Research Methodology: An Introduction

Meanings of research, Objectives of research, Types of research, Research approaches, Research methods versus methodology, Research and scientific methods, Research process.



Defining the Research Problem

Definition of research problem, selecting the problem, Techniques involved in defining a problem



Research Design

Meaning of research design, Need for research design, Features of a good research design, important concepts related to research design, different research designs, Basic principles of experimental designs



Sampling Designs

Census and sample surveys, Implication of a sample design, Steps in sampling design, Criteria of selecting a sampling procedure, Characteristics of a good sampling design, Different types of sampling designs, Random sampling, complex random sampling designs



Methods of Data Collection

Methods of collecting primary and secondary data, Selection of appropriate methods for data collection



Processing and Analysis of Data

Processing operations, elements/types of analysis, Measures of central tendency, dispersion, symmetry, Simple, multiple and partial correlation, Simple and multiple regression analysis, Association in case of attributes.



Parametric Test of Hypothesis

Basic concepts and procedure for hypothesis testing, power of a test, Test of hypothesis about mean, difference between means, proportions, difference between proportions, variance, equality of variances, and Correlation coefficient, Limitations of test of hypothesis



Interpretation and Report Writing

Meaning, and need of report writing, Techniques, precautions and significance of report writing, Steps in writing report, Layout of research reports types of reports, Oral presentation, Mechanics of writing a research report, Precautions for writing research reports