MPV_MSEV Methodology of empirical research

Faculty of Economics and Administration
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Laura Fónadová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Laura Fónadová, Ph.D.
Department of Public Economics – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Contact Person: Jana Biskupová
Supplier department: Department of Public Economics – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 1/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course introduces students to the basics of the social research methodology and to show them methodological procedures of applied research.
The aim of the course is to equip students with the knowledge and skills which will be of practical use for them:
1. in future practice (when acquiring and assessing information needed for effective decision-making, when analyzing the quality of data obtained through research);
2. in their further studies (when writing the diploma thesis and as a source for further study of scientific research methodology in postgraduate programme).
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course the students should:
- have basic knowledge of the purpose and the reason of social research;
- know the major types of research design and methods of collection and analyzing research data;
- know what is necessary for research proposals and for research reports;
- be able to judge critically the planned research proposals and their outputs.
Syllabus
  • 1.Introduction. Science, structure of sciences. Scientific research, features of scientific research, purpose and significance of scientific research. Ethical aspects of scientific research. Empirical social research and its value for the practice of different fields.
  • 2. Types of research. Basic and applied research, primary and secondary research. Scientific research methods. Theoretical methods, empirical methods. Theory, model, concept. Purpose of theory, theory-practice relationship.
  • 3. The stages of research process. Research problem, research objectives, research questions, research hypotheses.
  • 4. Study of scientific and professional literature. Theoretical critical analysis of the level of knowledge, choice and formulation of theoretical methodological background. Contemporary information sources and their use.
  • 5. Types of research design. Types defined on the basis of research purpose (exploratory, descriptive, predictive, causal research), types defined on the basis of research objective and logics (qualitative, quantitative research). Research proposal. Examples of research proposals in selected fields of application.
  • 6. Quantitative methodology I. Conceptualization, operationalization. Variable, types of variables. Levels of measurement. Quantitative data collection methods.
  • 7. Quantitative methodology II. Measurement scales, questionnaires and their construction. Validity and reliability.
  • 8. Research sample, research sample representativity. Methods for research sample selection (probability sampling design, improbability sampling design). Addressing respondents, general principles of primary data collection quality. Return rates.
  • 9. Quantitative methodology III. Quantitative data analysis, documentation and presentation of quantitative research results (tables, graphs). Research results interpretation.
  • 10. Qualitative methodology. Qualitative data collection and analysis methods.
  • 11. Secondary data and their analysis. Sources of secondary data, judging the quality of secondary data, advantages and disadvantages of secondary data analysis.
  • 12. Presentation of research results. Research report, scientific article, poster, popularization article. Language of science.
Literature
    required literature
  • DISMAN, Miroslav. Jak se vyrábí sociologická znalost : příručka pro uživatele. Páté, nezměněné vydán. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, Nakladatelství Karolinum, 2021, 372 stran. ISBN 9788024650531. info
  • HENDL, Jan and Jiří REMR. Metody výzkumu a evaluace. Vydání první. Praha: Portál, 2017, 372 stran. ISBN 9788026211921. info
    recommended literature
  • PUNCH, Keith. Základy kvantitativního šetření. Translated by Jan Hendl. Vydání první. Praha: Portál, 2008, 150 stran. ISBN 9788073673819. info
  • HENDL, Jan. Kvalitativní výzkum : základní teorie, metody a aplikace. Čtvrté, přepracované a r. Praha: Portál, 2016, 437 stran. ISBN 9788026209829. info
  • ŠANDEROVÁ, Jadwiga and Alena MILTOVÁ. Jak číst a psát odborný text ve společenských vědách : několik zásad pro začátečníky. Vydání první. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2005, 209 stran. ISBN 9788086429403. info
Teaching methods
The course is designed as seminar format (contains reading, work on research project, discussion, presentation).
Assessment methods
90-minute seminars take place every two weeks of the term. Students will elaborate a research proposal on the selected topic. At the end, there is a written examination and an oral discussion of the elaborated research proposal. The written exam has 2 parts: 1st part checks the knowledge of the theory presented in the lectures (50%); 2nd part checks the ability to apply the theory to practical examples (50%). The quality of the research proposal will be evaluated using the 0-10 scale. The final evaluation will be based on the above-mentioned scores. The minimum for passing the exam is 60%.
If a student enrolls in the course during studying abroad through exchange programs (such as Erasmus), they should contact the course garantor. In such case, the student has two options: (1) take a similar course at a foreign university or (2) take the course later, after returning from their study abroad program.
If a student is found to commit a prohibited act, such as using banned tools, cheating, or removing any part of the exam, the teacher is allowed to interrupt the exam and grade the student with F, FF or FFF, depending on the seriousness of the offence. The mentioned policy applies to all activities that are part of the final evaluation of the course, such as seminar work, essays, tests etc.).
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every other week.
Note related to how often the course is taught: (sudý týden).
General note: Předmět je identický s Metodologií socioekonomického výzkumu.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
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