Field Research: Methodological Technical Development of Social Research

Goula Aspasia

Course Outline

The main Objective of the course is:

• The presentation, analysis and comprehension of theoretical social research methods, techniques, and practices.
• The acquisition of specialized knowledge, skills, and competencies in order to integrate scientific theory with empirical material/data and practical techniques.
• The acquisition of a “scientific approach” toward the research process, characterized by systematic, critical, and ethical principles.
• The acquisition of a high-level “autonomous knowledge” and skills through in-depth analysis of the complicated concepts of the social research.
• The acquisition of adequate knowledge and methodological competencies to enable postgraduate students to act autonomously.
• The development of a critical approach in disciplines with a direct interest in social research in health and social care organizations.

Social research methodology can be regarded the science of verification and ascertaining, as well as the science of pursuing and revealing truth and knowledge, since it employs scientific methods to provide answers to critical problems. It expresses the dialogue that exists between the existing perceptions about social reality and the data that represents it. The effective implementation of methodological procedures involves specialized knowledge of technological aspects as well as theoretical assumptions upon which data compilation and interpretation are based. The course’s aim is to consolidate and practice social research methods and techniques so that postgraduate students can conduct primary research and produce significant scientific knowledge that contributes to the advancement of science.

After completing the course successfully, the postgraduate student will be eligible to:

• Understands social and psychological principles in research methodology, as well as the differences between scientific-philosophical schools of thought.
• Understand the concepts and principles of social research in health and social care organizations, as well as how to act ethically.
• Shifts from the theoretical to the empirical level in the most efficient way possible.
• Be familiar with the concepts of sampling research methods and techniques in order to achieve improved sample representativeness and also data accuracy and reliability.
• Construct and carry out a structured or semi-structured interviews.
• Acquire the ability to conduct social research using experimental methods, as well as to understand the method’s advantages and disadvantages.
• Develop the skills, knowledge and expertise of conducting qualitative social research.
• To integrate qualitative and quantitative data collection methods.
• Become familiar with consensus approaches such as the Delphi technique and how to analyze and evaluate the outcomes of these techniques.
• Understands the primary research objective in evaluation research, as well as the ability to monitor social indicators, i.e. the social conditions of a society or a social subgroup.
• Process, analyze, and interpret the findings of quantitative research.
• Process, analyze, and interpret the findings of qualitative research.
• Develop original, significant, valuable and scientific knowledge.
• Evaluates the outcomes of the conducted social research, compares them to the findings of similar research, and develops questions for future study and additional research in the subject under consideration.