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The philosophy that guided the development of this course is twofold. First, research involves a process of activities rather than the application of isolated, unrelated concepts and ideas. Educators practice research following a general sequence of procedures from the initial identification of a research problem to the final report of research. This means that understanding the sequence of flow of activities is central in inquiry. Thus, the course begins with specific modules devoted to each step in the process of research and the inclusion of concepts and ideas within this process. Second, the researcher today needs a large toolbox or approaches to study the complex issues in our society. No longer can we, as researchers, use only experiments or surveys to address our research problems. Researchers in this new century whether conducting research or reading research to self-inform need to know about both quantitative and qualitative approaches to inquiry and to have an in-depth understanding of the multiple research designs and procedures used in our studies today. Throughout the steps in the process or research, you will be introduced to both quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine each step and learn about their differences and similarities in application. This course will also introduce you to eight distinct quantitative and qualitative research designs or procedures that comprise the repertoire of the researcher today.
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