Research Methods – KASNEB Syllabus

PAPER NO. 18 RESEARCH METHODS

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

This paper is intended to equip the candidate with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enable him/her to design and carry out research on information systems.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

A candidate who passes this paper should be able to:

Identify and analyse problems for which research is required
Identify the major types of research designs
Formulate clearly defined research objectives and research questions
Analyse key issues and themes from existing literature
Conduct research
Present research findings
Apply ethics in research

CONTENT

Introduction to research

Meaning of research
Types of research
Significance of research
The research process
Challenges in carrying out research
Types of research designs
Format of research project
Research methodology

The research problem

Problem identification
Salient features of a good problem statement
Background and context of the problem
Problem statement
Research objectives: General and specific objectives
Research questions
Research hypothesis/formulation of hypothesis
Development of theoretical/conceptual framework

Literature review

Meaning and importance of literature review
Theoretical review and empirical review
Critical review of major issues
Theoretical and conceptual framework

Research methodology

Target population
Sampling techniques and sample size
Data collection
Data collection method
Reliability and validity of data

Analysis and presentation of findings

Analysis of findings
Presentation of findings
Testing of hypothesis
Summary, conclusions and recommendations

Format of research project

Preliminaries
Content chapters
Referencing – APA format
Appendices

Issues in research

Ethical considerations in research
Implementation of research recommendations