The quantitative research methods course introduces you to the field of social science research. As the first course in the doctorate program, it introduces specific requirements of scholarly writing. The course then examines in depth the research process and introduces doctoral candidates to the various aspects of doing scientific research with a specific focus on quantitative methodology, providing practical advice and insight in the field. Topics covered include doctoral writing, problem statement development, research question/hypothesis formulation and theory synthesis, sampling strategies, data collection techniques, and data analyses methodologies.

Before the final assessment, the candidate’s Ph.D disseration must be submitted to the university in accordance with procedures and guidelines stipulated in the University prospectus’

·         The Ph.D. degree examination requires submission of dissertation by the candidate, based on the results of his/her research

·         No candidate may be permitted to submit a dissertation for the Ph.D.  degree in less than three academic years from the date of registration.

·         At least three months before the dissertation is submitted, the candidate shall, through his/her Supervisor, give notice of his/her intention to submit.  He/she should do this in writing to the Chairman, Postgraduate Studies Committee, submitting at the same time the proposed title and outline of the plan and general scope of the work.

·         Every dissertation for the Ph.D. degree of the University must be accompanied by a declaration by the candidate stating that it is the candidate's original work and that it has neither been submitted nor concurrently being submitted in any other institution.  The dissertation must be submitted in four copies.

·         The disseration shall contain a statement of copyright by the author.

·         A disseration  submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy must be satisfactory with respect to its formal and literary presentation. The dissertation must contain an abstract of not more than 350 words, and this shall concisely indicate the problem investigated, the procedures and research methods employed, the general results and new contributions made, and the major conclusions reached.

·         A Ph.D. candidate may also submit, in support of his/her thesis and relevant publications of which he/she is the sole or joint author.  In case of joint authorship, he/she will be required to state his/her own contribution to the publication.

Course DescriptionmThis is an intensive 8-week PhD Dissertation Research Seminar Track 2 includes both an online course room and a face-to-face weekend residency experience. Learners interact with peers and faculty as they participate in online course room and weekend residency activities that emphasize applying that emphasize applying the research skills necessary to detail a methodological design, sampling plan, and strategy for data. In Track 2, learners present their methodologies for evaluation and approval. Following the weekend residency experience, learners complete a final assessment that demonstrates Track 2 learning outcomes.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the seminar, learners should be able to:

o   Submit Methodology Plan

o   Submit instruments for approval

Course Overview

This is an intensive 8-week PhD Dissertation Research Seminar Track 2 includes both an online course room and a face-to-face weekend residency experience. Learners interact with peers and faculty as they participate in online course room and weekend residency activities that emphasize applying that emphasize applying the research skills necessary to conduct an extensive literature review in their chosen specialization. The track would also be used to analyze the appropriate theories that should support the selected topics.  In Track 2, learners present their literature review for evaluation and approval. Following the weekend residency experience, learners complete a final assessment that demonstrates Track 2 learning outcomes.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the seminar, learners should be able to:

o   Submit Literature Review Plan

o   Submit Draft Literature Review

This is an intensive 8-week PhD Dissertation Research Seminar Track 1 includes both virtual course-room and a face-to-face weekend residency experience. Learners interact with peers and faculty as they participate in the online course room and weekend residency activities that emphasize applying the research skills necessary to initiate the development of a dissertation research plan. Throughout the course, learners focus on identifying a theory, topic, and research problem appropriate for their specialization. Following the weekend residency experience, learners complete a final assessment that demonstrates Track 1 learning outcomes.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the seminar, learners should be able to:

o   Submit a research proposal

o   Submit Topic for approval

Course Description:

This is an advanced-level course in Research Methods designed to provide doctoral learners with the holistic guidance needed to undertake scholarly research in a chosen discipline. The focus of the course is on qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Learners will move beyond conducting literature reviews at the methodological level and will focus on research design specific to reliability and threats to validity while developing their own research proposals. Learners also will explore the meaning of content and process gaps, problems, and opportunities uncovered during the literature review process. The course also offers learners the opportunity to begin research on their dissertation by providing clear and holistic guidance on how to refine a research idea into a clear topic with SMART objectives or research questions that can be supported by appropriate methodology.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

1.      Analyze research designs:

• Describe the key characteristics and purpose of common research designs.
• Critique the key design elements, methods, and procedures used within common research designs.
• Apply knowledge about various types of validity and reliability to the critique of research designs, sampling procedures, and data collection methods and instruments.

