Social research methods in development planning

Course objectives 

This course introduces you to social research methods and research design, in the context of development planning. The course will cover such topics as the choice of research design, application of social theories and design of theories of change, generating research questions and hypotheses. The course will give an overview of both qualitative and quantitative methods. It will also allow students to strengthen skills in data analysis and practice data analysis using statistical software SPSS. The course will be composed of a mix of lectures, discussion sessions, and computer workshops. Active participation is expected and encouraged. 

Course learning outcomes

Students will learn fundamentals of social research methods for development planning and gain a thorough overview of issues related to research design and choice of research methods in development planning. They will also be able to learn and apply some of the data analysis methods using SPSS. Specific learning outcome include:

• What are the main approaches to research design in development planning;

• What are the main qualitative and quantitative research methods in development planning;

• How to do a literature review;

• How to develop a theory of change;

• How to develop and assess a research proposal;

• How to use SPSS for basic quantitative analysis;

• How to communicate research for policy impact.