BVV3030 Social science research and scientific perspectives Course description

This course provides theoretical and practical insight into research methods in the social care disciplines. The students will work on their ability to read and understand research results and acquire skills in designing a simple research survey.

The main focus will be on qualitative methods, in-depth interviews and observation. The students will also gain insight into simple quantitative methods such as designing questionnaire surveys. The course emphasises discussions on the relevance of research in practice.

Language of instruction is Norwegian.

The student must have completed and passed the second year of the Bachelor Programme in Child Care and Welfare Work or Bachelor's Programme in Social Work.

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has knowledge of how social science methods are used to develop academic knowledge in social care disciplines
• has knowledge of different stages of a research process
• has knowledge of research ethics and power relations in social care research work

Skills

The student:

• can develop a simple research project outline
• can use the library databases to obtain relevant academic literature to shed light on a topic
• can describe a delimited project work in writing and orally

General competence

The student:

• can analyse a research text and recognise methodological strengths and weaknesses in it
• can reflect on the relationship between knowledge and power in social work

Teaching sessions are focused on imparting a practical understanding of how knowledge is formed and presented, using specially designed exercises and analysis of research texts.

As well as organised teaching sessions, the students are expected to develop a small-scale research project on a current topic related to social work. The process of developing a project outline takes place during the course in parallel with teaching.

No coursework requirements or compulsory activities.

The exam is an individual exam comprising submission of the project outline that the student has developed during the course. This is submitted in the form of a poster.

The students also give a presentation of the poster to the examiners and fellow students at a joint seminar. A template will be provided for the poster presentation.

The grade awarded to the student is based on an overall assessment of the written and oral presentation of the project.

Students who fail the semester paper are given one opportunity to submit a reworked version for grading.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grade scale A-F.

All exam papers are assessed by one internal and one external examiner.