ECS 235: Research Methods Course Outline Instructors: Mr. Youze D.
Course Aim:
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
i) Exhibit understanding of the principles and practices of research methods,
ii) Design and conduct scientific research,
iii) Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills,
iv) Appreciate the role of research in economic development and solving problems.
Course Expected Learning Outcome(s)
Upon completion of this course, students should demonstrate proficiency on:
i) Explain concepts and principles of research,
ii) Describe the different types of research methods,
iii) Design a research proposal,
iv) Collect, analyze, and interpret data,
v) Justify the selection of various research methods,
vi) Develop a research report.
Course Status : Core
Credit Rating : 12 Credits
Course Content:
Introduction: concepts and meaning, types and reasons for research; Research process:
meaning, steps, importance; Conceptualization and Measurement: variable, concepts and
measurement, validity and reliability; Methods and Techniques: paradigm, design, sampling
and data collection; Research Proposal Development: Introduction, literature review,
methodology, expected outcome, workplan and budget; Data analysis: qualitative and
quantitative methods, tools for data anaysis – tools for qualittative and quantitative data;
Digital tools for data collection: Kobo collect, ODK, statistical analysis and inferences,
statistical interpretation. Research Reporting: structure and components of research report,
types of report, layout of research report, research report writing language.
Teaching and Learning Activities:
i) Face to face Teaching and Learning Activities:
Students will gain knowledge and understanding through lectures, seminar presentations and
plenary discussions, group discussions, case studies analysis, cooperative learning, design-
thinking, experiential, artificial intelligence, visual, auditory and kinesthetic, field visits and
independent studies. Students will also do practical training related to the programme.
ii) Online Teaching and Learning Activities:
Students will gain knowledge and understanding through flipped classroom, projects, hybrid
cohort-based learning, micro-learning, online discussions and online lectures. Students will
also do practical training related to the programme.
Assessment Methods:
i) Formative assessment
The course will be assessed by online and offline portfolio, project, online quizzes, online
assignments, online tests, online self-assessment and online peer–assessment.
ii) Summative assessment
The course will be assessed by the end of semester University examinations.
Reading List:
1. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative,
and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
2. Gay, L. R., & Airasian, P. (2017). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and
application (10th ed.). Pearson Education.
3. Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). Sage
Publications.
4. Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five
approaches (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
5. Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2018). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research
(5th ed.). Sage Publications.
6. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A
methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
7. Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods
research (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
8. Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Teddlie, C. (2007). Mixed methods research: A
research paradigm for the social and behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
9. Teddlie, C., & Tashakkori, A. (2010). Foundations of mixed methods research:
Integrating quantitative & qualitative approaches in the social & behavioral sciences
(2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
