Research Methods

Catalog description

This course surveys the methods of gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating social science research data. Topics include psychological measurement and scaling techniques, basic statistics, the various types of research methods and designs, ethics in research, report writing, graphical reporting of data, and bibliographical sources in the range of social sciences. Learners must (1) find a researchable problem, (2) develop a testable hypothesis, (3) review and evaluation of the basic literature, (4) develop appropriate methods for testing a hypothesis (i.e., research design), and (5) develop and rigorously apply appropriate means of assessing the reliability and validity of anticipated outcomes.