The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning objectives

GENERAL OBJECTIVES: - Understand the main research methods, as well as data collection and analysis techniques (qualitative and quantitative) used in psychological and educational contexts. - Apply the main research methods, as well as data collection and analysis techniques (qualitative and quantitative) used in psychological and educational contexts. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: The course aims to enable students to describe the main lines of transition from research orientations that operate within an objectivistic and rationalistic framework to orientations of a predominantly qualitative nature, aimed at open and recursive forms of research; identify relevant qualitative research works on education in the main search engines; understand the main characteristics of the research approach known as analysis of educational practices and qualitative-ethnographic approach, linking them to concrete research processes in educational contexts; critically discuss the perspective of evidence-based research in educational settings; and understand the criteria used by reviewers in the peer-review processes of qualitative research scientific articles. The teaching sets out the following specific learning objectives: - describe the main characteristics of qualitative, open, and recursive research orientations; - critically analyze concrete qualitative research identified using the main search engines; - understand and comprehend the criteria used by reviewers in the peer-review processes of qualitative research scientific articles; - understand the main characteristics of the research approach known as "analysis of educational practices" and qualitative-ethnographic approach, linking them to concrete research processes in educational contexts; - plan the essential elements of a qualitative research path, starting from a real or simulated organizational context.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Basic concepts of scientific research; preliminary notions of epistemology; ability to read and critically analyze

Program

The course will develop the following thematic cores:
- Quantitative research and qualitative research: from opposition to complementarity?
- the process of doing research: identification of the research question, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data;
- research and training: the formative value of research processes;
- the epistemological horizons of doing ethnographic research on the analysis of educational practices in the training sector;
- approaches and tools of qualitative research for the analysis of training practices: examples;
- the main resources for educational research in the educational field: research centers, journals.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The course includes a mixture of lectures and group exercises. The theoretical lessons will be recorded and made available online, while the workshops will be held exclusively in person.

Learning assessment procedures

The overall assessment of learning related to the course will take place through an ORAL TEST lasting approximately 20 minutes

Evaluation criteria

• three knowledge questions (each answer will be positively evaluated if correct, supported by evidence and supported by explicit references to the texts indicated as mandatory for the exam)
• A deep understanding question - the answer will be positively evaluated if it can highlight connections between the various topics covered and/or between these and real or simulated training contexts, to reflect in-depth ideas, to articulate critical and original thinking and to show good mastery in tackling research problems
• Project Work carried out by students during the course and on the contents covered. In order to carry out the Project Work, non-attending students are asked to carefully follow the instructions that will be uploaded in the online space.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

- Knowledge questions: up to 12 points - Deep understanding questions 8 points - Project work: up to 10 points

Exam language

Italiano