This course is designed in particular for persons who plan to undertake research projects. The purpose of this course is in three folds.

1. to deepen participants’ understanding of the research methodology
2. to provide participants with a range of quantitative and qualitative approaches to research and their philosophical underpinnings
3. to provide participants with the guidance and opportunities to write a research proposal and conduct research.

The objective is to provide participants with the theoretical and practical foundations or research to enable them to undertake their research. Thus, participants will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to conduct independent research.

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Distinguish between paradigmatic foundations underlying quantitative and qualitative traditions or the methodological approaches in quantitative and qualitative research
• Generate clear and researchable problems/topics and questions amenable to quantitative, qualitative and/or mixed-method research.
• Differentiate between quantitative and qualitative research approaches/designs Select appropriate sampling strategies for quantitative and qualitative research
  Identify ethical issues in quantitative and qualitative research and the strategies to address them
• Design appropriate data collection instruments/tools for the research question and hypothesis
• Estimate the likely challenges of data collection and techniques for addressing them
• Pilot test draft data collection instruments/tools and make the necessary correction
• Identify the challenges associated with transcription and management of qualitative data and how they can be addressed
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of coding and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data using SPSS and Nvivo
• Develop and extend theoretical insights through quantitative and qualitative research
• Explain the debate around the validity and reliability of quantitative and qualitative research and identify ways to promote rigour in qualitative research
• Gain the confidence to undertake an independent research project and evaluate existing research papers or reports

The method of teaching is lecturing Online using zoom and PowerPoint presentations. Additionally, participants will be given assignments for presentations individually and in groups. Lectures will be held for 10 days (Monday to Friday) and each session will be 2 hours. Students are expected to participate actively in all class activities.