Admission requirements
Knowledge of statistics, research methods and SPSS at the level of the Leiden Bachelor’s Programme Education and Child Studies.
Description
The course aims to get students acquainted with the practice of empirical research on the level required for their Research Master’s thesis. Scientific papers are examined in detail regarding their organisation and research methods. Attention will be paid to both the methodological design and the statistical analysis of results. The course offers tools for assessing the quality of published research results as well as for producing one’s own research report.
Course objectives
At the end of this course, the student:
is competent in methodological and technical research skills that are current in Education and Child Studies in general, and in the Master’s specialisation in particular;
is able to design and conduct research in one of the specialisations of the Masters’ programme;
is able to critically evaluate aspects of study design and methodology in empirical research;
can analyse and evaluate scientific literature critically to establish its practical or theoretical relevance;
can formulate a consistent line of reasoning, based on scientific arguments;
can report in writing (in English) on human development in an academic professional context;
is conscious of ethical considerations involved in performing and describing scientific research.
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Seven lectures
Five tutorial sessions (attendance obligatory)
Seven computer lab sessions (attendance obligatory)
Materials as well as instruction will be in English.
Assessment method
Grades are based on a final research paper (written in English), under the condition that all other obligatory assignments have been successfully completed.
Blackboard
During this course Blackboard will be used. The Blackboard site will contain announcements, course documents, information on tutorials and computer labs, lecture notes and discussion boards.
Reading list
A detailed Student Manual will be available in August. Additional materials will be available on the Blackboard site of the course.
Registration
Course
Students need to register for lectures in uSis. It is not possible to take a course without a valid registration.
Exam
Students are not automatically registered for exams. They can register themselves in uSis until 10 calendar days before the exam date at the latest. Students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the exam.
Please consult the course and exam registration website for information on registration periods and further instructions.
The exam of this course is a written report. Hence, you do not have to register for an exam in uSis.
Contact information
First check the Student Manual, then the Blackboard module and only after failure to find what you want to know, contact the staff of the course;
For enrolment and organisational issues please mail: Dr. S. Plukaard;
For specific issues with respect to tutorials, computer labs, end paper, and absence please contact your instructor;
Please pose general questions regarding the end paper on the general Blackboard forum;
Please pose specific questions related to the subject of your tutorial group on the Group forum.