Introduction to the Philosophy of Science and Educational Research Methods

The course offers a basic introduction to the philosophy of science, qualitative and quantitative research methods and statistics. Central to the course are the characteristics of various research traditions used in educational research, science of counseling and adult learning, about their practices, the standards they have to meet and the scientific ideals they are based on. The course includes how to plan and carry out various types of studies, how to analyze data and how to present results from qualitative and quantitative studies. In statistics, the emphasis is on basic concepts and symbols used in descriptive statistics.

The students:

• have knowledge about different traditions in philosophy of science and their importance for research methodology.
• have basic knowledge about important quantitative and qualitative research methods and statistics which are used in the fields of education, adult learning and counseling science.
• have basic knowledge about scientific and ethical standards in social science studies.
• are able to assess the implications of the choice of methods for samples, data collection methods and analyzes.
• are able to understand and critically evaluate and interpret others and their own research, as well as report research findings.
• know how to plan and carry out a basic research assignment.

Ca. 3 hours teaching pr. week.