ECO311

Research Methodology

Social Sciences
300 level
3 credit units
158 pages
17 units

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts and practices of research methods in economics. It covers topics such as research problem identification, data acquisition, classification, summarization, and statistical sampling. Students will learn about hypothesis testing, ethical considerations, and research report writing. The course aims to equip students with the skills to conduct independent research and make informed decisions using research methods.

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About this course

Difficulty: Intermediate
Study hours: 156 hours
Maths: Intermediate
Content: Theoretical, practical, case study
Practical work: Yes

How it is assessed

Assignments
Tutor Marked Assignments
Final Examination

What you'll read

The real module and unit structure of ECO311, taken from the course material NOUN publishes.

Module 1 · CONCEPT AND NATURE OF RESEARCH METHODS

Module 2

Module 3 · DATA ANALYSIS IN RESEARCH

Module 4

Module 5

Module 6 · REFERENCING SYSTEM IN A RESEARCH REPORT

One paragraph, so you can see how it reads

ECO311 · UNIT I: DEFINITION AND MEANING OF RESEARCH

There are some hours of tutorials (2-hours sessions) provided in support of this course. You will be notified of the dates, times and location of these tutorials. Together with the name and phone number of your tutor, as soon as you are allocated a tutorial group.

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What you should be able to do

Define research and its importance
Identify and formulate research problems
Apply appropriate data collection methods
Analyze data using statistical techniques
Interpret research findings and draw conclusions
Write a comprehensive research report

What it prepares you for

Careers

Economist
Data Analyst
Market Researcher
Policy Analyst
Research Consultant

Where it is applied

Government
Finance
Consulting
Academia
Non-Profit

Where it gets hard

The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.

Module 4 A Guide to Statistics in Research
Unit 2 Test in Statistical Analysis
Application of ANOVA requires understanding of statistical assumptions and complex calculations.
Module 4 A Guide to Statistics in Research
Unit 3 Central of Tendency and other Higher test in Statistics
Geometric and Harmonic means require advanced mathematical skills and are difficult to apply in real-world scenarios.

A suggested way through it

Suggested

13 weeks, about 38 hours in total. Yours will differ.

Week 1Module 1 Concept and Nature of Research Methods
- Unit 1: Definition and Meaning of Research · 2 hours
  Read the definition of research and its importance.. Discuss the problems of research.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
- Unit 2: Focus of Research · 2 hours
  Explain the significance of research in applied economics and government policies.. Discuss the objectives and characteristics of research.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 2Module 1 Concept and Nature of Research Methods
- Unit 3: Research Problem · 3 hours
  Identify a research problem and its sources.. Discuss the guidelines for choosing research problems.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 3Module 2 Research Writing
- Unit 1: Research Topic · 2 hours
  Explain the essential elements of a research topic.. Discuss the process of selecting a research topic.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
- Unit 2: Literature Review · 2 hours
  Discuss the meaning and purpose of literature review.. Explain how to write a good literature review.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 4Module 2 Research Writing
- Unit 3: Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks in Research · 3 hours
  Explain the role of theory in research.. Define theoretical and conceptual frameworks.. Differentiate between theoretical and conceptual frameworks.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 5Module 3 Data Analysis in Research
- Unit 1: Collating Data for Presentation · 2 hours
  Explain the nature and sources of data.. Discuss data collection techniques.. Explain data measurement.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 6Module 3 Data Analysis in Research
- Unit 2: Data Collecting Scales · 3 hours
  Discuss Likert, Semantic Differential, and Thurston scales.. Explain how to use these scales in research.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 7Module 3 Data Analysis in Research
- Unit 3: Operationalizing and Data Analysis · 3 hours
  Understand the need for operationalization.. Differentiate between opinion and factual data.. Analyze data for cause-and-effect relationships.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 8Module 4 A Guide to Statistics in Research
- Unit 1 Descriptive Statistics · 2 hours
  Explain data distribution and tabular presentation.. Discuss measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode).. Explain measures of variability (range, mean deviation, standard deviation).. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 9Module 4 A Guide to Statistics in Research
- Unit 2 Test in Statistical Analysis · 3 hours
  Explain parametric tests (t-test, ANOVA).. Discuss non-parametric tests (Chi-square, Binomial test).. Examine the appropriate test of hypothesis to be used.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 10Module 4 A Guide to Statistics in Research
- Unit 3 Central of Tendency and other Higher test in Statistics · 3 hours
  Discuss other measures of central tendency (geometric mean, harmonic mean).. Explain the Median Test and Mann-Whitney Test.. Discuss correlation analysis.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 11Module 5 Managing a Research Project: The Research Proposal & Report
- Unit 1: Planning the Research Project · 2 hours
  Explain the research proposal and its structure.. Discuss field work and data collection.. Outline the research project content.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 12Module 5 Managing a Research Project: The Research Proposal & Report
- Unit 2: Concepts of Ethics · 3 hours
  Define and explain ethics in research.. Itemize and discuss ethical issues in research.. Discuss the roles of ethics in research.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..
Week 13Module 5 Managing a Research Project: The Research Proposal & Report
- Unit 3: Report Writing · 3 hours
  Define and discuss report writing.. Present and organize a research report.. Identify and use research documentation.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercise 1..

Preparing for the exam

What to do

Create a study schedule allocating specific time for each module.
Review all self-assessment exercises and tutor-marked assignments.
Focus on understanding statistical concepts and their applications.
Practice solving problems using different statistical techniques.
Prepare detailed notes on research ethics and report writing guidelines.
Review the central limit theorem and its applications to mean and proportion.
Practice writing research proposals and reports based on sample data.
Create concept maps linking research methods to specific economic problems.
Focus on understanding the differences between parametric and non-parametric tests.
Practice interpreting statistical results and drawing meaningful conclusions.

Questions students ask about this course

What is ECO311 about?

How many units does ECO311 have?

ECO311, Research Methodology, has 17 units across 6 modules, over 158 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.

How many credit units is ECO311?

ECO311 carries 3 credit units, at 300 level in Social Sciences.

Is ECO311 hard?

ECO311 is rated intermediate level, with intermediate mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical, practical and case study work, and it has a practical component.

How long does ECO311 take to study?

About 156 hours of study, spread across its 17 units.

How is ECO311 assessed?

ECO311 is assessed by Assignments, Tutor Marked Assignments and Final Examination.

What can I do with ECO311?

Economist, Data Analyst, Market Researcher, Policy Analyst and Research Consultant.