Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
30.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Bocquier Philippe; Rizzi Ester Lucia;
Language
French
Main themes
The seminar starts with an in-depth and detailed discussion on the research methods in social sciences:
- method of synthesis of the literature
- definition of complex concepts,
- causality
- formulating hypotheses
- building of indicators
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
1. | acquire a critical approach to scientific literature ; |
2. | define research questions based on the scientific literature ; |
3. | build conceptual frameworks ; |
4. | study thoroughly a population issue ; |
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
General objective: to relate research questions and hypotheses to data and method.
Around the research themes chosen by the students for their research dissertation, and based on the review of the scientific literature, the seminar allows us to reflect on:
- data: metadata (team, funding, country, timing, objectives, sampling, target population, type of interview, method of data collection, time needed to obtain data), questionnaire and database.
- methods: adequacy with respect to hypotheses, assumptions and limits (selection effects, endogeneity of variables ...)
- empirical model (causal diagram): choice of dependent and independent variables, hypotheses on the relationship between these variables.
The aim of the seminar is indirectly to perfect the students' written and oral scientific communication.
The seminar will focus on the stages of construction of the research methodology:
- Identification of the research question and hypotheses (see LSPED2040 and LDEMO2130)
- Identification of data sources
- Identification of data analysis methods
- Construction of an empirical causal schema
Around the research themes chosen by the students for their research dissertation, and based on the review of the scientific literature, the seminar allows us to reflect on:
- data: metadata (team, funding, country, timing, objectives, sampling, target population, type of interview, method of data collection, time needed to obtain data), questionnaire and database.
- methods: adequacy with respect to hypotheses, assumptions and limits (selection effects, endogeneity of variables ...)
- empirical model (causal diagram): choice of dependent and independent variables, hypotheses on the relationship between these variables.
The aim of the seminar is indirectly to perfect the students' written and oral scientific communication.
The seminar will focus on the stages of construction of the research methodology:
- Identification of the research question and hypotheses (see LSPED2040 and LDEMO2130)
- Identification of data sources
- Identification of data analysis methods
- Construction of an empirical causal schema
Teaching methods
- Introductory presentations provide general methodological principles for developing a demographic research project, illustrated with examples.
- Using introductory presentations and appropriate references, students prepare written work for the next time (i.e. 9 intermediate works + oral presentation).
- At each lecture, professors return to the work presented at the previous lecture by discussing their strengths and weaknesses.
- The final oral presentation sets a deadline for the individual research work and help prepare the methodological chapter that will be the subject of the Master's dissertation.
- Using introductory presentations and appropriate references, students prepare written work for the next time (i.e. 9 intermediate works + oral presentation).
- At each lecture, professors return to the work presented at the previous lecture by discussing their strengths and weaknesses.
- The final oral presentation sets a deadline for the individual research work and help prepare the methodological chapter that will be the subject of the Master's dissertation.
Evaluation methods
Individual assignments (total of 35 out of 100) must be delivered to professors via Moodle at the specified deadlines (ie the Monday preceding midnight), each day of delay reducing by one point the note:
- prepare for a round table a presentation of 3 minutes: question, hypotheses, mention data and methods (not noted)
- write a page presenting the research question, hypotheses, data and methods of the dissertation taking into account the remarks and the discussion of the previous session (4 pts)
- summarize the metadata (4 pts)
- present the advantages and disadvantages of your data by valuing their strengths (4 pts)
- present your dependent variable in relation to the research question (4 pts)
- present your independent variables considered in relation to the hypotheses of the research (4 pts)
- present as an empirical schema the relationships between variables of a good reference article (4 pts)
- present the possible interactions and the strategies to control them (4 pts)
- by taking two articles for examples, present the method chosen to analyze your data (4 pts)
- PPT presentation of the research project (3 pts)
Oral presentations (total of 10 out of 100) will take place in the presence of students and professors. Evaluation criteria :
- Reminder of the research question and hypotheses (2 pts)
- Brief review of the methodological literature (2 pts)
- Empirical causal diagram (2 pts)
- Data Sources Considered (2 pts)
- Data analysis methods envisaged (2 pts)
- Answers to the questions and criticisms of the audience (1 pt bonus)
The final written report (total of 55 out of 100): methodological chapter of your dissertation according to the same structure as the oral presentation. Evaluation criteria :
- Compliance with the approach taught (10 pts)
- Critical approach to the methodology (15 pts)
- Originality and relevance of arguments (15 pts)
- Clarity (written expression and sequence of ideas) (10 pts)
- General presentation (titles, bibliography, graphics ...) (5 pts)
- prepare for a round table a presentation of 3 minutes: question, hypotheses, mention data and methods (not noted)
- write a page presenting the research question, hypotheses, data and methods of the dissertation taking into account the remarks and the discussion of the previous session (4 pts)
- summarize the metadata (4 pts)
- present the advantages and disadvantages of your data by valuing their strengths (4 pts)
- present your dependent variable in relation to the research question (4 pts)
- present your independent variables considered in relation to the hypotheses of the research (4 pts)
- present as an empirical schema the relationships between variables of a good reference article (4 pts)
- present the possible interactions and the strategies to control them (4 pts)
- by taking two articles for examples, present the method chosen to analyze your data (4 pts)
- PPT presentation of the research project (3 pts)
Oral presentations (total of 10 out of 100) will take place in the presence of students and professors. Evaluation criteria :
- Reminder of the research question and hypotheses (2 pts)
- Brief review of the methodological literature (2 pts)
- Empirical causal diagram (2 pts)
- Data Sources Considered (2 pts)
- Data analysis methods envisaged (2 pts)
- Answers to the questions and criticisms of the audience (1 pt bonus)
The final written report (total of 55 out of 100): methodological chapter of your dissertation according to the same structure as the oral presentation. Evaluation criteria :
- Compliance with the approach taught (10 pts)
- Critical approach to the methodology (15 pts)
- Originality and relevance of arguments (15 pts)
- Clarity (written expression and sequence of ideas) (10 pts)
- General presentation (titles, bibliography, graphics ...) (5 pts)
Other information
Seminar reserved for students registered in the Masters in Population and Development
Online resources
Presentations and other resources are available on MoodleUCL.
Bibliography
Guillaume Wunsch (1988) Causal Theory and Causal Modeling
Chaire Quételet (1987) L’explication en sciences sociales - La recherche des causes en démographie.
Federica Russo (2009) Causality and Causal Modelling in the Social Sciences
Creswell J.W. (2003), Research Design : qualitative, quantitative et mixed methods.
Quivy et Van Campenhoudt (2006), Manuel de Recherche en Sciences Sociales.
Chaire Quételet (1987) L’explication en sciences sociales - La recherche des causes en démographie.
Federica Russo (2009) Causality and Causal Modelling in the Social Sciences
Creswell J.W. (2003), Research Design : qualitative, quantitative et mixed methods.
Quivy et Van Campenhoudt (2006), Manuel de Recherche en Sciences Sociales.
Faculty or entity
PSAD
Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)
Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [120] in Population and Development Studies