NUS: Quantitative and Qualitative Research for Beginners

After completing this course, students should:

• understand general principles of research design;
• know why and how research is undertaken;
• be able to identify the overall process of designing a research study from its inception to its report;
• be able to identify a research problem stated in a study;
• be familiar with conducting a literature review for a research study;
• know the primary characteristics of quantitative research, qualitative research, and mixed methods research;
• know the steps involved in conducting research;
• be able to distinguish between the writing structure used for a quantitative study and one used for a qualitative study.

Week 1: Introduction to research

• Course Introduction
• Foundations of Knowledge Production
• Quantitative vs Qualitative Research
• Mixed Methods

Week 2: Research planning

• Conducting a Literature Review
• Formulating Qualitative Research Questions
• Formulating Quantitative Research Questions
• Ethical Considerations
• Writing a Literature Review

Week 3: Qualitative research part 1

• Sampling Strategies in Qualitative Research
• Data Collection in Qualitative Research
• Interview and Focus Group
• Qualitative Data Analysis Part 1: Preparing the Data for Analysis - Transcription
• Qualitative Data Analysis Part 2: Selection of Appropriate Methodology or Method
• Qualitative Data Analysis Part 3: Differences between Qualitative Methodologies and Methods

Week 4: Qualitative research part 2

• Qualitative Data Analysis Part 4: Grounded Theory
• Qualitative Data Analysis Part 5: Thematic Analysis

Week 5: Quantitative research part 1

• Carrying out Quantitative Research: Frameworks
• Study Design
• Sampling Methods
• Data Collection in Quantitative Research

Week 6: Quantitative research part 2

• Quantitative Data Analysis Part 1: Description of the Sample Dataset
• Quantitative Data Analysis Part 2: Descriptive Statistics
• Quantitative Data Analysis Part 3: Computing Descriptive Statistics in Google Sheets
• Quantitative Data Analysis Part 4: Inferential Statistics 1 - t-Test, ANOVA, Chi-square
• Quantitative Data Analysis Part 5: Computing t-test and ANOVA in Google Sheets

Week 7: Quantitative research part 3 and mixed methods

• Quantitative Data Analysis Part 6: Inferential Statistics 2 - Correlation and Regression
• Quantitative Data Analysis Part 7: Computing Correlation and Regression in Google Sheets
• Quantitative Data Analysis Part 8: Advanced Statistical Methods
• Carrying out Mixed Methods Research

Week 8: Writing research papers

• Writing Quantitative Papers Using Reporting Guidelines
• Writing Qualitative Papers Using Reporting Guidelines