Sylabus
Topics:
1. Logic, benefits and limitations of quantitative research (compared with qualitative research), quantitative research designs, formulation of research questions and hypotheses, reviewing literature.
2. Representativeness (concepts of sample, population, etc.), types of probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling techniques, selection error and response rates – concrete examples and demonstrations of sampling techniques typical for educational settings.
3. Designing the questionnaire (the role of theory, retrieval of research information, use of standardized scales and questionnaires), construction and structure of questionnaires, formulation of questions, order of questions.
4. Thinking beyond the horizon of individual questions – using summative rating scales, reliability and validity of summary indices.
5. Possibilities of the pilot study and its evaluation, questionnaire adjustment and choice of data collection methods, data file preparation, data cleansing, data analysis and interpretation.