EDD821 Techniques for Research (3 cr.)

Prerequisite(s): EDD809 , EDD814  
This course introduces foundational concepts and methods for conducting organizational research in educational and professional contexts. Students examine how to formulate meaningful research problems, align research questions with appropriate designs, and evaluate issues of validity, reliability, and sampling. The course provides an overview of key qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis, along with the ethical responsibilities of practitioner-researchers. The course culminates in the development of two research design outlines—one qualitative and one quantitative—demonstrating students’ ability to align purpose, questions, design, and methods in coherent research plans.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Formulate a clear, significant research problem and aligned research questions relevant to organizational or educational contexts.

2. Explain and evaluate issues of validity, reliability, dependability, and trustworthiness in research design.

3. Analyze and justify appropriate sampling strategies for different research purposes.

4. Describe and compare basic qualitative and quantitative hypothesis testing, data collection, and analysis techniques.

5. Apply ethical principles to the design and conduct of organizational research.

6. Develop two aligned research design outlines (one qualitative and one quantitative) that demonstrate coherence among purpose, questions, design, and methods.