BBIT 316 Research Methodology (3 Credits)

Prerequisites: MATH 132, MATH 230

Purpose of the Course:

This course is designed to equip the student with research knowledge and skills in which they acquire
competence that would enable their effectiveness and efficiency in planning, conducting and presenting
research findings.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

 Understand the aspects of the research process.
 Know the meaning and purpose of research.
 Locate and evaluate research articles in relevant field.
 Develop a research proposal for a given project in the field of interest.
 Understand the skills of communicating the research findings.

Course content:

Research and Science: meaning, classification, sources of knowledge, characteristics of scientific

research. Research Process: steps undertaken. Literature review: purpose, sources, conducting,
synthesizing, citing references and bibliography, Theory in research. Variables: definition, types.
Hypotheses: definition, sources, types, characteristics and functions. Research Design and Methodology:
definition and classification of design, data and measurement- types of scales, validity and reliability,
internal and external validity of design, ethical issues, and piloting. Research instruments: questionnaires,
interviews, observations, attitude measurement- likert scale. Sampling techniques. Qualitative
approaches: nature, commonly used designs. Experimental designs: types and examples, internal and
external validity. Research proposal: types, importance and structure. Data analysis: processing data for
analysis, univariate, bivariate and inferential statistics. Research report and presentation: components,
report writing and oral presentation.

Mode of Delivery:

 Lectures

 Problem Based Learning

 Tutorials

 Independent study
Course Assessment:

Continuous Assessment 30%

End of Trimester examination 70%

Core Reading Materials:

 Leedy, P. D. and Ormrod, J. E : Practical research: planning and Design; Prentice Hall, 2007
 Kothari,C.R.: Research Methodology Methods and Techniques, New Age International, 2006

Recommended Reference Materials:

 Mugenda, O. M. and Mugenda, A. G.: Research methods: quantitative and qualitative approaches;
ACTS, Nairobi, 2005.

 Kumar,R.: Research methodology: A step -by- step guide for beginners, Longman, 2007.

 Creswell, J. W.: Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches; Sage
Publications, Inc., 2009