SO210 Quantitative and Qualitative Methods of Educational Research

Faculty of Education
Autumn 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Jiří Němec, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Veronika Kolaříková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Jiří Němec, Ph.D.
Department of Social Education – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Ing. et Ing. Jana Šajkovicsová
Supplier department: Department of Social Education – Faculty of Education
Timetable of Seminar Groups
SO210/KombiSem01: Fri 31. 10. 9:00–12:50 D114 učebna, 14:00–17:50 D114 učebna, Sat 22. 11. 9:00–12:50 D114 učebna, J. Němec
SO210/PrezSem01: Mon 8:00–9:50 E29 Skupinová pracovna, J. Němec
Prerequisites
The course builds on professional methodological knowledge and skills from bachelor's studies. Knowledge from the course Propaedeutics of Scientific Work and Pedagogical Research is expected (SO122).
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
At the end of course, the students should be able to:
Understand the principles of the quantity and quality research methods
Basic analysis (basic analysis included)
To know how to interpret the collected data
Project simple quantity and quality researches
The subject introduces the students to basic of scientific work and possible use of basic methodes of pedagogical research.
Learning outcomes
At the end of course, the students should be able to:
Understand the principles of the quantity and quality research methods
Basic analysis (basic analysis included)
To know how to interpret the collected data
Project simple quantity and quality researches
The subject introduces the students to basic of scientific work and possible use of basic methodes of pedagogical research.
Syllabus
  • Topics for consultation and independent study
  • 1) Introduction to the basics of methodology (basic concepts) - see also the course from the undergraduate level Relationship between methodology and social pedagogy. Methodology and research on social pedagogical reality (difference between natural and individual reality). Methodological means and goals of knowledge (episteme, techné, doxa). Qualitative and quantitative methods. Analytical thinking (statistical, causal, relational, historiographical analysis, operationalisation, working with data, etc.). Methodology and humanities disciplines. Issues of causality and scientific law. Methodological issues of social scientific communication and interpretation. Description and scientific language, prediction and exploration.
  • 2) Paradigms in methodology as a social phenomenon
  • Orientation in basic paradigms and social theories (see also the course Analyses of social scientific theories). Scientific paradigm changes: positivism (social positivism), Darwinism (social Darwinism), behaviorism, pragmatism, existentialism, Marxism, socialism, systemic (structural) models, realism, empiricism, phenomenology, etc. Paradigms in the methodology of pedagogy and social pedagogy. Cultural differences and aspects of methodology.
  • 3) Methodological and professional text
  • 4) Qualitative Methods, Pedagogical and Social Phenomena (see undergraduate level methodological training)
  • Identification of social pedagogical phenomena. Social behaviour and the influences of education and culture. Diversity of social reality. Social knowledge sets, data distribution, characteristics and their interpretation. Qualitative methods and theory, its social conceptualization. Field research. The concept of category and its coding, dimensions. Paradigmatic model of qualitative research. Relationships between categories, contextual conditions of observation. Inductive and deductive procedures. Theoretical frameworks - conceptualising the story. Signs and characteristics of theory. Analytical view of phenomena and processes. Interactional influences and matrices. Hermeneutic conception, phenomenological school, Frankfurt School, influence of cognitive and humanistic psychology. Combining qualitative methods, triangulation. Qualitative observation, questioning, interview, etc. Structure of a written report on qualitative research. Principles of qualitative research, research problem, sources of research problems, formulation of research questions. Theoretical sensitivity, definition and its sources (relationship between creativity and science), working with literature, definitions of terms.
  • 5) Quantitative methods and research of pedagogical and social phenomena Observation - observation as a research method, its structure and possibilities of knowledge (long-term x short-term, introspection and extrospection, direct and indirect, standardized and non-standardized). Results of observation. Reliability and validity of observations, possible sources of error. Rating - rating and its use in educational research. Definitions, categorical, numerical, rating, graphical and cumulative scales. Practical construction of items of different types. Questionnaire (survey) -types of items and their construction, Likert scale and scale items in questionnaires. Principles of questionnaire construction (clarity and intelligibility of items, unambiguity, etc.). Categorisation and systematisation of the data obtained, first, second and third level classification. Interpretation of classification results. Interview, interview, discussion - types (research, diagnostic, psychotherapeutic). Forms of interview (individual, group, etc.). Research specifics of interviews. Projective methods - advantages and disadvantages of projective techniques. Verbal methods (association experiment, incomplete sentence tests, projective interview. Graphic techniques (e.g. drawing analysis) and manipulative techniques (e.g. wire bending test). Content analysis - analysis of personal documentation, analysis of school and college documentation, analysis of professional text. Semantic methods - semantic differential, Meaning of the method and possible applications, bipolar scales and factor scores, activity and potency (and possibly others). Construction of semantic differential, graphical representation of results. Methods of measuring social relationships - sociometric techniques, SORAD, exploring preferential attitudes. Q-methodology - meaning and use of the method (some possible examples), q-types, q-sorting, minimal q-sorting, structured and unstructured sorting. Tests - conceptual definition, types of tests. Psychological - intelligence tests (A. Binet, J. P. Guilford, R. B. Cattell, etc.), personality tests (Eysenck personality questionnaire, TEZADO, etc.), psychomotor tests. Knowledge and skills tests and their classification, types of test tasks (open and closed tasks), Principles of didactic test development. Experiment - possible use in scientific research, types of experiment (laboratory, simulation, natural, formative), rules for conducting an experiment.
