Methods and Instruments for Data Collection
Description of the Course
The purpose of this course is to teach you about research methods and instruments for collecting data. The course will expose you to several research methods and offer guidance for collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. You should finish the course knowing:
how to select an appropriate research method for investigating a question for a study arising from a problem of practice
how to conceptualize, develop, and test an instrument for collecting data how to evaluate the quality of data collected, and
how to express your evidence-based argument in clear, simple prose, using APA format, to a skeptical reader
To provide you opportunity to learn these skills, the course expects you to complete two projects: one quantitative, one qualitative. In each project, you will:
frame one or more questions to guide inquiry into a problem of practice
select a research method appropriate to the nature and purpose of your inquiry question/s,
conceptualize and design a small study using your selected research method,
design or select instrumentation to collect data,
collect a small sample of data,
critically evaluate the quality of your data
draw any appropriate inferences or make any appropriate claims from your study.