Class Research Methodologies

The Curricular Unit of Research Methodologies aims to prepare students for the development of a scientific research. The student will have contact with several developed studies and will acquire skills that allow them to design their study: Dissertation, Project or Internship.

1. Approaches to Research

    1.1 Action-based

    1.2 Case studies

    1.3 Conceptual-analytical survey

    1.4 Experimental research, for the project, oriented to the evaluation of artifacts

2. Types of research results

    2.1 Theoretical frameworks and constructs

    2.2 Relational Models

    2.3 Artefacts

    2.4 Methodologies

3. Stages of the research process

    3.1 Bibliographic research activity

    3.2 Design of experiments

    3.3 Gathering information: contextualization, immersion and ethnographic methods

    3.4 Design by research and Research by design

    3.5 Developing questionnaires

    3.6 Data analysis and processing

    3.7 Validity and repeatability of research processes

4. Publication of results and peer review

    4.1 Rules for scientific writing

    4.2 Research partnerships

    4.3 Research ethics and subject involvement

Various important aspects of research will be focussed on through visual and exemplarypresentations.

The work proposed for assessment will be carried out in the classroom and monitored by the teacher, but should include some time for autonomous work.
The type of work is essentially practical, involving research, planning, organisation and execution.
Student-centred teaching and learning by doing are encouraged, with the teacher facilitating learning.

Creswell, J.W., (2002) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches, 2nd edition, Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.

Heppner, P., Heppner, M.J. (2003), Writing and Publishing your thesis, Belmont, California: Wadsworth.

Jackson, S.L. (2008) Research Methods and Statistics: A critical thinking approach. Belmont, California: Wadsworth.

Christopher Crouch and Jane Pearce, (2012), Doing Research in Design, Bloomsbury

Fernando Moreira da Silva, (2010), Investigar em design versus investigar pela prática do design - um novo desafio científico, Revista Ingepro - Inovação, Gestão e Produção, vol. 02, nº 04