• Home
• Study
• Study Information
• Modules
• Module Information

Introduction to Social Data

Module description

‘Women do 11 hours more housework than men’ or ‘Violent crime is down for three years in a row’. Much social science research uses quantitative research methods and statistics to investigate social phenomena ranging from employment, crime rates, health outcomes, political participation and social class. This introductory first-year module introduces you to key concepts in quantitative research design,data collection and data analysis as a basis for understanding such social phenomena

This module is suitable for all social science students and is part of the Q-Step core sequence in research methods.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to introduce you to quantitative research design,data collection and basic data analysis. More specifically, it uses data sets and research examples drawn from existing social science research to illustrate core concepts and methods in quantitative research. By introducing you to methods such as experiments and surveys, and the type of social science research that can be produced using these, this module lays the foundation for understanding quantitative methods and for your own experience in conducting quantitative studies.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate basic knowledge of quantitative research design, data collection and some awareness of analytic techniques;
• 2. Demonstrate basic understanding of what makes some quantitative research ‘good’ and some ‘bad’ quality (quality criterion);

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Demonstrate an understanding of quantitative research design in the social sciences at an introductory level;
• 4. Create a relevant social science research question and hypothesis;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Present quantitative data effectively and clearly; and
• 6. Demonstrate numeracy skills which will be desirable to employers.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following themes:

• Introduction: What is quantitative research?

• Populations and samples

• Social surveys

• Correlation and causation

• Experiments in the social science

• Measurement. Reliability and validity in social science research

• Basic descriptive statistics and data analysis

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Llaudet, E. and Imai, K. (2023). Data Analysis for Social Science: A friendly and practical introduction. Princeton University Press

Fowler, F.J. (2014) Survey research methods. London: Sage. 5th ed.

Imai, K. (2016). A first course in quantitative social science. Princeton University Press

Raykov, T. and Marcoulides, G.A. (2012). Basic Statistics. An Introduction with R. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Key words search

Social science, surveys, quantitative, research design, data collection