Instructor: Nikolaos Tsigilis
Course Description
This unit covers in detail the practice of research methods in the field of communication. Students will become familiar with developing the research question(s), formulating the hypotheses of their study, selecting participants and instruments. Moreover, they will explore the various designs that are used in quantitative (e.g. experimental and quasi experimental design, correlational design, surveys) and qualitative (e.g. interviews, focus groups, participant observations) research. During these sessions students will learn how to select the appropriate research design depending on the area they wish to study and the analysis that is required for each set of data (quantitative or qualitative). A great emphasis is also given to the ethical issues in research methods.
Course Objectives
- Provide students the knowledge and experience to became informed consumers of scientific research
- Provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out a research project
- Provide students with a reflexive and critical attitude towards research.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the issues involved in the design of research in the field of communication
- Understand the strengths and weaknesses of each research methodology
- Formulate a clear research question and be able to write a research proposal
- Select the appropriate research technique to answer specific research questions in the field of communication
- Communicate and disseminate the research output
Class/Learning activities
Lectures, workshops, group work, in-class presentations, literature study, written assignments
Workload
| Type of work | Description | Hours |
| Lectures | Thirteen 3-hours lectures | 39 |
| Independent study | Study of compulsory and optional literature | 30-40 |
| Group Research | Small scale research | 55-65 |
| Written assignments | Literature review (1.500-2.000 words)Research proposal (2.000-2.500 words) | 110-120 |
| Presentations | In-class oral presentations | 20-30 |
| Total workload | 254-294 |
Assessment
| Type of assessment | Learning outcome | Impact on final grade | Date of assessment |
| Participation in group work and discussion | 1-2 | 10% | Regularly |
| Presentation | 5 | 10% | 8th -12th week |
| Group research | 2-4 | 20% | 6th – 8th week |
| Literature review | 2-4 | 30% | 8th week |
| Research proposal | 2-5 | 30% | 13th week |
Required Reading
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4rth ed.). Thousand Oak: CA, Sage.
Merrigan, G., & Huston, C. L. (2008). Communication research methods. Oxford University.
Silverman, D. (2010). Doing qualitative research (3rd ed.). London: Sage.
Additional Recommended Reading
Babbie, E. (2013). The basics of social research (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Baxter, L., & Babbie, E. (2004). The basics of communication research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (4rth ed). Thousand Oakes, CA: Sage
Lindlof, T. R., & Taylor, B. C. (2008). Qualitative communication research methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Mertens, D. M. (2015). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (4rth ed.). Thousand Oak: CA, Sage.
