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Research & Academic Skills

Research Methodology for Applied Social Science

Design defensible studies — from problem statement to sampling strategy

  • 6 weeks · 2 sessions per week
  • Intermediate
  • Hybrid
  • 5 modules · 15 lessons
  • Certificate

This course takes participants through the full arc of designing a credible study: framing a researchable problem, situating it in the literature, choosing between quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches, designing instruments, and planning sampling and fieldwork in the Somali context. Every session pairs a short conceptual input with hands-on work on the participant's own research topic, so that participants finish the course holding a defensible proposal rather than a set of notes.

Outcomes

What you will be able to do

  • Formulate a researchable problem statement, objectives, and research questions
  • Conduct and synthesise a structured literature review
  • Select an appropriate research design and justify the choice
  • Design valid and reliable data collection instruments
  • Apply probability and non-probability sampling methods
  • Plan fieldwork that meets recognised research ethics standards

Curriculum

What is covered

What makes a question researchable, and what makes evidence credible.

  • Research paradigms and traditions90 min
  • From a topic to a problem statement90 min
  • Objectives, questions, and hypotheses90 min

Requirements

Before you join

  • An undergraduate degree, or current enrolment in a degree programme
  • A research topic or area of interest you want to develop
  • Basic computer literacy

Audience

Who it is for

  • Postgraduate students
  • University lecturers
  • M&E officers
  • Programme staff in NGOs and government

Facilitator

Who teaches it

RR

RIO Research Faculty

Department of Research and Publications

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