RESEARCH METHODS FOR AIR TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT - 2025/6

Module Overview

The Research Methods module aims to help students to develop an understanding of the research process and to undertake research leading to successful completion of their dissertation. It enables students to conduct research independently and also provides them with the knowledge, skills and understanding required to develop their proposal for their dissertation. The module covers ideas, techniques, and methods relevant to different stages of the research process, stressing the interdependence of each stage in conducting effective, coherent and rigorous research. By covering the fundamentals of research methods and research methodologies, this module will enable students to conduct research independently and provide them with the knowledge and understanding needed to do a dissertation.

Module provider

Surrey Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

THOMOPOULOS Nikolas (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Introduction to research


• Formulating research aims and objectives


• Developing a conceptual framework


• Critically reviewing the literature


• Negotiating access and ethical issues in research


• Sampling strategies


• Data collection methods


• Obtaining secondary data


• Measurement and scaling (questionnaires)


• Data collection instruments (interviews and observation)


• Analysing quantitative data


• Analysing qualitative data


• Developing a research proposal


• Writing and presenting the research project

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (RESEARCH PROPOSAL 4000 WORDS, INCLUDING 200 REFLECTION ON INITIAL SUBMISSION - IF APPLICABLE)

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to give the students the opportunity to demonstrate their breadth and depth of understanding of both the theory of research methods and its application to research problems. The assessment strategy has two elements (one formative and one summative).  Only the summative assessment counts towards the student¿s final grade for the module.End of module summative individual assignment is designed to test the students¿ ability to apply their knowledge to a specific research problem in the form of research proposal.Thus the Summative assessment consists of:

• Group presentation based on module activities
• Research sketch uploaded on SurreyLearn outlining the RQ/RO/RM/Analysis
• An Individual Assignment in the form of a Research Proposal

Formative Assessment and feedbackStudents receive feedback throughout the semester via face to face teaching and (optional) 1-2-1 sessions, which will support them to complete the assessments.In addition students will discuss questions related to a range of research scenarios within the workshops.  They are also directed to a range of other online self-test resources. 

Module aims

• Introduce the fundamentals of the research process.
• Enable students to effectively define their research problem
• Highlight the main research paradigms and approaches that are relevant to research in management disciplines.
• Provide students with an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Explain the differences between quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques and analysis procedures.
• Provide students with hands-on experience with basic data collection and data analysis.
• Stress the ethical aspects of research and how to embed them into research practice.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The teaching and learning strategy for this module is designed to encourage students to think critically about the different stages of the research process and to engage in evaluating the different research methods and techniques.

1. Lectures delivered by the module tutor are designed to develop an understanding of theory and context. Student-led class discussions of mini case-studies and research scenarios during the workshiops put theory into application and transform the acquired knowledge into practice.  
2. Students are expected to support the work undertaken during each workshop by undertaking a number of independent learning activities: 
   1. Preparatory reading with questions to guide their note taking. 
   2. Follow up exercises to consolidate their learning, where appropriate applying this to new situations. 
   3. Guided further reading to enable them to extend their knowledge and understanding.
3. To support student learning of data analysis and be introduced to the use of statistics, students will be divided into smaller groups and will be introduced to and trained on the basics of conducting quantitative data analysis using Excel and/or SPSS. Students are expected to support their learning by practicing in their own time using the exercises and data sets provided by the module team.

The University¿s SurreyLearn will be used to support student learning by providing them with additional resources and links to useful websites. SurreyLearn will also be used for further discussion of the module topics between the students and the module team, as well as the students and their colleagues to receive peer feedback. Additionally, PowerPoint presentations and case-studies used by the module team will be placed on SurreyLearn before the lecture to support addressing any learning difficulties and facilitate note-taking.The ethos of this module is that students will learn best when they become active participants in the learning process and this is reflected in all elements of the module design. For example: 

• Students will be expected to attend and actively engage in all class activities organised by the module team.
• Not all elements of the curricula will be covered in detail in the lecture programme and students are expected to demonstrate initiative by finding information themselves too.
• Students will be expected to prepare for all workshops by completing activities and readings circulated through SurreyLearn.
• Students should also study beyond the module material provided and the recommended textbook. A list of specific reading is provided in the Module Handbook, but the expectation is that this represents a starting point for reading and not an exhaustive list. 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM347

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.