This course introduces students to research methodology. It provides an overview of quantitative and qualitative research methods and their application in higher education. The course aims to help students develop key research skills including conducting literature reviews, using APA style citations, identifying elements of research proposals, and understanding different research designs. Assessment focuses on demonstrating knowledge of research processes and writing skills. A core assignment involves producing a 10-12 page literature review and presentation on a higher education topic of interest. The concept paper format outlined provides guidance for structuring research proposals, including sections on introduction, problem statement, objectives, methodology and literature review.

1. Introduction to Research Methodology -RES 410
Course Syllabus
Course Description:
This course offers "An overview of research methodology including basic concepts
employed in quantitative and qualitative research methods. This course introduces research
methods as they apply to the higher education field of study. It provides a macro perspective
of the methods associated with conducting scholarly research in all follow-on core, elective,
quantitative and qualitative courses; and the master’s thesis. Completion of this course is a
prerequisite for follow-on tools courses.

2. Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing this course, each student will be able to:
1. demonstrate knowledge of research processes (reading, evaluating, and developing);
2. perform literature reviews using print and online databases;
3. employ American Psychological Association (APA) formats for citations of print and electronic materials;
4. identify, explain, compare, and prepare the key elements of a research proposal/report;
5. define and develop a possible Higher Institution Education (HIE) research interest area using specific research
designs;
6. compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative research paradigms, and explain the use of each in Higher
Institution Education research;
7. describe, compare, and contrast descriptive and inferential statistics, and provide examples of their use in HIE
research;
8. describe sampling methods, measurement scales and instruments, and appropriate uses of each;
9. explain the rationale for research ethics, and the importance of and local processes in the conduct of research; and
10. demonstrate how educational research contributes to the objectives of your graduate program and to your specific
career aspirations in HIE.

3. RESEARCH DESIGN

4. • A research design is a strategy for answering your
research question using empirical data. Creating a
research design means making decisions about:
1. Your overall aims and approach
2. The type of research design you’ll use
3. Your sampling methods or criteria for selecting
subjects
4. Your data collection methods
5. The procedures you’ll follow to collect data
6. Your data analysis methods

5. STEP 1: CONSIDER YOUR AIMS AND APPROACH
Before you can start designing your research, you should
already have a clear idea of the research question you want to
investigate.
Research question example
How can teachers adapt their lessons for effective remote
learning?
There are many different ways you could go about answering
this question. Your research design choices should be driven by
your aims and priorities—start by thinking carefully about what
you want to achieve.

6. QUALITATIVE APPROACH QUANTITATIVE APPROACH
1. Understand subjective experiences, beliefs, and concepts
2. Gain in-depth knowledge of a specific context or culture
3. Explore under-researched problems and generate new
ideas
4. Measure variables and describe frequencies, averages, and
correlations
5. Test hypotheses about relationships between variables
6. Test the effectiveness of a new treatment, program or
product

7. Qualitative research designs tend to be more flexible and inductive,
allowing you to adjust your approach based on what you find
throughout the research process.
Qualitative research example
If you want to generate new ideas for online teaching strategies, a
qualitative approach would make the most sense. You can use this type
of research to explore exactly what teachers and students struggle with
in remote classes.
Quantitative research designs tend to be more fixed and
deductive, with variables and hypotheses clearly defined in advance of
data collection.

8. Quantitative research designs tend to be more fixed and deductive, with
variables and hypotheses clearly defined in advance of data collection.
Quantitative research example
If you want to test the effectiveness of an online teaching method, a
quantitative approach is most suitable. You can use this type of research
to measure learning outcomes like grades and test scores.
It’s also possible to use a mixed-methods design that integrates
aspects of both approaches. By combining qualitative and quantitative
insights, you can gain a more complete picture of the problem you’re
studying and strengthen the credibility of your conclusions.

9. PRACTICAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS WHEN DESIGNING
RESEARCH
As well as scientific considerations, you need to think practically when
designing your research. If your research involves people or animals, you
also need to consider research ethics.
a) How much time do you have to collect data and write up the research?
b) Will you be able to gain access to the data you need (e.g. by travelling
to a specific location or contacting specific people)?
c) Do you have the necessary research skills (e.g. statistical analysis or
interview techniques)?
d) Will you need ethical approval?
e) At each stage of the research design process, make sure that your
choices are practically feasible.

