Credits: 3

Course Desciption:

This course equips students with research methods know-how for a strong capstone thesis and future publishable papers. It begins with the nature of educational research and the logic of qualitative inquiry. Students learn how to turn educational issues into researchable problems and craft focused research questions. They learn how to make ethically sound methodological choices. The course introduces the nuts-and-bolts of a basket of qualitative methods, including methodological considerations such as sampling and access, tool design, responsible data management, and the analysis and interpretation of evidence, leading to clear academic writing. It also builds a firm grasp of research quality across traditions, including credibility, trustworthiness, validity, and reliability, and introduces selected quantitative approaches and mixed methods to support coherent research designs and defensible analysis plans.

Course Objectives:

​​​​By the end of this course, participants will:

1. Formulate researchable educational problems and craft focused research questions that guide methodological choices.

2. Select and justify appropriate qualitative or quantitative methodologies for specific research questions, demonstrating ethical decision making and awareness of researcher positionality.

3. Design and implement qualitative or quantitative data collection plans, including sampling and access strategies, and develop fit for purpose data collection tools while managing data responsibly.

4. Analyse and interpret qualitative and quantitative data using transparent procedures, and evaluate the quality of research using credibility and trustworthiness, with an informed understanding of validity and reliability across traditions.

5. Practice reflexivity throughout the research process by articulating researcher positionality, examining how choices shape evidence and interpretation, and presenting findings in clear academic writing.