Objectives:

• To enable a learner to understand properly the concepts of research methodology
• Equip them to prepare a research design and carry out research in systematic and scientific manner.

Course Outcome:

After completing this Certificate Programme, the learner should be able to understand about the basic concepts of social science research, formulate a research design, draw a sampling design, instrument development and its different forms of scaling and understand the technique of research reporting.

Module I: (5 Hours)

• Research-Types of Research
• Methods of Research-Research Process.

Module II: (5 Hours)

• Research problem
• Formulation
• Research Design
• Types of Research Design-Research proposal and its properties.

Module III: (5 Hours)

• Sampling design
• Census and sample survey
• Sample frame
• Sample size
• Methods of Sampling.

Module IV: (10 Hours)

• Collection and analysis of data
• Types of Data
• Methods of Data collection
• Preparation of Questionnaire or Interview schedule
• Measurement and scaling techniques
• Nominal data
• Individual data
• Ordinal data
• Ratio data
• Analysis of data
• Types of analysis.

Module V: (5 Hours)

• Research reporting
• Characteristics of a good research report
• Content of a report
• Citing references using APA style
• Plagiarism.

Suggested Readings

• Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques, C R Kothari, New Age International Publications
• Statistical Methods for Research, Prof. K. Kalyanaraman, Prentice Hall Pvt. Ltd
• Research Methodology in Social Sciences, O R Krishnaswamy, Himalaya Publishing House
• Business Research Methodology, Sashi K Gupta & Praneet Rangi, Kalyani Publishers
• Research methodology, R. Paneerselvam, Prentice Hall of India