Research Philosophy and Methodology for Doctoral Students
Research Philosophy and Methodology for Doctoral Students
Get 70% back via Tax Credit
€3,500 refund on this module
Module Description
This unit forms part of the taught stage which constitutes Phase one of the Doctoral Programme at IDEA Academy. It is a unit split into two parts (Part A and Part B) over the first two years respectively.
The aim of this unit is to prepare students to be able to successfully manage the challenges of academic research in the Business field at the Doctoral Level by encompassing aspects of research which are of primary significance to all doctoral students and with a particular specialisation in Business.
The course will give students a sound basis of many aspects related to Research and will deal with the varying perspectives such as, amongst others, the significance of Research Philosophy, the Literature Review, the skills required to identify research gaps, how to formulate a Research question, different Research methodologies as well as ethical issues.
The course will also empower students in the creative and metacognitive dimensional aspects of selecting and combining different styles of research and to design and produce their own Research Methodologies.
Module / Unit Instruction
The proposed structure comprises a blended approach promoting the building of a community of practice via peer-to-peer learning.
The structure uses primarily two dimensions of teaching-learning modes:
- Face-to-face sessions: 80 hours.
- Online Learning Activities: 60 hours.
- Tutor’s Supervision on Research Projects 10 hours
Face to Face sessions
Face-to-face sessions include lectures, tutorials, discussions, presentations, and workshop activities promoting peer-to-peer learning.
Online Learning Activities
Online learning activities incorporate tutorials and asynchronous discussions. These may consist of active interaction, participation, and contributions in fora discussions, sharing resources and self-reflection exercises. Learners also contribute to the building of the community of practice by providing feedback to their peers as critical friends, enhancing the learner’s critical engagement throughout the study period.
The tutor provides continual support during both teaching and learning modes by providing information, readings and tasks relevant to the module in question. The tutor provides continuous feedback as guidance during the student’s learning experience
Target Audience
Academically qualified practitioners in business or other related fields who seek innovation through applied research and wish/need to be formally educated to achieve their objective.
How you’ll be assessed
This unit will be assessed through a Mini-research study where students would be expected to identify an area of interest; formulate a hypothesis or a research question; make a methodological choice, identify the research methods that would generate the best data; analyse the data using the most fitting analysis tools, and present the findings.
Choices at each stage must be justified and backed by literature evidencing a good grasp of knowledge in relation research methodologies and methods.
Students would be expected to achieve 50% of the marks to pass the unit. Online platforms may be used to identify participants and/or to distribute questionnaires for data collection. Analytical tools may be used to facilitate the analysis of the data.
Assessment
Marks shall be distributed as follows: 80% Research project 20% Poster presentation Library and online search engines to access peer-reviewed/scholarly papers are necessary to complete this assignment.
Learning Outcomes
Competences:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:
- Argue how and why a sound approach to research methodology is the foundation that leads to contribution to knowledge.
- Analyse different philosophical assumption behind management research appreciating how they lead to research paradigms.
- Appraise past and current academic research to identify research gaps.
- Relate epistemological and ontological stances to a chosen methodology.
- Evaluate different research theories, sampling, and data collection methods.
- Formulate a research question and implement qualitative and/or quantitative methods and data analysis.
- Present and defend academic arguments 8. Write a formal doctoral proposal.
- Write a paper of publishable standard.
- Conduct an Academic Seminar.
Knowledge:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have been exposed to the following indicative content:
Part A: First year
- Argue how and why a sound approach to research methodology is the foundation that leads to contribution to knowledge.
- Analyse different philosophical assumptions behind management research appreciating how they lead to research paradigms.
- Appraise past and current academic research to write a literature review and identify research gaps.
Evaluate different research theories, sampling, and data collection methods. Evaluate different research theories, sampling, and data collection methods.
- Understand the importance of Theories in research
- Examine different use of theories and methodologies (Quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods)
- Understand a range of research methods.
- Understand experimental design and data collection method.
- Understand the importance of various sampling methods.
- Recognize and manage Research Ethical issue.
Part B: Second Year
- Formulate a research question and implement qualitative and/or quantitative methods and data analysis.
- Review quantitative research: Concepts and their measurement; reliability and validity; measurement, causality, generalisation and replication.
- Explore Quantitative methods.
- Explore different approaches and tools to Analyse Quantitative data.
- Review qualitative research.
- Explore qualitative methods of data collections.
- Explore different approaches and tools to Analyse Qualitative data.
- Present and defend academic arguments.
- Write a formal doctoral proposal.
- Write a paper of publishable standard.
- Conduct an academic seminar.
Skills:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the following skills to:
- Analyse and synthesise published research.
- Compose a written Literature Review.
- Formulate a Research Question and to design and define own ontological position.
- Apply Research Theories, Sampling and Data Collection methods effectively.
- Implement Qualitative and Quantitative Data collection methods and Data Analysis.
- Produce strong Academic Arguments.
- Communicate effectively fulfilling the standards expected the Doctoral Level.
- Produce an academic paper for publication.
Module-Specific Learner Skills
At the end of the module/unit the learner will be able to:
- Devise a communication plan.
- Disseminate information relating to the project itself.
- Delegate and supervise project tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines to relevant stakeholders.
Module-Specific Digital Skills and Competences
At the end of the module/unit, the learner will be able to:
- Navigate through the online learning platform to find assignments, discussion boards, literature, tutorials etc.