Research Methods

This course will provide an opportunity for students to establish or enhance their understanding of research through critical exploration of research language, ethics and approaches. It introduces students to the research process and the key components of a typical research paper. Often times educators assume students should enter tertiary institutions with an understanding of how to construct a research paper. This course provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to write a research paper by providing avenues for them to:

read a given assignment and understand the instructor’s expectations.
develop a search strategy that leads them to sources on the given topic.
read, evaluate and take notes on these sources.
adjust the scope of their topic so that they can write meaningfully on it in a set number of pages.
devise a clear thesis that blends ideas and information from multiple sources into a single discussion.
write a paper, revise the paper and cite their sources correctly using the APA documentation format.
Students will use these theoretical underpinnings to begin to critically review literature relevant to their field of interest and determine how research findings are useful in informing their understanding of their environment. This course is not designed to replace content area specific research courses as it is only intended to be used as an introductory course to aid students in presenting research papers as a part of their coursework and one that will be reflective of the tertiary level of education.