Cursos / 1º Ciclo / Faculty of Law :: Criminology

METODOLOGIA DE INVESTIGAÇÃO E TÉCNICAS DE INFORMAÇÃO - 2018/2019

1º curricular year
Semestralidade: 1st semester
ECTS: 3

Teachers

Leading Teacher: Mestre Josefina Castro

Class type and School hours

Teórico-prática : 2 Horas

Teaching Language

Portuguese

Main Aims/Objectives

As an introduction to qualitative research (QR) on social topics and problems, especially those related with crime, deviance and social control, this curricular unit aims at providing students with: i) knowledge on the theoretical and methodological framework of QR and its relationship with methodological options; ii) knowledge on qualitative research planning and methods for data collection and analysis; iii) basic skills for the practice of QR; skills for the analysis of scientific literature.

Specific Aims/Objectives

By the end of the curricular unit students should be able to:
- Understand the nature and logic of scientific research in the field of social science
- Know the historical background of qualitative research and understand the epistemological and theoretical framework that structures it;
- Know the main aspects of qualitative research planning and the methods for collection and analysis of qualitative data
- Be able to methodologically analyse qualitative studies.

Skills to be acquired

At the end of the UC, students are expected to have developed:
- Competences for the understanding and analysis of scientific works produced within the
criminological field, in particular of a qualitative nature.
- Basic skills for the practice of qualitative research, namely on data collection methods and techniques.

Teaching Procedures

The teaching methodologies combine the presentation of the main contents of the curricular unit with the planning and discussion of practical exercises and methodological aspects of qualitative research work.

Programme

I-Introduction: scientific knowledge and the logic of research in social science
1. The nature and logic of scientific research
2. Introduction to fundamental concepts: description, explanation and interpretative understanding; induction deduction; correlation and causality; qualitative methods and quantitative methods;
3. The process of empirical research: from theory to research questions/ hypotheses; research design; data collection methods; data analysis; presentation and discussion of results.

II. Qualitative research: theoretical-epistemological and methodological framework
1-Epistemological paradigms and theoretical perspectives that structure qualitative research
2- The qualitative research of delinquency, deviation and social control: emergency and developments.


III- The process of qualitative research
1-Qualitative research strategies / programs:
2-Phases and specificities of the investigation process and the "Grounded Theory"
3 – Research objectives and questions/hypothesis
4- The relationship between theory, research questions/hypothesis and methodological options;
5. Sampling principles and strategies.

IV- Methodologies for the collection and analysis of qualitative data:
1. Observation in the framework of ethnographic research
2. Documentary analysis. 3.
3.Qualitative interview
4. Focus group
5. Introduction to qualitative data analysis

V- The quality of qualitative research: reliability, validity and generalizability

Evaluation Type

The continuous assessment component is subject of orientation in the classes and suppose de elaboration of a practice exerc

The continuous assessment component includes:
- 2 written tests;
- two practical exercises that are aimed at the training of qualitative methodologies and the elaboration of the respective reports.

Teaching Resources

Scientific publications and other materials provided or recommended to the students.

Sustainability Objectives

Keywords

Main Bibliography

Complementary Bibliography