Online Course: Research Methods: A Practical Guide to Peer and Community Research
Course overview
Learn how to conduct research to initiate positive social change.
This practical, ten-week course from King’s College London provides an overview of all aspects of research, with the principle aim to support and empower people to conduct their own research to initiate positive social change.
Using an extensive range of research steps, practical exercises and links to a multitude of comprehensive resources, you’ll develop your own ethical research project, with the overall aim being to share your findings with those that really matter.
Plan, conduct, and disseminate good quality ethical research
You’ll cover the concepts of diversity and inclusion, as will see how to tie these in to research methods such as critical perspectives - or when research critically analyses empirical data without being emancipatory in nature.
You’ll then cover the subject of research ethics, the moral principles and actions guiding and shaping research from start to end.
Identify and choose research methods to address your question
You’ll then identify specific research questions in order to address your question, and will get an introduction on how to evaluate and analyse qualitative, survey or routinely-available data results.
You’ll then get to grips with how to look after yourself as a researcher, and will identify how best to share your findings via campaigning, presenting and publications.
Learn from research methods experts at King’s College London
You’ll be learning from research methods experts at King’s College London, and will also be getting advice from leading academics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. The course itself will also be getting feedback from Black Thrive and Thrive LDN; two organisations striving to tackle mental health issues.
What does this course cover?
- Diversity and inclusion in research including critical perspectives
- Research ethics
- Identifying research questions
- Choosing research methods to address your question
- Introduction to evaluation
- Introduction to analysing qualitative data
- Introduction to analysing survey or routinely available data
- Looking after yourself as a researcher
- Sharing findings (including an introduction to publication, campaigning, presenting skills)
What will I achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to:
- Explore different ways to do community research, and gain an understanding of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research.
- Apply appropriate research methods to investigate research questions.
- Develop skills to design your own community research project.
- Demonstrate an understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion in community-based research.
- Reflect critically on power dynamics and your own position in research.
Who will I learn with?
Annahita Ehsan - Postdoctoral Research Associate
Charlotte Woodhead - Lecturer in Society & Mental Health
Who is this for?
This course is targeted at people interested in becoming peer researchers, community researchers, service user or survivor researchers in fields such as psychology or social science.
It will also be useful to all researchers looking to use quantitative methods, presenting a step-by-step, structured and practical approach.
How do I sign up?
Full details, joining information, and course materials are available here. The course is hosted on FutureLearn.