Unit QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH

Code	A006348
Location	PERUGIA
CFU	4
Teacher	Michela Gnaldi
Teachers	Michela Gnaldi
Hours	26 ore - Michela Gnaldi
Learning activities	Caratterizzante
Area	Formazione politica, economica e statistica
Sector	STAT-03/B
Type of study-unit	Opzionale (Optional)
Language of instruction	English
Contents	Students will develop an individual project work using real data from ISTAT’s BES (Equitable and Sustainable Well-being) survey. Following a preliminary analysis of the BES framework and available indicators, students will use Excel to organise and analyse data, examining temporal trends, territorial differences and relationships among social phenomena. The activity will conclude with the construction and evaluation of a synthetic or composite well-being indicator.
Reference texts	The reference text is listed below. The volume is intended primarily as a methodological support tool for the development of the project work and for gaining a deeper understanding of composite indicator construction techniques, rather than as a text to be studied memoristically. The lecturer’s slides and any additional teaching materials will be made available through the Unistudium platform. Specific compensatory and dispensatory measures will be adopted for students with disabilities and/or specific learning disorders (SLD). OECD (2008). Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators: Methodology and User Guide. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Educational objectives	The course, which belongs to the quantitative methods area, aims to provide students with the practical foundations for measuring complex social phenomena, with particular emphasis on the construction, validation and interpretation of composite indicators. Special attention is devoted to the measurement of well-being and the assessment of multidimensional social phenomena. The course is consistent with the objectives of the Master's Degree Programme in Social Policies, Welfare Systems and the Third Sector, as it provides students with the skills required to analyse and interpret social data through quantitative methods. These competencies are useful for the design, management and evaluation of social interventions and policies, as well as for the training of specialised social workers and managers of social enterprises.
Prerequisites	Previous completion of an undergraduate-level statistics course is highly desirable.
Teaching methods	The course is based on lectures with a strong applied orientation. Teaching activities are designed to progressively support the development of the individual project work throughout the course. Practical exercises and laboratory activities based on real-world data will be carried out using Microsoft Excel, with particular emphasis on BES indicators and the construction of composite indicators.
Other information	None
Learning verification modality	Final assessment consists exclusively of an individual project work. Each student develops an original report (approximately 30 pages) on a topic consistent with the objectives of the course. The project work is designed to assess the student's ability to apply the concepts and methods learned during the course to real-world contexts. Specific compensatory and dispensatory measures will be adopted for students with disabilities and/or specific learning disorders (SLD). The project work must be submitted to the lecturer at least five days before the examination date to allow adequate evaluation. If the student does not accept the proposed grade, the report may be revised and improved following the lecturer’s feedback and resubmitted at a subsequent examination session. No written or oral examinations are admitted.
Extended program	Students will develop an individual project work using real data from ISTAT’s BES (Equitable and Sustainable Well-being) survey. With the guidance of the lecturer, students will first analyse the structure of the BES survey, the thematic domains covered and the available indicators. They will then define the objectives of their project according to their interests and data availability, select and organise the relevant information in Excel, and carry out descriptive statistical analyses and graphical representations to investigate the phenomenon under study. In particular, students will analyse temporal trends, territorial and gender differences, as well as relationships between the selected phenomenon and other related social phenomena. Finally, they will construct a synthetic or composite well-being indicator and assess its robustness and sensitivity to alternative methodological choices.
Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile	Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3)

Code	A006347
Location	PERUGIA
CFU	4
Teacher	Michela Gnaldi
Teachers	Michela Gnaldi
Hours	30 ore - Michela Gnaldi
Learning activities	Caratterizzante
Area	Formazione politica, economica e statistica
Sector	STAT-03/B
Type of study-unit	Opzionale (Optional)
Language of instruction	English
Contents	The course introduces the main concepts and methods for the quantitative measurement of complex social phenomena, focusing on the transition from statistics to indicators and on the main data sources used in the social sciences. Particular attention is devoted to the construction and validation of measurement scales and composite indicators, which are examined as tools for synthesising social complexity and supporting the evaluation of public policies and social well-being.
Reference texts	The reference text is listed below. The specific chapters to be studied will be indicated during the course. Lecture slides and any additional supporting materials will be made available through the Unistudium platform. Specific compensatory and dispensatory measures will be adopted for students with disabilities and/or specific learning disorders (DSA). OECD (2008). Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators: Methodology and User Guide. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Educational objectives	The course, which belongs to the quantitative methods area, aims to provide the methodological foundations necessary to understand the complexity of social phenomena and their measurement, with particular reference to their operationalisation for the construction of elementary indicators and to the development of composite indicators as tools for synthesis. The course is fully consistent with the objectives of the Master's Degree Programme in Social Policies and Services, as it provides students with the knowledge and skills required to understand and analyse social complexity through quantitative methods. These competencies are essential for the training of specialised social workers and managers of social enterprises.
Prerequisites	Successful completion of an undergraduate-level statistics course is desirable.
Teaching methods	The course is primarily based on face-to-face lectures supported by multimedia tools. Throughout the semester, review exercises are also provided at the end of each topic. These exercises include both general questions and applied tasks aimed at assessing students' understanding of the topics covered and their ability to apply concepts to practical situations. Exercises are corrected and discussed in class, usually within one week of their completion. They do not constitute an assessment tool and do not contribute to the final grade.
Other information	None
Learning verification modality	The final assessment consists of a written examination designed to evaluate the knowledge and skills acquired during the course. The written examination lasts one hour and thirty minutes and includes mainly open-ended questions together with numerical exercises.
Extended program	PART I – Measuring Social Phenomena This first part introduces the main concepts and methods used in the measurement of complex social phenomena. Topics include the construction of statistical measures, the transition from statistics to indicators, issues related to the collection and quantitative representation of social phenomena, as well as the main data sources and analytical tools employed in the social sciences to describe and interpret reality. PART II – Construction and Validation of Measurement Scales and Composite Indicators The second part focuses on more advanced measurement tools. Particular attention is devoted to the principles underlying the construction and validation of measurement scales, with a specific focus on reliability and validity. Composite indicators are examined as tools for synthesising social complexity, covering all stages of their development, including indicator selection, weighting schemes, aggregation techniques, robustness analysis, and interpretation of results. Special attention is devoted to the application of composite indicators in the evaluation of public policies and social well-being.
Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile	Health and well-being (3)