The purpose of this course is to foster an understanding of the fundamental concepts of statistical science, to acquire knowledge regarding approaches, strategies, and methods of qualitative design, and to apply them to research and educational science. The course aims to enable students to assimilate the taught material and to utilize their knowledge both in their professional environment and in broader applications of Statistics, which are essential for meeting research needs in pedagogy and in the care and education of children in early childhood. The course also aims to introduce students to the basic principles of research methodology so that they can design and implement research studies. Specifically, it seeks: to familiarize students with the basic epistemological approaches concerning the process of creating scientific knowledge; to ensure understanding and knowledge of different approaches in research methodology (“quantitative” and “qualitative” directions) as well as various types of research design; and to build familiarity with the individual steps of the research process, from the initial selection of a research interest to the final stage of writing a research study. In addition, upon completion of the course, students will be able to think more efficiently and make better decisions in relation to the uncertainty of the future. The course will also provide the opportunity to apply statistical theory on a computer using appropriate statistical packages such as SPSS.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
Knowledge — recall and describe:
- the procedures for conducting research and the phases of research design
- the stages of the research process, from the initial selection of a research
- interest to the final stage of writing a research report
- the various research designs and data collection techniques
- the parts and characteristics of developing/writing research papers
- data collection and analysis
- the use of hypothesis tests
- the estimation of correlations and regressions
Skills — explain and draw conclusions regarding:
- basic concepts of research methodology
- the research process as reflected in research papers
- issues of research ethics management
- the selection of appropriate methods of data collection and analysis according to the research
- objective and research questions
- data collection and analysis
- the use of hypothesis tests
- the estimation of correlations and regressions
Competences — apply the above as follows:
- collect, process, analyze, and present research results
- connect the research objective, research questions, data collection methods, analysis methods, and the drawing of conclusions
- study and analyze research papers
- distinguish the designs, techniques, and other characteristics among quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodological designs
- design research studies
- organize data
- understand basic statistical tools
- use statistical techniques for the analysis of real data
- critically analyze different research approaches (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed), as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each approach
- critically analyze the available literature
Synthesis: Students will acquire the ability to conduct literature reviews, formulate research questions, and select the most appropriate methodological approach to answer them. At the same time, they will have developed the ability to choose and apply the appropriate method for analyzing primary quantitative data.
Evaluation: Students will acquire the ability to evaluate their research results, as well as to draft and present a complete research paper.
General Competences
- Searching, analyzing, and synthesizing data and information, using the necessary technologies
- Promotion of free, creative, and inductive thinking
- Decision-making
- Leadership
- Generation of new research ideas
- Exercise of critique and self-critique
- Adaptation to new situations
- Independent work
- Teamwork
- Project design
- Work in an international environment
- Work in an interdisciplinary environment
COURSE CONTENT
- Introduction to research methodology and to scientific and business research.
- Design of the research process.
- Measurements / Scales / Questionnaire design.
- Introduction to Data Analysis Techniques.
- Basic Statistical Measures.
- Correlation–Regression Analysis.
- χ2 Test of Independence.
- Test of Equality of Means.
- Exploratory Factor Analysis.
- Cluster Analysis – Discriminant Analysis.
- Writing a research report and methods of presenting research findings.
The above topics are studied and processed in a digital environment as well, through laboratory sessions using the SPSS statistical software.