Research methods in social work: research questions, questionnaires, interviews, content analysis, statistics and research ethics, clearly explained.
Self-study course as companion material for your studies, for students of social work, childhood education and special needs education (including dual and part-time students) as well as early-career professionals who want to understand empirical studies or carry out research themselves – 8 modules, approx. 8 hours, at your own pace, with a confirmation of participation after you have worked through all modules. Sources in APA 7, as of October 2026.
The modules:
- What is empirical research? Research process, question and hypotheses
- Research designs: quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, evaluation
- Quantitative research: operationalisation, questionnaire, sample
- Qualitative research: interview, group discussion and observation
- Qualitative analysis: content analysis, grounded theory and quality criteria
- Descriptive statistics: central tendency, dispersion, cross-tabulations, correlation
- Understanding inferential statistics and reading studies critically
- Research ethics & responsibility: consent, data protection, anonymity
Not a degree programme and not offered by a university; it does not replace any lecture or seminar, any university examination or any practical placement.
📘 Background reading (in German): Academic working during your studies: good practice, citing and AI
Self-study without supervision, assignments or evaluation of learning progress by instructors; the voluntary self-reflection is for your own orientation only. Your confirmation of participation becomes available once you have marked all modules as done yourself.