This course will aid those of you who must conduct research as part of your postgraduate studies but do not perhaps have solid introduction to research methods, or for those of you who feel you would like additional support for self-improvement. No prior knowledge or experience in research is required to take this course and as such, the course is for everyone.
The course will introduce you to some of the basic research tools in the educator’s “toolkit,” and discuss why and how certain tools are used to explore certain phenomena. The course will also teach you to develop and evaluate sensible and systematic scientific research designs by addressing the ways in which data and theory intersect and examining how educational researchers quantify, measure, and operationalize the concepts and variables that are key to understanding the educational world. You will conclude your studies by learning about the practical implementation of research design. By the end of this course, you will better understand the qualitative and quantitative techniques that are used within the field and will be able to explain why educational researchers choose to use them. In this regard, you will have the opportunity to use data and statistical analysis to gain an appreciation for the methodological choices that researchers in the field make as they conduct research.
Through seminars discussions, and written and oral presentations, it is expected that, upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
To take this course, you must:
Associate Professor in the Department of Vocational and Technical Education at the Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria.
Phone: +2348053471512; +2348068701986
Email: b.i.labe@labeschools.org
Location: Office of the Head, Vocational and Technical Education
Availability: On request
This course will be conducted through seminars discussions, and written and oral presentations. During the course of the semester, students will complete written assignments that involve brief critical analyses of research studies on major educational issues, identifying research problems, as well as, formulation of research questions and research designs. In addition, students will write a final paper that will be a proposal for a research study in the students’ areas of interest. Students will prepare and deliver an oral presentation on their final research proposal.
Through lectures, students acquire a framework for and understanding of the theoretical and conceptual bases of the material. Further, this material is reinforced through students’ practical, applied out-of-class data analysis exercises, involving problem solving aided by computer- based statistical analysis software. As well as engaging students in critical thinking, this enables responsibility for drawing conclusions from, applying, and disseminating the knowledge acquired from data analysis.Students will be required to access a range of learning resources for this course, including readings and websites. Further material will be provided to students in class.
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