University of Ghana
(Main and City Campuses)
Department
of Political Science
Second Semester, 2020/2021 Academic Year
Lecturers: Dr. Paul Acheampong Boakye: Email: paboakye@ug.edu.gh
Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato: Email:jjzaato@ug.edu.gh
Office hours: By Appointment
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Course Title |
Political Research Methods
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Course Code |
POLI 344 |
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Purpose |
POLI 344 is intended to
provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice inquiry processes
for conducting political/social research. This course will provide students
with the ability to understand and evaluate information gathered through
political/social research methods. The course will give students a firm
grounding in the fundamentals of political research and to familiarize
students with a range of typical data collection and analysis methods and
processes in political science. Consequently, students will be provided with
the core skills in data collections and analysis that can be applied in an
academic setting or work. |
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Course Objectives |
At the end of the term,
students will: •
Be confident in applying appropriate research
methods to answer social and political questions. •
Appreciate the principles that guides the
design and evaluation of social science research. •
Become critical consumers of social science
research and information. •
Enhance their critical thinking, research
aptitude, and writing skills through completion of written assignments and
other activities. •
Develop practical experience in applying their
knowledge through classroom and tutorial exercises. |
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Expectations |
This course is
structured in such a way to facilitate active learning through participation.
As such, there will be less lecturing and more hands-on/in-class discussions
and simulations for students to appreciate the ethos and elements of empirical
research. For this to work, students will be required to do some preparation
before coming to class, for both lectures and tutorials. At a minimum,
preparation will almost always involve reading the assigned materials before
each class. This advance preparation is not optional if one is to
succeed in this course. In order to participate in class, students will need
to be prepared. Failure to do so will have a significant impact on students’
learning and on the learning of their classmates. Students can expect this
course to be more demanding than many other courses; the payoff is acquiring
a set of skills and knowledge that will be of use in students’ remaining
courses and in their future careers. |
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Assessment |
The final examination
mark (100%) will comprise: Continuous
Assessment – 60% Final
Written Exam – 40% |
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Week No.
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Date |
Topic description |
Venue |
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1 |
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1. Overview of the research Process: •
Statement
of the Problem •
Research
Objectives and Questions •
Literature
Review •
Theory 2.
Research
Proposal |
In-Person/Virtual
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2&3
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Methods of Data Collection Qualitative techniques: •
Case Study
•
Interviews
•
Focus groups
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In-Person/Virtual
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4&5
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Methods of Data Collection Qualitative techniques: •
Participant Observation •
Action Research •
Photovoice
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In-Person/Virtual
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6&7
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Methods of Data Collection Qualitative techniques: •
Narrative Inquiry •
Discourse Analysis •
Grounded Theory |
In-Person/Virtual
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8&9
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Methods of Data Collection Quantitative techniques: •
Surveys
•
Questionnaire Design |
In-Person/Virtual
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10&11
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Data Analysis (II) Presenting Results
Using: •
Qualitative Research •
Quantitative Research |
In-Person/Virtual
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12 |
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Mixed Methods |
In-Person/Virtual
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TBD |
End-of-Semester Examinations |
TBD |
Required Weekly Readings
Week 1
Rowley, J., & Slack, F. (2004). Conducting a literature
review. Management research news, 27(6), 31-39
Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2019). Guidance on conducting a
systematic literature review. Journal of
Planning Education and Research, 39(1),
93-112.
McGaghie, W. C., Bordage, G., & Shea, J. A. (2001).
Problem statement, conceptual framework, and research question. Academic medicine, 76(9), 923-924.
Nasution, M. K., & Aulia, I. (2019, June). Design of the
research problem statement. In Journal of
Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1235, No. 1, p. 012115). IOP Publishing.
Stewart, D., & Klein, S. (2016). The use of theory in
research. International journal of
clinical pharmacy, 38(3),
615-619.
Week 2&3
Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five misunderstandings about
case-study research. Qualitative inquiry,
12(2), 219-245.
Garson, G. D. (2002). Case study research in public
administration and public policy: Standards and strategies. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 8(3), 209-216.
Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., & Chadwick, B.
(2008). Methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and
focus groups. British dental journal,
204(6), 291-295.
Dilley, P. (2000). Conducting successful interviews: Tips
for intrepid research. Theory into
practice, 39(3), 131-137.
Morgan, D.
(1996). Focus Groups. Annual Review of
Sociology. 22(1), 129-152.
Week 4&5
Bogdan, R.
(1973). Participant Observation. Peabody
Journal of Education 50(4), 302-308.
Bargal, D. (2008). Action Research: A Paradigm for Achieving
Social Change. Small Group Research 39(1),
17-27.
Robertson, J. (2000). The Three Rs of Action Research
Methodology: Reciprocity, Reflexivity and Reflection-on-Reality. Educational Action Research 8(2),
307-326.
