At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• explain the concept and field of application of empirical social research,
  

• explain the significance of research methods for economics and establish a link to their application in practice,
  

• present and describe the process of empirical studies and market research studies,
  

• describe and assign the basic types of research (designs),
  

• explain the characteristics and possible applications of qualitative and quantitative research,
  

• describe and explain the principles of sampling and material selection in qualitative and quantitative research,
  

• describe and explain the basic ideas and process models of selected qualitative and quantitative data collection methods,
  

• plan and practically implement selected qualitative and quantitative data collection methods,
  

• carry out computer-aided data collection,
  

• describe and explain the basic ideas and process models of selected qualitative data analysis methods,
  

• plan selected qualitative data evaluation methods and carry them out (computer-aided) in practice,
  

• describe the possibilities of using new technologies (e.g. AI-based tools) for the preparation and analysis of qualitative data and use them in practical implementation,
  

• interpret qualitative and quantitative studies by third parties, evaluate their quality and subject them to a methodological critique.
  

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• Concept, purpose and areas of application of empirical social research
  

• Structuring and planning of empirical studies (research process) and market research projects
  

• Comparison of qualitative and quantitative research approaches and introduction to mixed methods approaches
  

• Overview of the basic types of research (explorative study, descriptive study, correlation study, causal analysis) and introduction to selected special research designs (e.g. grounded theory, case analysis, document analysis, quantitative experiment, qualitative experiment)
  

• Principles of sampling and material selection in qualitative and quantitative research
  

• Basics, planning and practical implementation of selected qualitative and quantitative data collection methods (e.g. guided interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, scientific observation, non-reactive methods, etc.)
  

• Data preparation for qualitative data incl. possibilities of using new technologies (e.g. AI-based tools)
  

• Introduction to creating an online survey
  

• Overview of qualitative data analysis methods and their characteristics (e.g. hermeneutics, grounded theory coding, etc.)
  

• Introduction to qualitative content analysis and the practical implementation of computer-aided qualitative data analysis (e.g. QCAmap) including the possibilities of using new technologies (e.g. AI-based tools)
  

• current developments in the field of empirical social research methods and their application (e.g. further developments in the field of qualitative and quantitative methods, ...)
  

Atteslander, P. (2010). Methods of empirical social research (13th edition). Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag.

Baur, N./Blasius, J. (2022). Handbook of methods of empirical social research (3rd edition). Wiesbaden: Springer.

Clark, T./Foster, L./Sloan, L./Bryman, A. (2021). Social research methods (6th Edition). Oxford: Oxford University press.

Creswell, J.W. (2017). Research Design. Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed-Method-Approaches (5th Edition). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Döring, N./Bortz, J. (2016): Research methods and evaluation in the human and social sciences (5th edition). Berlin: Springer.

Eid, M./Gollwitzer, M./Schmitt, M. (2017): Statistics and research methods. (5th edition), Weinheim: Beltz.

Kromrey, H. (2016): Empirical social research (13th ed.). Constance: UVK Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.

Mayring, P. (2023). Introduction to qualitative social research. A guide to qualitative thinking (7th edition). Weinheim: Beltz.

Mayring, P. (2022). Qualitative content analysis. Basics and techniques. (13th edition). Weinheim: Beltz.

Maying, P. (2021). Qualitative Content Analaysis. A Step-by-Step Guide. London Sage.

Flick, U./v. Kardorff, E./Steinke, I. (2015). Qualitative research. A handbook. Reinbek: Rowohlt.

Teddlie, C./Tashakkori, A. (2009). Foundations of Mixed Methodology. Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Lecture, group work, processing of case studies from practice, practical implementation of data collection and data analysis

Cumulative module grade: The individual course grade of ILV "Research Methods" is incorporated into the overall module gade and is weighted in accordance with its assigned ECTS-Credits.
Assessment type: final assessment
Assessment method/s: Presentations on assignments, portfolio