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2020/2021

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods

Code: 42297 ECTS Credits: 9
Degree Type Year Semester
4313157 Advanced English Studies OT 0 A
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
María José Solé Sabater
Email:
MariaJosep.Sole@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)

Teachers

María José Solé Sabater
Eva Codó Olsina

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites

Objectives and Contextualisation

The objectives of this course are

(a)   To provide students with the methodological tools needed to carry out linguistic research at a graduate level.

(b)   To introduce students to research using qualitative methods.

(c)   To introduce students to research using quantitative methods.

(d)   Familiarise students with data analysis instruments and the use of statistical packages.

Competences

  • Analyse and synthesise information at an advanced level.
  • Analyse the relationship between factors, processes or phenomena in the acquisition of English as a second language, its learning and teaching methods, and its literature, history and culture.
  • Apply methodological knowledge of statistical analysis and data generation, treatment and codification of multilingual databases, analysis of literary texts, etc. to research.
  • Communicate the knowledge acquired and the contributions of one’s research correctly, accurately and clearly both orally and in writing.
  • Critically argue, issue judgements and present ideas on the basis of the analysis of information originating from scientific production in these areas.
  • Develop autonomous learning skills applicable to the research process.
  • Distinguish and contrast between the different methodological and theoretical models applied to the academic study of the acquisition, teaching and use of English as a second language in multilingual and multicultural contexts, literary studies and cultural studies.
  • Show respect towards the opinions, values, behaviours and/or practices of others.
  • Use new technologies for capturing and organising information relevant to lifelong learning and problem-solving in professional activities.
  • Use the English language for academic and professional purposes related to research into the acquisition, teaching and use of English as a second language in multilingual and multicultural contexts, literary studies and cultural studies.
  • Work effectively in teams in multilingual, multicultural and interdisciplinary professional and/or academic environments.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse and interpret linguistic data in a coherent and structured manner.
  2. Analyse and synthesise information at an advanced level.
  3. Apply statistical analysis methods as well as different techniques for the treatment, transcription and coding of oral and written data of a multilingual nature.
  4. Communicate the knowledge acquired and the contributions of one’s research correctly, accurately and clearly both orally and in writing.
  5. Critically analyse and evaluate academic texts that discuss research conducted within qualitative and quantitative paradigms.
  6. Design research studies from a quantitative and a qualitative perspective while correctly identifying the factors at stake and anticipating the complexities of data generation and its contexts.
  7. Develop autonomous learning skills applicable to the research process.
  8. Distinguish the ontological and epistemological principles of linguistic research of a quantitative-experimental and of a qualitative nature and explain their differences.
  9. Orally present the methodological design, data, analysis and results of quantitative and qualitative pieces of research in an organised, clear and understandable manner.
  10. Present the methodological design, data, analysis and results of quantitative and qualitative pieces of research in writing while observing the conventions of academic articles in English.
  11. Show respect towards the opinions, values, behaviours and/or practices of others.
  12. Use new technologies for capturing and organising information relevant to lifelong learning and problem-solving in professional activities.
  13. Work effectively in teams in multilingual, multicultural and interdisciplinary professional and/or academic environments.

Content

Qualitative Methods

 1. Concepts of language in qualitative research. Ontological and epistemological considerations. What quality research is NOT.
										
											2. Designing ethnographic research to answer qualitative research questions. Position of the researcher and perspective of the participants.
										
											3. Choosing the site for fieldwork and how to access it. Ethical and political considerations. First practical steps
										
											4. Language data types. Interaction, speech, language system, conversation, codes
										
											5. Methods for collecting data 1: Writing fieldnotes. Compilation of texts and documents, photographs, videos, and other types of data
										
											6. Methods of data collection 2: Interviews, life stories and narratives.
										
											7. The transcription of oral data and how to present qualitative data for the analysis.
										
											8. The validity of knowledge generated in qualitative and ethnographic research. Levels of complexity.

 

Quantitative Methods 

  1. Introduction to quantitative research methods. The road to research. Experimental research methods in different areas of linguistics.
  2. Basic notions in experimental research and research design. Dependent and independent variables. Hypothesis formulation. Control and experimental conditions. Sample and population. Subject/material/task selection. Types of experimental designs and further issues in experimental research. 
  3. Descriptive statistics. Measures of centrality and dispersion. Data organization and presentation of results.
  4. Basic inferential statistics. Probability theory. Main effects and interactions. T-tests. ANOVAs. Chi-square tests. Correlations. Regressions.

Methodology

Lectures at the beginning of each topic to introduce basic concepts

In-class discussion of assigned readings.

Problem-solving activities.

Correction and discussion of exercises.

Data gathering, transcription and analysis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Assigned readings 25 1 5
Discussion of assigned readings 20 0.8 8
Practical exercises 30 1.2 1, 3, 6, 8, 13, 12
Type: Supervised      
Preparation work for assignments 25 1 9, 10
Type: Autonomous      
Exercises 50 2 5, 2, 7

Assessment

The course mark will be obtained by averaging out the mark for quantitative methods (50%) and for qualitative methods (50%). 

