Research Methods and Statistics

Education

The group develops and teaches the large majority of methodological courses in all phases of the program Education and Child Studies. This program rests on a strong empirical-analytical tradition. This means that research methodology and statistics, linked with educational research questions, have a central role.

Bachelor

The group’s bachelor courses are mainly aimed at teaching the basic principles of good scientific research. Attention is paid to research design, sampling, reliability and validity, and methods for data collection (e.g., survey and observation).  In addition, the most common statistical analysis methods are discussed, including t-tests, ANOVA, correlation, and regression. These courses prepare students for answering their own research questions, first in groups, and later also individually.

Master's

In the master's courses, students are taught to apply the concepts from the bachelor courses in more complicated situations,  leading to more in-depth discussions and critical reflection on (their own) scientific conduct. Also, some more advanced research methods are introduced. These courses prepare students for writing their master’s thesis.

Research master's

In the research master's, the statistical instrumentarium is expanded even further, introducing methods such as principal component analysis, logistic regression, item-response theory, categorical data analysis, meta-analysis, mediation and moderation models, and multilevel analysis. The primary goal of the course program is to teach students to be critical participants in the scientific field.