EPN-V2

MASYD4060 Research Methods, Quantitative Approach Course description

Course name in Norwegian
Forskningsmetode og databehandling, kvantitativ del
Study programme
Master's Programme in Nursing - Clinical Research and Professional Development - Part Time 4 Years
Weight
10.0 ECTS
Year of study
2018/2019
Course history

Introduction

Det gis en innføring i analyse av kvantitative data slik at studenten kan lese vitenskapelige artikler kritisk. Tema er: ulike design i kvantitative studier, forskjellige typer data, grunnleggende prinsipper ved univariat og bivariat analyse og hypotesetesting, tolking av deskriptive tabeller og figurer og etisk refleksjon om planlegging, gjennomføring og presentasjon av kvantitative studier. Det gis en anvendbar innføring i grunnleggende begreper i statistikk og sentrale statistiske metoder. PC-øvelser med statistikkpakken SPSS utgjør noe av undervisningen. Forskningsetiske prinsipper anvendes og ses i sammenheng med studiedesign, datainnsamling, resultatfremstilling og ved kritisk vurdering av forskningsresultater. Emnet MASYK/D4050 Vitenskapsteori og forskningsmetode bør være gjennomført og bestått før emnestart her.

Recommended preliminary courses

No prerequisites

Required preliminary courses

Opptak til studiet.

Learning outcomes

Etter gjennomført emne har studenten følgende læringsutbytte definert i kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse:

Kunnskap:

Studenten

  • har inngående kunnskap om forskningsprosessen og forskningsetiske utfordringer i kvantitative studier
  • har avansert kunnskap om sentrale begreper i statistikk
  • kan anvende kunnskap om de mest sentrale metodene i kvantitativ forskning
  • har inngående kunnskap om styrker og svakheter ved kvantitative studier

Ferdigheter:

Studenten

  • kan registrere kvantitative data i regneark eller statistikkprogram
  • kan bruke statistikkprogram for å analysere kvantitative data
  • kan forholde seg kritisk til tolkning av kvantitative data
  • kan utarbeide systematiske presentasjoner av kvantitative data, som tabeller og figurer
  • kan identifisere og belyse styrker og svakheter i kvantitative studier

Generell kompetanse:

Studenten

  • kan presentere relevante problemstillinger for kvantitative design
  • kan formidle kvantitative fag- og forskningsresultater som er relevante for helse- og sosialtjenesten
  • kan kommunisere etiske betraktninger om formidling av helseforskning

Content

The course presents various ways that major environmental issues are seen as global challenges and are discussed in global fora. Furthermore, the students learn about specific cases of such issues in Ghana and other West-African countries. In these cases, the course provides insights to concerns by various actors at local and national levels. The students gain a basis for critical analysis and reflection upon the causes, dynamics and proposed solutions to environmental conflicts. The course places a significant focus on field experience, including three field trips during which the students will be able to engage directly with some of the major environmental concerns facing Ghana.

At the end of the course the student has obtained the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student has attained knowledge about

  • key concepts in environmental studies, such as 'sustainable development'
  • ways that various types of 'power' is applied in environmental conflicts
  • the role of institutions, organisations and other stakeholders in managing and regulating human impact on the environment
  • the manner in which social and economic dynamics of development interact with the biophysical environment at multiple scales
  • what the approach of political ecology entails
  • the social constructions of the environment and environmental issues
  • the political nature of important contemporary environmental issues, with a particular focus on West Africa, in general, and Ghana, in particular
  • the contingent nature of truth

Skills

The student has gained skills in

  • critical reading and reflexivity on environmental issues and conflicts
  • basic skills in primary data collection (largely qualitative)
  • writing skills and argument formulation

General competence

The student is able to

  • interrogate accounts of environmental problems and appreciate the politics involved in their formulation
  • discuss environmental issues insomuch as they impact on development concerns
  • engage with geographical, sociological and anthropological literature documenting environmental challenges in West Africa
  • understand better the complexities involved in resolving some of the major global environmental challenges

Teaching and learning methods

Forelesning, gruppearbeid, seminar, PC-øvelser med SPSS og selvstudier.

Course requirements

For å fremstille seg til eksamen må følgende oppgave være godkjent:

Presentasjon

  • Utarbeidelse av en presentasjon. Studentene velger datasett og utarbeider en problemstilling som er relevant for klinisk praksis.
  • Utføres i gruppe på 4-5 studenter.
  • Studentene får muntlig tilbakemelding fra medstudenter og muntlig tilbakemelding fra faglærer.

Assessment

Individuell skriftlig eksamen under tilsyn, 3 timer bestående av regneoppgaver, tolkningsoppgaver og multiple choice-test.

Permitted exam materials and equipment

Klargjort kalkulator fra universitetet er eneste hjelpemiddel på eksamen.

Grading scale

Gradert skala A-F.

Examiners

The course description is approved by the Faculty Board 19 June 2009

Study plan approved by Rector 1 July 2009

Update approved by the the Vice-Dean on behalf of the Academic Affairs Committee 13 June 2014

Minor changes approved 22 April 2017

Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (HiOA) offers an international one semester full-time course (30 ECTS credits) in Global Environmental Studies in Ghana, West Africa. The course is offered in co-operation with Kulturstudier AS.

The course is taught through an interdisciplinary approach incorporating elements of economics, sociology, geography, social anthropology, environmental studies, and political science. It combines a general introduction to environmental studies with focus on sub-Saharan Africa and particularly the West African region. The course activities (lectures, discussions, seminars, excursions, projects, assignments and examination) as well as the literature are all in English.

Overlapping courses

The course Global Environmental Studies combines traditional lecture-based teaching with workshop seminars, enabling students to discuss and work within smaller groups. Moreover, the teaching combines classroom methods, such as lectures and seminars, with practical sessions, such as field research, project work, visits and field trips to relevant local institutions and areas of interest. The field research provides an excellent opportunity to integrate the knowledge from the theoretical courses and apply it to real situations.

The first part of the course is a 7-week web-based self-study. After this, the students leave for Ghana to attend the regular course based on classroom teaching. The curriculum is covered by approximately 30 two-hour lectures. Additionally a permanent seminar leader will hold approximately 10 workshop seminars during the course. Students are expected to take a proactive approach to their learning. They are expected to plan and organise their studies, and take an active role in seminars, class discussions, and in making practice contacts and site visits.

The last part of the course is a group work period, during which the students form groups and write a group assignment on a particular case/project/issue, preferably in the West African area. The group work may be conducted in cooperation with local academic organisations and NGOs and provides an excellent opportunity for the students to integrate the knowledge and skills from the theoretical tutoring and apply them to real situations of problem solving. At an early stage of their stay in Ghana the students form groups of 4-5 persons. The purpose of these groups is both to work on current topics from the lectures and literature, and to fulfil the group assignments. The seminar leader is instrumental in forming the groups and supervising them during the writing process.

There will be a seminar on how to write papers. Here, the seminar leader will also suggest topics of relevance. In addition, each group will be given supervision.

Details about the deadlines of a particular semester will appear in the study guide.