Quantitative methods

Assignments and weekly homewor: 45%

Final project: 40%

Participation: 15%

 

Qualitative methods

Assignments 1, 2 and 3: 80%

Weekly homework: 30%

Procedure for reviewing grades awarded: On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

Reassessement of all the course content will be accomplished by a written exercise.

 

Evaluation activities excluded from reassessment. The following activities are not eligible for reassessment: Weekly homework and participation

 

En cas que les proves no es puguin fer presencialment s’adaptarà el seu format (mantenint-ne la ponderació) a les possibilitats que ofereixen les eines virtuals de la UAB. Els deures, activitats i participació a classe es realitzaran a través de fòrums, wikis i/o discussions d’exercicis a través de Teams, assegurant que tot l’estudiantat hi pot accedir.

 En cas que l’estudiant realitzi qualsevol irregularitat que pugui conduir a una variació significativa de la qualificació d’un acte d’avaluació, es qualificarà amb 0 aquest acte d’avaluació, amb independència del procés disciplinari que s’hi pugui instruir. En cas que es produeixin diverses irregularitats en els actes d’avaluació d’una mateixa assignatura, la qualificació final d’aquesta assignatura serà 0.

VERY IMPORTANT: Partial or total plagiarising will immediately result in a FAIL (0) for the WHOLE SUBJECT. PLAGIARISING consists of copying text from unacknowledged sources -whether this is part of a sentence or whole text- with the intention of passing it off as the student's own production. It includes cutting and pasting from internet sources, presented unmodified in the student's own text. Plagiarising is a SERIOUS OFFENCE. Students must respect authors' intellectual property, always identifying the sources they may use; they must also be responsible for the originality and authenticity of their own text

Students are required to employ non-sexist language in their written and oral productions. For guidelines on how to do this, they are advised to check thewebsite of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA): https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/lsa-guidelines-nonsexist-usage. Appropriate use of language will be part of the assessment criteria.

 

 

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Assignments 40 35 1.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 12
Exam or Final paper 45 35 1.4 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 7, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13
Participation in class and practical exercises 30 5 0.2 1, 2, 4, 11, 7, 9, 13

Bibliography

Qualitative Methods:

Agar, M. (1986) The Professional Stranger (2nd ed.) New York: Academic Press.

Bezemer, J. and D. Mavers (2011) Multimodal transcription as academic practice: A social semiotic perspective. International Journal of Social Research Methodology 14(3): 191-206.

Blommaert, J. & D. Jie (2010) Ethnographic Fieldwork: A Beginner’s Guide. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Briggs, C. (1986) Learning How to Ask: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal of the Role of the Interview in Social Science Research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bucholtz, M. (2000) The politics of transcription. Journal of Pragmatics 32: 1439-1465.

Cameron, D. (2001) Working with Spoken Discourse. London: Sage, pp. 31-44.

Cameron, D., E. Frazer, P. Harvey, B. Rampton & K. Richardson (1992) Researching Language: Issues of Power and Method. London: Routledge.

Denzin, N. & Y. Lincoln (2000) [2nd ed.] Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage.

Emerson, Robert M., Fretz, Rachel I. and Linda L. Shaw (1995) Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press

Hammersley, M. &  P. Atkinson (2007) [3rd ed.]. Ethnography: Principles in Practice. London: Routledge.

Lichtman, M. (2006) Qualitative Research in Education: A User’s Guide. Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage.

Linde, C. (1993) Life Stories: The Creation of Coherence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Litosselity, L. (ed.) (2010) Research Methods in Linguistics. London: Continuum.

Martin-Jones, M. and K. Jones (eds.) Multilingual Literacies. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Mason, J. (2009) [2nd ed.] Qualitative Researching. London: Sage, pp. 173-187.

Ochs, E. (1979) Transcription as theory. In Ochs, E. & B. Schieffelin (eds.) Developmental Pragmatics. New York: Academic Press.

Silverman, D. (1993) Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction. London: Sage.

Wei, L. and M. G. Moyer (eds.) (2007) The Blackwell Guide to Research Methods in Bilingualism and Multilingualism. Oxford: Blackwell.

Woods, P. (1999) Successful Writing for Qualitative Researchers. London: Routledge.

Quantitative Methods

Green, S.B., Salkind, N.J. & Akey, T. M. 1997. Using SPSS for Windows. Analyzing and understanding data. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Harris, Peter. 1986. Designing and reporting experiments. Milton Keynes, England: Open University Press.

Hatch, E. and Farhady, H. 1982. Research Design and Statistics for Applied Linguistics. Rowley, Mss.: Newbury House.

Johnson, K. 2008. Quantitative methodsin linguistics. Wiley-Blackwell.

Seliger, H.W. and Shohamy, E. 1989. Second language research methods. Oxford: OUP.

Shearer, W.M. 1997. Experimental Design and Statistics in Speech Science, in Hardcastle, W.J. - Laver, J. (Eds.) The Handbook of Phonetic Sciences. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers (Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics, 5). pp.167-188.

Verzani, J. 2005. Using R for introductory statistics. Boca Raton, FL: Chapman & Hall/CRC Press.