Understanding Research: A Simplified Form

Description

This book is a step by step practical guide designed to provide students with technical and methodological skills to enable them to make sense of qualitative and quantitative research in a simplified form. The text is based on lecture notes and personal experiences of the authors acquired over several years of lecturing research methods course to undergraduate and postgraduate students and engaging fellow scholars of research methods during research workshops and seminars. The book is meant to be a resource material to students particularly those undertaking research methodology courses to think critically and logically as they engage in the research activities. The book explains, with relevant examples, the basics of research in social sciences. Moreover, the authors have used a simple language, devoid of jargon, in their quest to communicate salient research terms and concepts. This book covers major stages and procedures in basic research processes namely: background of the study, statement of the problem, research objectives, research questions and hypothesis, justification of the study, scope of the study, and structure of the research report.

Prof. David Kipchirchir Serem holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree in Administration of Higher Education from the University of Wyoming, USA. He has been a Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Maseno University and is currently the Ag. Vice-Chancellor of Maasai Mara University. Prof. Serem researches and lectures in the area of Educational Leadership and Management and Qualitative Research. He has published extensively in the area of Educational Leadership and Management. He has supervised Masters and PhD. students and also served as an examiner of postgraduate theses from various universities.

Prof. John Mugun Boit is an Associate Professor of Economics of Education in the School of Arts and Social Sciences and currently serving as a Senior Principal Administrative Officer in the Academic division of Moi University. He earned his PhD. (1998) and M.Ed. (1986) from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and a B.Ed. (Arts) from the University of Nairobi (1980). He has published extensively and supervised a wide range of topics at both Masters and PhD. He is a specialist in Quantitative Research Methods.

Prof. Mellitus Nyongesa Wanyama is a music educator, composer, arranger, choral trainer, dance choreographer and adjudicator of music and dance. He has taught music and dance at primary and secondary school levels in Kenya. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Musicology in the Department of Literature, Theatre and Film Studies at Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya. He holds Doctor of Music Degree (DMus) in Ethnomusicology (University of Pretoria, South Africa). He is the Executive Director and Founder of Utafiti Foundation (www.utafitifoundation.com) – a research and documentation centre.