Quantitative and qualitative methods in environment and development

This course focuses on data collection instruments and analytical approaches to understanding coupled human-environment systems, in particular methods to address current environmental and development challenges, such as how to feed the world while preserving natural resources. The course introduces both quantitative and qualitative methods for collecting and analysing data. Specifically, the course delves into three complementary approaches: quantitative methods to address socio-economic dimensions (e.g. household surveys), quantitative methods to address environmental dimensions (e.g. soil analyses), and qualitative methods to address both socio-economic and environmental dimensions (e.g. structured interviews, focus groups and participatory methods). The course includes exercises on developing and reviewing data collection instruments, cleaning data, performing simple data statistical analyses of socio-economic and environmental quantitative data, coding and analysing qualitative data, and creating meaningful data visualisations. Data analysis exercises are based on primary and secondary data, including from ongoing research projects.

The students will apply the acquired methodological skills in group projects planning data collection and analysing environmental and development data from an interdisciplinary perspective. This includes developing a mixed-methods research design that links quantitative socio-economic methods, quantitative environmental methods, and qualitative methods.

Knowledge

Understand a broad range of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods to address environmental and development challenges
Explain how various data collection instruments and analytical strategies can complement each other in a mixed-methods research design - and how environmental and socio-economic datasets can be linked
Understand and explain the challenges and limitations of various quantitative and qualitative approaches


Skills

Develop quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments related to environmental and development challenges
Prepare socio-economic and environmental quantitative and qualitative data for analysis
Perform simple statistical analyses as well as analyses of qualitative data
Link quantitative and qualitative approaches in a mixed methods research design
Perform Interdisciplinary group work and report writing


Competences

Select, develop, and combine quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments and analytical strategies in a mixed-method research design to examine complex interdisciplinary problems
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of complementary data collection and analysis techniques