Skip to main content

IEC 597 - Scientific Research Methods

Graduate Education Institute · Islamic Economics and Finance (English) · Master

ECTS: 7.5 T+P+L: 3+0+0 Compulsory
Coordinator:

Course Objective

This course is designed to introduce students to multivariate data analysis techniques and their applications in in various field of Islamic Economics and Finance, business administration and political sciences . The course contents would cover statistical techniques related to group comparisons, such as T-test, ANOVA, Chi-sqaure, etc., as well as techniques related to relationship exploration, such as EFA, Regression Analysis, Cluster Analysis, etc. Furthermore, this course would also expose students to the appropriate ways of reporting statistical results in research paper and dissertation.

Course Content

This is a practical course on scholarly methods designed to enable students to carry out their own research projects. The emphasis is on quantitative research methods. Topics covered include the philosophy of research. The course also focuses on the ethics of carrying out primary and secondary research. This course is designed to: a) describe the key components of social research, b) develop skills and knowledge about quantitative social research, and c) identify criteria used to evaluate the quality of social research.

Course Learning Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate high level of responsibility and autonomy as a quantitative data analyst.
  2. Recognizing and describing the important “group” and “relationship exploration” related statistical techniques.
  3. Demonstration of ability to interpret statistical findings reported in top quality quantitative and qualitative research journals.
  4. Choose, adapt, and develop a research questionnaire/tool.
  5. Apply advanced quantitative data analysis techniques using latest statistical software(s)
  6. Demonstrate ability to report empirical findings adequately using IT tools.
  7. Apply advanced numerical skills to conduct the research in the field of specialization

Core Area Distribution

(31) Social and Behavioural Science%20 (34) Business and Administration%50 (46) Mathematics and Statistics%30

Teaching Methods

Question-AnswerDiscussionExercise and PracticeGuided PracticeExperiment - Test / Lab/ Workshop / Field PracticeSelf studyProject Based Learning (Including Field Work)

Assessment & Evaluation

Performance Assignment ( Lab / Workshop / Field Work / Seminar / Presentation / Completion Study / ThesisProject / DesignTesting (Essay / Tests: True-Falls, multiple-choice, short answer, matching)

ECTS / Workload

ActivityQuantityDuration (h)Total Workload
Course Duration (Including Exam Week)15345
Out of Class Study Period15345
Midterm11515
Quiz000
Assignment13030
Practice000
Final12020

Course Schedule

WeekSubjectPreparation
1The Nature and Process of Social ResearchBryman (2012). Ch 1
2Social Research StrategiesBryman (2012). Ch 2
3Research DesignsBryman (2012). Ch 3
4Planning a Research Project and Formulating Research QuestionsBryman (2012). Ch 4
5Getting Started: Reviewing the LiteratureBryman (2012). Ch 5
6Ethics and Politics in Social ResearchBryman (2012). Ch 6
7The Nature of Quantitative ResearchBryman (2012). Ch 7
8Sampling, Structured InterviewingBryman (2012). Ch 8-9
9Midterm ExamMidterm Exam
10Self-Completion QuestionnairesBryman (2012). Ch 10
11Asking QuestionsBryman (2012). Ch 11
12Structured ObservationBryman (2012). Ch 12
13Content AnalysisBryman (2012). Ch 13
14Secondary Analysis and Official StatisticsBryman (2012). Ch 14
15Quantitative Data AnalysisBryman (2012). Ch 15
16Final ExamFinal Exam