HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

COURSE OUTLINE

1. COURSE TITLE

Advanced Quantitative Methods

2. COURSE CODE

SOSC7440

3. NO. OF UNITS

3 Units

4. OFFERING DEPARTMENT

Office of the Dean of Social Sciences

5. PREREQUISITES

NIL

6. MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

English

7. AIMS & OBJECTIVES

This course is an introduction to the conceptual and practical applications of multivariate

statistical techniques commonly used in empirical research for describing and analyzing
multivariate data. It employs a modular approach with a focus on various advanced
statistical procedures, their strengths, limitations and assumptions, pre-analysis data
screening as well as a framework for choosing the most appropriate statistic in a given
data analysis. Emphasis is placed on formulating research questions, applying
multivariate statistical techniques to address research questions, and interpreting results,
including write-up of findings in a clear and concise manner. The course will be taught
based on R.

Specifically, this course aims

- to provide students with the conceptual and practical information regarding various
multivariate statistical techniques commonly used in empirical research;
- to equip students with the skills to analyze multivariate data with various multivariate
statistical methods to test a variety of research hypotheses;
- to enable students to apply and interpret these analytical techniques in their own
research; and
 - to equip students with the skills to read, understand, and thoughtfully evaluate the
results from the multivariate analysis reported in professional journal articles.

8. COURSE CONTENT

1. Introduction to Statistical Modelling

2. R Basics and Data Preparation
3. Basic and Advanced Regression Models
4. Path Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)
5. Model Evaluation
6. Causal Inference and Experimental Design
a. Factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) & Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA)
b. Repeated Measure ANOVA
7. Data reduction
a. Exploratory & Confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA & CFA)
b. Principal component analysis
c. Rasch model and/or Item Response Theory Models
8. Panel Data and Multilevel Modelling
9. Cluster Analysis
10. Current Trends of Quantitative Analysis

*Selected topics will be delivered according to students' needs

*Other statistical packages, instead of R software, may be used according to students'
needs.

9. COURSE INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (CILOs)

CILO By the end of the course, students should be able to:

CILO 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between research design
and advanced multivariate statistical methods
CILO 2 Describe the basic statistical concepts used in multivariate analysis
CILO 3 Explain what is meant by multivariate statistical techniques and demonstrate a
working knowledge of these techniques including when to use them, how to use
them, and how to interpret them
CILO 4 Demonstrate skills in using statistical packages to perform multivariate
statistical analysis
CILO 5 Demonstrate skills in reading and assessing professional journal articles that
present applications of multivariate statistical techniques

10. TEACHING & LEARNING ACTIVITIES (TLAs)

CILO Type of TLA

alignment
CILO 1 - 5 Lecture
 It introduces the basic concepts, assumptions, and procedures related to
various advanced multivariate statistical techniques. The delivery is
enhanced by the use of multimedia and statistical software packages.
CILO 1 - 5 Group Discussion
It aims at facilitating interaction and providing opportunities for comments
and feedback. Students are involved in discussing the applications of
various multivariate statistical methods and interpretations of findings
both in small groups and the whole class.
CILO 1 - 5 Data Handling Assignment
It refers to hands-on in-class software application exercises to enhance
students' learning of multivariate statistical techniques and analytical skills.
Each exercise represents research data and students will be asked to
analyse, interpret, and prepare a typed report of the results for each set of
data.
CILO 1 - 5 In-class Presentation
It refers to an in-depth analysis and critique of the data analysis of a
research study reported in a professional journal article using one of the
multivariate statistical techniques covered in the course.

11. ASSESSMENT METHODS (AMs)

Type of Weighting CILOs to be Description of Assessment Tasks

Assessment addressed
Methods
In-class 30 % 1,2,3 Students will engage in hands-on data analysis
Exercise that consolidate both conceptual understanding
and coding exercises.
Presentation 30 % 1-5 Students will do group presentations on research
papers involving advanced statistical modelling.
The presentation should introduce the key ideas
in the article and discuss its strengths and
weaknesses.
Group 40 % 1-4 Students will analyze original or existing datasets
Project using advanced statistical modelling and present
their result in the form of a short research paper.

Last Update: 2023-07-12

Published Date: 2023-07-31

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