Department of English

                                       Research Techniques Syllabus                              

Coefficient: 1

Credit: 4

3h00

45h00

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

·         differentiate academic research from the mere data gathering

·         select an appropriate research topic

·         undertake academic research bearing in mind the literature gap

·         develop an aptitude as to the formulation of the research problem, the research questions, and the hypotheses

An introduction to research and research methods. Available at: https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/introduction-to-research-and-research-methods.pdf

Bazeley, P. (2013). Qualitative data analysis: Practical strategies. New York, NY: SAGE.

Best, J. W., & Kahn, J. V. (1986). Research in education (5^thed). New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India Pvt, Ltd.Available at: https://ww2.odu.edu/~jritz/attachments/reined.pdf

Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques (2^nded). New Age International Ltd, Publishers.

Milliman, N. research methods the basics. Available at: https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/2317618/mod_resource/content/1/BLOCO%202_Research%20Methods%20The%20Basics.pdf

Research &consultation guidelines. Available at: http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/yoursay/questionnaires.pdf

Vagner, K. W. (2007). Introduction to research methods.Available at: http://psychology.about.com/od/researchmethods/ss/ expdesintro.htm. Available at: https://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=14&n=13

The research methodology course for first-year students comprises five themes stated below:

1.Academic Research

o    What is academic research?

o   Characteristics of academic Research

o   Types of academic research: basic/applied; non-experimental (historical, descriptive, correlational), experimental  

o   Need behind research

o   Significance of research/motivation

2.Research Process (steps)

o   Identification of the research problem/hypothesis

o   Designing the research framework

o   Review of the literature

o   Data collection

o   Data analysis

o   Conclusion

3.Topic Selection

o   How to choose a research topic

o   Narrow/broad topics

First Examination

o   What is a research problem?

o   Types of research problems

o   The literature gap

o   The research variables

o   Formulation of the research problem (thesis statement)

o   The research question

o   Examples of Good and bad research questions

5.The Research Hypothesis

o   What is the research hypothesis?

o   Types of hypotheses

o   Examples of Good and bad hypotheses

Second Examination

ü  Two in-class assignments graded each upon 7 pts, and a grade for discipline (6 pts)

ü  Assignments should take into consideration the  practical aspect, not the theoretical side

ü  Instruction and evaluation ought to target a vivid-like context