2.      Design a comprehensive research plan:

• Identify content-related and methodologically related gaps in the literature, and construct a conceptual/theoretical framework.
• Articulate problem and purpose statements, and develop research questions that match that statement of the problem.
• Select an appropriate methodological approach and research design.
• Develop data collection and analysis methods appropriate for the overall approach and research questions.

3.      Plan for ethical research:

• Identify ethical issues related to your research study.
• Identify research methods that address ethical issues.

4.      Communicate effectively through writing:

• Adhere to APA formatting styles.
• Introduce, cite, and discuss research in varied ways and levels of depth.
• Support your claims with your analysis and synthesis of peer-reviewed journal articles.

Course Descriptive

This advanced research course will focus on the rigour and rudiments of qualitative research. Doctoral learners would study various approaches to designing and conducting qualitative research projects in. Students will gain hands-on experience in various advance qualitative methods, data collection and analysis techniques while carrying out a research project related to their area of interest.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, learners should be able to:

·         Develop qualitative research plans and proposal

·         Discuss the characteristics, language and logic of qualitative research methods;

·         Develop techniques for designing a qualitative research study;

·         Design appropriate instruments for qualitative data collection

·         Deploy appropriate qualitative techniques for qualitative data analysis

·         Assess quality and rigor in evaluating a qualitative research study.

Course Description

This an advanced quantitative research method that is suitable for students with a strong background in statistics. The course focus on developing scholarly practitioners' understanding of statistical theory and methodology and its application in statistical surveys and analyses. It provides the opportunity for doctoral learners to conduct basic and advanced statistical surveys, calculations and analyses, and a deeper understanding of statistical methods relevant for research discipline. The focus is also to lay a solid foundation for the interpretation of statistical results and critique of quantitative scholarly papers.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, learners should be able to:

• Explain the logic of scientific explanation, including the relationship between theory and research.
• Perform multivariate statistical analyses to answer quantitative research questions.
• Perform multivariate data analysis on SPSS and to interpret the results.
• Apply the appropriate measurement of variables, including levels of measurement.
• Critically assess statistically-based arguments by sources ranging from scientific journals to mass media outlets.
• Analyze relationships utilizing basic and advanced statistical control tools
• Critique scholarly quantitative journal articles

Course Description

This course provides an opportunity for students to develop and nurture the skills for academic writing. It is an intensive analysis of the principles of academic writing aimed at equipping doctoral learners with effective scholarly writing competence as well as their communication skills. This module is intended help scholarly-practitioners to write clearly, logically, comprehensively and structurally appropriate. It introduces writing as a way of developing, exploring and testing ideas. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, grammar, usage and mechanics (GUM), referencing, good paragraph development, essay and report writing. The course is also expected to the doctoral learners acquire appreciable narrative and paraphrasing and summary skills. Therefore, learners shall be required to review some selected scholarly articles and stories as part of the course. The course shall engage learners in critical academic discourse, drawing from journal articles, textbooks and videos.

COURSE OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, learners shall be able to:

·         Write acceptable academic reports.

·         Organize their ideas coherently and clearly in paragraphs.

·         Apply citations and references in academic writing. 

·         Summarize a given passage by extracting the relevant information from it.

·         Demonstrate effective summary skills in report writing

·         Apply critical thinking in scholarly writing

·         Explain the types of report

·         Develop good thesis statements

·         Demonstrate the ability to present data using graphics

This course guides the students in their dissertation research process.