  • 6) Statistical processing and interpretation of data, basic operation of Statistica/JASP software
  • Basic concepts - Descriptive and inductive statistics, measures of central tendency, mean, mode, standard deviation, variance, measures of skewness and peakedness, histogram. Proficiency in the use of interpretive procedures based on knowledge of descriptive statistics is assumed. Statistical induction - statistical estimation, normality of distribution tests, hypothesis testing, chi-square, t-tests, correlation analysis, regression analysis, analysis of variance. Multivariate statistical methods - principal component analysis, factor analysis, cluster analysis, cluster analysis. Basics of working with Statistica - description of basic windows in Statistica, working with input data, checking data, creating and working with tables, displaying data, graphing input data, graphing block data, output, workbooks and reports, editing graphs.
Literature
    required literature
  • PELIKÁN, Jiří. Základy empirického výzkumu pedagogických jevů. Praha: Karolinum, 1998, 270 s. ISBN 9788071845690. info
  • KERLINGER, Freed N. Základy výzkumu chování : pedagogický a psychologický výzkum : Foundations of behavioral research : educational and psychological inquiry (Orig.). Translated by V. Smékal. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 1972, 705 s. info
  • Předmět má k dispozici detailní interaktivní osnovu a to včetně distančních studijní opor, videí apod.
    recommended literature
  • HENDL, Jan and Jiří REMR. Metody výzkumu a evaluace. Vydání první. Praha: Portál, 2017, 372 stran. ISBN 9788026211921. info
  • MAREŠ, Petr; Ladislav RABUŠIC and Petr SOUKUP. Analýza sociálněvědních dat (nejen) v SPSS (Data analysis in social sciences (using SPSS)). První. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2015, 508 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6362-4. info
  • CRESWELL, John W. Research design : qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2003, xxvi, 246. ISBN 0761924426. info
  • DISMAN, M. Jak se vyrábí sociologická znalost: příručka pro uživatele. 3. vyd. Praha: Karolinum, 2000, 374 pp. ISBN 80-246-0139-7. info
  • HENDL, Jan. Statistika v aplikacích. Vydání první. Praha: Portál, 2014, 455 stran. ISBN 9788026207009. info
  • WALKER, Ian. Výzkumné metody a statistika : z pohledu psychologie. Edited by Nigel Holt - Robert Lewis, Translated by Ondřej Novák. Vydání 1. Praha: Grada, 2013, 218 stran. ISBN 9788024739205. info
  • HENDL, Jan. Přehled statistických metod : analýza a metaanalýza dat. 3., přeprac. vyd. Praha: Portál, 2009, 695 s. ISBN 9788073674823. info
  • SARANTAKOS, Sotirios. Social research. 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005, xxxi, 464. ISBN 1403943206. info
  • MORGAN, David L. Ohniskové skupiny jako metoda kvalitativního výzkumu. Vyd. 1. Brno: Psychologický ústav Akademie věd, 2001, 99 s. ISBN 80-85834-77-4. info
  • Úvod do metodologie psychologického výzkumu :jak zkoumat lidskou duši. Edited by Ján Ferjenčík - Petr Bakalář. 1. vyd. Praha: Portál, 2000, 255 s. ISBN 80-7178-367-6. info
  • STRAUSS, Anselm and Juliet CORBINOVÁ. Základy kvalitativního výzkumu : postupy a techniky metody zakotvené teorie. Vyd. 1. Boskovice: Albert, 1999, 196 s. ISBN 80-85834-60-X. info
  • HENDL, Jan. Úvod do kvalitativního výzkumu. Praha: Karolinum, 1999, 278 s. ISBN 8024600307. info
    not specified
  • SZTOMPKA, Piotr. Vizuální sociologie : fotografie jako výzkumná metoda. Translated by Jiří Ogrocký. Vyd. 1. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2007, 168 s. ISBN 9788086429779. info
Teaching methods
research-oriented teaching, public defend of all assigned students projects, class discussion, homeworks
Assessment methods
Students will prepare student exercises (see interactive course outline) according to the teacher's assignment and defend it in front of the seminar group. The course is completed by a written structured knowledge test (75%). The course is taught both in full-time and combined form. During the semester, students complete seminar assignments, which are submitted successively via IS and defended.
Náhradní absolvování
Students staying abroad on a study stay (Erasmus+, etc.) will individually agree with the teacher on how to finish the course.
Language of instruction
Czech
Study support
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/ped/podzim2025/So210/index.qwarp
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/autumn2025/SO210