Research Methods and Statistics in Education

COURSE OUTLINE

PGDE 704: Research Methods and Statistics in Education

Credit factor 3

Purpose: To introduce the student to descriptive statistics and research designs/ To equip and prepare students with appropriate skills and attitudes relevant to scientific research in eduaction.

Expected Outcomes:

1.       Explain descriptive statistics

2.       Organize and represent data using appropriate techniques

3.       Compute and interpret measures of central tendency, location and dispersion

4.       Perform hypotheses testing

5.       To describe and recognize distribution free statistical methods and tests involving non-parametric hypotheses.

6.       Use ANOVA/ACNOVA techniques to determine if there is significant difference between three or more means

7.       Explore research designs

8.       Explains types of research and methods of collecting, organizing and analyzing data

9.       Interpret data and write research reports

Descriptive statistics; hypothesis is testing, analysis of variance and non-parametric methods, meaning purposes and principles of research design; types of research and methods of data collection, organization of data, research reports writing, analysis and interpretation of research data.

TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

Lecture, tutorials, group discussion and presentation, e-learning, internet and library research

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT

Secondary school mathematics curriculum, projector, white boards

Course Textbooks    

  1. John W. Creswell (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks : SAGE Publications

Textbooks for Further Reading

  1. W Alex Edmonds and Thomas D Kennedy (2013). An Applied Reference Guide to Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods. Thousand Oaks : SAGE Publications