AD2RES: Research Methods for BSc International Development

Module code: AD2RES

Module provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Credits: 20

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Jo Davies, email: joanne.davies@reading.ac.uk

Additional teaching staff 1: Dr Garth Holloway, email: garth.holloway@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): This module is only available to BSc International Development students. (Open)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to introduce students to the interdisciplinary use of qualitative and quantitative data in social science research settings with particular reference to data generation, discovery and processing in developing country contexts. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Have competency in understanding the potential role and value of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, data generation, data discovery and data processing in social science settings with particular reference to problems in developing countries. 
2. Have competency in the use of a range of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. 
3. Have competency in assessing the importance of both qualitative and quantitative survey design with particular reference to developing economy contexts. 
4. Have an understanding of some of the intricacies involved in processing both qualitative and quantitative data derived from developing-economy contexts. 

Module content

Course Overview and an Introduction to the role and significance of the qualitative data generation process; the philosophical perspectives underlying qualitative data generation.  

Planning a research project, literature review, constructing a research question. 

Questionnaires and interviews in a qualitative setting. 

Focus groups and observation, analysis of qualitative data. 

Overview and an Introduction to the role and significance of the quantitative data generation process. The cohesion and inter-linkages between qualitative and quantitative data development.  

An introduction to the quantitative data sets:  

Case Study One: The Flight Plans of Endangered Species: Multinomial Analysis of Trindade Petrel Migrations. 

Case Study Two. Transactions costs cooperatives and milk-market development in Ethiopian highlands.: The Normal Linear Model and an Introduction to Censored Data Sets.  

Case Study Three: Cattle raiding by Kuria tribesmen on the Tanzania-Kenya border and the problem with households that have too many boys.  

Case Study Four:  Hierarchical Substructures: The Case of Human Trafficking in Tanzania 

Case Study Five: Arsenic poisoning, well water quality and linkages to educational attainment in Bangladeshi households. 

Quantitative Analysis Accompaniments: Looking at data as distributions with applications from the case studies. Reading: Chapter one in Moore McCabe and Craig, Introduction to The Practice of Statistics. 

Quantitative Analysis Accompaniments: Displaying distributions as graphs with applications from the case studies. Reading: Chapter two in Moore McCabe and Craig, Introduction to The Practice of Statistics. 

Quantitative Analysis Accompaniments: Describing distributions with numbers with applications from the case studies. Reading: Chapter three in Moore McCabe and Craig, Introduction to The Practice of Statistics. 

Group Project 

Compete for contract as research consultants to develop a research agenda for a client. Discuss background to project and project brief. Development of research plan for approval by the agency and presentation in class. Detailed consideration of research design including ethical clearance. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching will be mainly lectures, which will include interactive elements.  The group project will be taught via seminars and include independent group work. 

Study hours

At least 44 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Regular formative assessment though interactive exercises in lectures. 

Formative feedback sessions scheduled during Group Project. 

Reassessment

Additional costs