This certificate provides the basic understanding and skills of what it takes to do a systematic field study in a social sector programme/​project context. Its three courses together help participants appreciate the foundational principles on which research is planned, designed and executed. Further, the courses help develop specific skills of designing research, deciding its methodologies, choosing samples, methods and tools, conducting the data collection, analyzing and interpreting the data to use for specific purposes. The courses have ample opportunities for hands-on work, draw from field experiences of the participants and past studies they may have conducted. The participants will have a rounded understanding of thinking and doing quantitative and qualitative field studies and apply the results in their specific project/​programme. 

Courses in the certificate

1. Paradigms and ethics of research design in social action 
2. Quantitative Analysis and Data visualisation 
3. Qualitative Methods for Research Design and Data Collection 

Course Details

Paradigms and ethics of research design in social action

1. Four research paradigms- positivist, interpretivist, critical theory, sub altern
2. Types of research questions following the paradigms
3. Research designs – natural experiment, cross sectional, longitudinal, mixed, case study design
4. Research tools and sampling
5. Use of each in social sector programmes
6. Ethical considerations- perspectives and practice
7. Hands-on practice

Quantitative Analysis and Data visualisation

1. How to think quantitatively
2. Formulating research questions in a Quantitative lens
3. Designing a quantitative study in a social practice context
4. Various Sampling methods and their relevance in social sector works
5. Preparation of survey schedule
6. Descriptive Statistics to analyse data
7. Analysis to visualisation
8. Hands-on practice

Qualitative Methods for Research Design and Data Collection

1. How to think Qualitatively
2. Formulating research questions in a qualitative lens
3. Designing a qualitative study in social practice context
4. Use of sampling in Qualitative Study
5. Deciding on qualitative tools for appropriate questions
6. Coding and Qualitative Analysis
7. Use of visuals and testimonies and case-let in qualitative methods
8. Hands-on practice