10. STEP 2: CHOOSE A TYPE OF RESEARCH DESIGN
Within both qualitative and quantitative approaches, there
are several types of research design to choose from. Each type
provides a framework for the overall shape of your research.
TYPES OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGNS
Quantitative designs can be split into four main types.
a) Experimental and quasi-experimental designs allow you to
test cause-and-effect relationships, while;
b) descriptive and correlational designs allow you to measure
variables and describe relationships between them.

11. TYPE OF DESIGN PURPOSE AND CHARACTERISTICS
a. Experimental
Used to test causal relationships
Involves manipulating an independent variable
and measuring its effect on a dependent variable
Subjects are randomly assigned to groups
Usually conducted in a controlled environment
(e.g. a lab)

12. b.Quasi-experimental
Used to test causal relationships
Similar to experimental design, but
without random assignment
Often involves comparing the outcomes
of pre-existing groups
Often conducted in a natural
environment

13. Experimental design example
In an experimental design, you could gather a
sample of students and then randomly assign half of
them to be taught online and the other half to be
taught in person, while controlling all other relevant
variables.
By comparing their outcomes in test scores, you can
be more confident that it was the method of teaching
(and not other variables) that caused any change in

14. c. Correlational
Used to test whether (and how
strongly) variables are related
Variables are measured without
influencing them

15. Correlational design example
You could use a correlational design to find out if the rise in
online teaching in the past year correlates with any change in test
scores.
But this design can’t confirm a causal relationship between the
two variables. Any change in test scores could have been influenced
by many other variables, such as increased stress and health issues
among students and teachers.
Experiments are the strongest way to test cause-and-effect
relationships without the risk of other variables influencing the
results. However, their controlled conditions may not always reflect
how things work in the real world. They’re often also more difficult
and expensive to implement.

16. d. Descriptive
Used to describe characteristics, averages, trends,
etc
Variables are measured without influencing them
With descriptive and correlational designs, you
can get a clear picture of characteristics, trends and
relationships as they exist in the real world. However,
you can’t draw conclusions about cause and effect
(because correlation doesn’t imply causation).
•

17. ASSIGNMENT
1. Literature Review
Prepare a literature review (10 to 12 pages in length)
and PowerPoint Presentation on a topic of interest to
you.

18. About this assignment:
This assignment requires students to conduct research into a HIE-only area of interest, improve skills
as consumers of research, and hone their proficiency as scholarly writers by producing an abbreviated
literature review.
Literature reviews are vital to educational research and they serve as a key component of the
graduate researches.
Assessment method:
Grading for this assignment will focus on:
1) how well the student satisfies the criteria: demonstrate knowledge of research processes (reading, evaluating,
and developing); perform literature reviews using print and online databases; employ American Psychological
Association (APA) formats for citations of print and electronic materials; define and develop a possible HIE research
interest area using specific research designs;
2) adherence to effective writing principles (including, but not limited to, the quality of the content,
clarity of expression, consistency of style and format, and active voice), and
3) compliance with APA (6th ed.) criteria

19. Concept Paper Format

20. Concept Paper Format
1. Title Page:
2. Introduction/Rationale
A clear description of the research topic.
what problem/issue are you intending to address?
what is the current context/scenario of the issue?
Describe the problem or need that needs to be addressed (purpose)
Briefly provide supporting documentation/citations of addressing this problem or
need.
Provide statistical data if there is any that it can support your research topic.
what is the research gap?
what areas need to be studied yet?
what is the focus of your paper? Study?

21. 3. Statement of the Problem (research Questions)
A statement of what the research question that the project will seek to
answer.
4. The Goals or Objectives of the Study
5. Significance of the Study
A brief description of why it is important to answer the research
questions. What good comes of this answer? Why is this project worth
anybody’s time?
6. Scope and Limitation
A statement of the limitations of the research, specifically the things
that it cannot discover (and why).
7. Literature Review and Related Studies

22. 8. The Methodology
A description of how the researcher plans to answer the research
questions
A description of the data that the researcher plans to gather or use
A description of how the researcher will analyze these data
Note: You may use the following website for your Related literature (abstract/
recommendations)
a. Google scholar
b. Science direct.com
c. Researchgate.com
d. Mendeley.com
Use A4, Times Romans, font size 12, 1.5 spacing.