This course is designed as a basic introduction to the complex world of research methods and provides both theoretical and practical information for students to give them a foundation for carrying out research in a wide range of disciplines using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods.
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Quantitative and Qualitative Research for Beginners is an introductory course for research methodologies used across academic disciplines. The module focuses on principles and techniques that are appropriate to the introductory level. It provides both theoretical and practical information for students and introduces basic principles and techniques for all stages of the research process.
What you'll learn
After completing this course, students should:
- understand general principles of research design;
- know why and how research is undertaken;
- be able to identify the overall process of designing a research study from its inception to its report;
- be able to identify a research problem stated in a study;
- be familiar with conducting a literature review for a research study;
- know the primary characteristics of quantitative research, qualitative research, and mixed methods research;
- know the steps involved in conducting research;
- be able to distinguish between the writing structure used for a quantitative study and one used for a qualitative study.
Syllabus
Week 1: Introduction to research
- Course Introduction
- Foundations of Knowledge Production
- Quantitative vs Qualitative Research
- Mixed Methods
Week 2: Research planning
- Conducting a Literature Review
- Formulating Qualitative Research Questions
- Formulating Quantitative Research Questions
- Ethical Considerations
- Writing a Literature Review
Week 3: Qualitative research part 1
- Sampling Strategies in Qualitative Research
- Data Collection in Qualitative Research
- Interview and Focus Group
- Qualitative Data Analysis Part 1: Preparing the Data for Analysis - Transcription
- Qualitative Data Analysis Part 2: Selection of Appropriate Methodology or Method
- Qualitative Data Analysis Part 3: Differences between Qualitative Methodologies and Methods
Week 4: Qualitative research part 2
- Qualitative Data Analysis Part 4: Grounded Theory
- Qualitative Data Analysis Part 5: Thematic Analysis
Week 5: Quantitative research part 1
- Carrying out Quantitative Research: Frameworks
- Study Design
- Sampling Methods
- Data Collection in Quantitative Research
Week 6: Quantitative research part 2
- Quantitative Data Analysis Part 1: Description of the Sample Dataset
- Quantitative Data Analysis Part 2: Descriptive Statistics
- Quantitative Data Analysis Part 3: Computing Descriptive Statistics in Google Sheets
- Quantitative Data Analysis Part 4: Inferential Statistics 1 - t-Test, ANOVA, Chi-square
- Quantitative Data Analysis Part 5: Computing t-test and ANOVA in Google Sheets
Week 7: Quantitative research part 3 and mixed methods
- Quantitative Data Analysis Part 6: Inferential Statistics 2 - Correlation and Regression
- Quantitative Data Analysis Part 7: Computing Correlation and Regression in Google Sheets
- Quantitative Data Analysis Part 8: Advanced Statistical Methods
- Carrying out Mixed Methods Research
Week 8: Writing research papers
- Writing Quantitative Papers Using Reporting Guidelines
- Writing Qualitative Papers Using Reporting Guidelines
