Basic Information

Course Code:

ECON 1112

Course Name:

Research Methods in Social Sciences

Language of Instruction:

English

Course Type:

Class

Course Level:

Bachelor

ECTS:

4.00

Instructor:

Dr. Öğr. Üyesi FIRAT YILMAZ

Course Objectives

The primary objective of this course is to comprehensively teach students the processes of designing, conducting, and reporting scientific research in the social sciences. The course aims to enhance students' critical thinking skills by teaching them how to formulate a research question, select the appropriate methodology, and present findings within the framework of academic ethics. Students will master basic paradigms such as positivism, interpretivism, and critical theory, and gain expertise in qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques (surveys, interviews, content analysis, etc.).

Course Content

The course begins with the philosophy of science, the nature of the scientific method, and ethical principles. Subsequent weeks cover literature review strategies, definition of the research problem, hypothesis development, and operationalization of concepts. Within the scope of quantitative methods, survey design, sampling techniques, and validity-reliability analyses are detailed; qualitative methods cover in-depth interviews, focus group studies, and ethnographic observations. The final part of the course concludes with data analysis and academic writing rules (APA format).

Prerequisites / Corequisites

None

Course Books / Materials / Recommended Resources

Neuman, W. L. (2014). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pearson.Babbie, E. R. (2020). The Practice of Social Research. Cengage Learning.Gerring, J. (2012). Social Science Methodology: A Unified Framework. Cambridge University Press.

Learning Outcomes

Code	Description
LO1	Analyzes the fundamental scientific research paradigms and ethical principles in social sciences.
LO2	Conducts a literature review for a specific economic problem and formulates the research question.
LO3	Selects appropriate sampling methods and data collection tools suitable for the research design.
LO4	Interprets research findings using qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques.
LO5	Prepares a scientific research report in accordance with academic writing rules.

Weekly Course Content

Week	Content
1	Scientific Method and Social Sciences
2	Research Topic and Problem Definition
3	Research Ethics and Academic Integrity
4	Literature Review Techniques
5	Variables and Hypothesis Formulation
6	Research Designs (Descriptive, Experimental)
7	Qualitative Research Methods
8	Midterm Exam
9	Quantitative Research Methods and Surveys
10	Sampling Theory and Techniques
11	Data Preparation and Descriptive Analysis
12	Content Analysis and Interview Techniques
13	Interpretation of Findings and Discussion
14	Academic Report Writing and Presentation
15	Review

Workload Calculation

Activity	Count	Duration (Hours)	Total
Attendance	14	3.00	42.00
Practice	14	1.00	14.00
Pre-Class Individual Study	14	2.00	28.00
Midterm Exam/Preparation	1	15.00	15.00
Final Exam/Preparation	1	20.00	20.00
Total Workload (Hours)			119
ECTS Credit (Workload / 25)			4

Assessment

#	Assessment Type	Contribution (%)
1	Midterm Exam	%40
2	Final Exam	%60
TOTAL		%100

PO - LO Matrix

PO \ LO	LO1	LO2	LO3	LO4	LO5
PO-1
PO-2
PO-3
PO-4
PO-5
PO-6
PO-7
PO-8
PO-9
PO-10
PO-11
PO-12

1

Low Contribution

2

Medium Contribution

3

High Contribution

Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence

Per ABU’s academic integrity policy, all assignments and reports must be the student's original work. Artificial intelligence tools (e.g., ChatGPT) may only be used for brainstorming and language correction; however, the direct use of AI outputs in research analysis, data interpretation, and conclusion writing is considered academic misconduct. If AI is used, the stage of use must be clearly declared in the methodology section.

Sustainable Development Goals