MAIE700 RESEARCH METHODS IN EDUCATION

Course Description:

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic research skills that are required for graduate students in education. It is composed of four parts. The first part introduces the basic principles of research methodology such as the scientific methods, defining the research questions, making a literature review about that question, and the selection of a research sample. The second part introduces the concepts and the methods used in quantitative research such as survey and correlational research, the experimental design, and an introduction to descriptive statistics. The third part introduces the concepts of qualitative research such as ethnographic research, case study research, qualitative research methodology, data analysis interpretation. The fourth part introduces mixed methods where quantitative and qualitative methods are used together in the same research. A description of how to put the research together and put it in a publishable form is also introduced.

Course Code: MAIE700

Credit hours: 3

Pre-Requisites: None

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course,

1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the scientific process that is used in any scientific research.
2. Students will be able to state how to develop a research question(s) and how to write it in a precise and scientific way.
3. Students will be able to do a literature survey for a thesis or a Ph.D. dissertation.
4. Students will be able to state the principles guiding the selection and use of a research sample.
5. Students will be able to distinguish between a sample that is representative of a population and a sample that is not; and the limitations inherent in the process.
6. Students will be able to select a research instrument such as a questionnaire instrument or other instruments to use in the process of collecting data. They will be able to state the factors that affect the choice of each measuring instrument.
7. Students will be able to recognize the elements that characterize quantitative research, such as research design, methodology, etc.
8. Students will be able to state the different kinds of quantitative research such as correlational research and others.
9. Students will develop the skills that enable them to descriptive statistics to analyze their research.
10. Students will be able to state the elements that characterize qualitative research and what makes it different from qualitative research.
11. Students will be able to recognize the different kinds of qualitative research such as ethnographic research, case-study research, etc.
12. Students will develop the skills that will enable them to analyze the qualitative data collected and to draw conclusions from this analysis.
13. Students will be able to combine the skills they learned in quantitative research and qualitative research to make a mixed design where they can use both at the same time.
14. Students will be able to prepare their research in a professional way that makes it publishable and presentable in different scientific media and conferences.
15. Students will demonstrate the skills that enable them to become leaders in the area of research methodology and its applications in Islamic education.
16. Students will be able to state the incremental knowledge they gained that would make them better critical thinkers.

Students will be able to find out some Quranic elements that may guide them in their research methodology.