1 * Presentation + 0.1 * Test 2 + 0.1 * Test 3 + 0.1 * Test 4 + 0.1 * Test1
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Abbott, M., & McKinney, J. (2013). Understanding and Applying Research Design. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=531530
  • Leavy, P. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=779511

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Brewerton, P., & Millward, L. (2001). Organizational Research Methods : A Guide for Students and Researchers. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=251199