Course Identification

The goal of this course is to provide the basic concepts, languish and philosophy of methodology research in science education. Topics:

• Types of research methods: exploratory research, descriptive research, explanatory research, predictive research, demonstration research.
• Paradigm of research methods: quantitative research, qualitative research, mixed research.
• Types of variables that are involved in educational research: categorical, quantitative, dependent, independent, intervening, moderator.
• Research problem and research questions.
• Research structures: experimental research, quasi experimental, non-experimental.
• Research tools: qualitative, quantitative, mixed; scales (nominal, ordinal, interval ratio), errors (random, systemic).
• - Reliability: test-retest reliability, equivalent forms reliability, internal consistency reliability, inter-scorer reliability.
• Validity: construct validity, content validity, internal structure, relevant validity.
• Sampling: random and non-random techniques.
• Data analysis: quantitative, qualitative and mixed techniques.

Upon successful completion of this course- students should be able to:

1. Identify methodological approaches for ST research.
2. Recall the structure of a research proposal.
3. Describe the content of each section of a research proposal.
4. List the criteria to be taken into account when caring out a quantitative study and when caring out a qualitative study.
5. Differentiate quantitative and qualitative research approaches.
6. Discuss critically limitations of research methods.
7. Explain the criteria for selection of research tools.
8. Identify and explain the variables that are involved in my study.
9. 9. Choose a study population and sample for his/her own specific study.
10. Select and employ research techniques for his/her own specific study.
11. Schedule the timeline of his/her own specific study.
12. Apply general principles of conducting a research proposal for his/her own specific study.
13. Analyze the variables that might influence his/her own specific study.
14. Discriminate the quantitative aspects of a study out of its qualitative aspects.
15. Categorize an interview script to different themes.
16. Critically analyze proposals that are presented during the lessons.
17. Argue the need for his/her own specific study.
18. Recognize and formulate research questions.
19. Assemble sequences of related components in the form of a study proposal.
20. Evaluate categorizations of a domain based questionnaire.
21. Validate his/her own proposed study.
22. Summarize the main contributions of his/her own proposed study on the research field.