Wang, C., Cash J. and Powers, L. (2000). Who Knows the
Streets as Well as the Homeless?
Promoting Personal and Community Action Through Photovoice. Health Promotion Practice 1(1),
81-89.
Strack, R., Magill, C. & McDonagh, K. (2004). Engaging
Youth Through Photovoice. Health
Promotion Practice 5(1), 49-58.
Week 6&7
Riley, T. & Hawe, P. (2005).
Researching Practice: The Methodological Case for Narrative Inquiry. Health Education Research 20(2),
226-36.
Ospina, S.M., & Dodge. J. (2005). It’s about Time:
Catching Method up to Meaning – the Usefulness of Narrative Inquiry in Public
Administration Research. Public
Administration Review 65(2), 143-57.
Alvesson, M., & Karreman, D. (2000). Varieties of
Discourse: On the Study of Organizations through Discourse Analysis. Human Relations. 53(9), 1135-1149.
Hewitt, S. (2009). Discourse Analysis and Public Policy
Research. Centre for Rural Economy
Discussion Paper Series 24.
Strauss, A.,
& Corbin, J. (1994). Grounded Theory Methodology: An Overview. In N. K.
Denzin
& Y. S.
Lincoln (Eds.). Handbook of Qualitative
Research (pp. 273-285). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Keddy, B., Sims, S., & Stern, P.N. (1996). Grounded
Theory as Feminist Research Methodology. Journal
of Advanced Nursing 23(3), 448–53.
Suddaby, R. (2006). What Grounded Theory is Not. The Academy of Management Journal 49(4),
633-42.
Week 8&9
Couper, M. P. (2017). New developments in survey data
collection. Annual Review of Sociology,
43, 121-145.
Frohlich, M. T. (2002). Techniques for improving response
rates in OM survey research. Journal of
Operations Management, 20(1),
53-62.
Speklé, R. F., & Widener, S. K. (2018). Challenging
issues in survey research: Discussion and suggestions. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 30(2), 3-21.
Kazi, A. M., & Khalid, W. (2012). Questionnaire
designing and validation. Journal of the
Pakistan Medical Association, 62(5),
514.
Colosi,
L. (2006). Designing an effective questionnaire. Research brief available online at: http://parenting. cit. cornell.
edu/documents/Designing an Effective Questionnaire. pdf.
Jain, S., Dubey, S., & Jain, S. (2016). Designing and
validation of questionnaire. International
dental & medical journal of advanced research, 2(1), 1-3.
Week 10&11
Pitchforth, E.,
Porter, M., van Teijlingen, E., & Keenan, K. F. (2005). Writing up and
presenting qualitative research in family planning and reproductive health care
31(2), 132-135. Sandelowski, M. (1998). Writing a good read:
Strategies for re‐presenting qualitative data. Research in nursing & health, 21(4), 375-382.
Gillan, D. J., Wickens, C. D., Hollands, J. G., &
Carswell, C. M. (1998). Guidelines for presenting quantitative data in HFES
publications. Human Factors, 40(1), 28-41.
Week 12
Brannen, J. (2005). Mixing methods: The
entry of qualitative and quantitative approaches into the research process. International journal of social research
methodology, 8(3), 173184. Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., &
Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a definition of mixed methods research. Journal of mixed methods research, 1(2), 112-133.
Optional Reading
Archer, K., & Berdahl, L. (2011). Explorations: Conducting empirical research in Canadian political
science. 3rd Ed. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.
Bouma, G. D., Ling, R., & Wilkinson, L. (2012). The Research Process, Third Canadian
Edition. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.
Assessments/Assignments
1. Assignment 1: Interim Assessment (30marks)
The format for this assessment will be
discussed in class.
2. Assignment 2 – Term Paper (30 marks)
Prepare a term paper that applies one of the data
collection methods discussed in class to any political or social issue in
Ghana. The topic for the paper must be political science related (e.g. social
and public policies, democracy and governance issues, conflicts, etc). Write
between 4000 to 6000 words, excluding references. The bibliography must contain a minimum of 10
references.
3. Assignment 3: Final
Exam (40)
Late Submissions
Late submission
of assignment shall not be entertained at any time.
Note: computer or internet failure is not grounds for an extension. Always
back-up your work to avoid any potential last-minute catastrophes.
All papers and work should be submitted electronically through Sakai (No
emails). Please keep a copy of any work
submitted for grading in this course.
Appeals
If a student has a concern about the course or a grade
they have been assigned, they must first discuss their concerns with the
instructor. If this does not resolve the matter, the student can then proceed
with an academic appeal following the guidelines set out in the University’s
handbook.
University Regulations
Students are
encouraged to familiarize themselves with the University policies found in the
University of Ghana Handbook.
