Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. distinguish qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and their applications;
2. identify and define a research problem in a given area;
3. identify different methods of data collection and select the methods appropriate to a given
situation;
4. design and conduct simple research including analysis and interpretation of research
results;
5. document research problem, methodology all the way to research report writing;
6. defend the written research report; and
7. familiarise themselves with ethical issues in the conduct of research.
Course Contents
Foundations of Research. Types of Research. Research Approaches. Significance of Research.
Research Methods versus Methodology. Research Process. Criteria and Strategy for Good
Research. Problems Encountered by Researchers in Nigeria. Principles of Scientific Research.
Scientific investigation. Problem formulation. Definition and technique of the Research
Problem. Selection of Appropriate Method for Data Collection- Primary Data and Secondary
Data. Guidelines for Constructing Questionnaire/Schedule. Guidelines for Successful
Interviewing. Difference between Survey and Experiment. Eloping Research Proposal and
Research Plan. Formulation of working hypothesis and Testing. Literature review. Procedure
for reviewing related relevant studies and referencing cited works. Types of Reports. Technical
Report Writing. Layout and mechanics of writing a Research Report. Standard Techniques for
Research Documentation. Sampling Design. Different Types of Sample Designs. Steps in
Sampling Design. Criteria of Selecting a Sampling Procedure. Methods of analysis. Processing
and Analysis of Data Elements/Types of Analysis. Interpretation and Presentation of results.
How to prepare References and Bibliography.
