The tutor for this discipline is Prof Dr Erik Vermeulen.

Here I introduce the DIsciple to you.

RESEARCH METHODS

Objectives of this Discipline

The objectives of this discipline are to reinforce the basic steps of doing research and studying how to report the research done. The basic stages of this project are:

·         Identify the research problem and state research questions

·         Review the literature

·         Design a research plan

·         Implement the research and collect data

·         Analyze the findings

·         Conclude and give recommendations based on the findings

·         Write the research report or monograph

You will be working on the basis of a selection of useful sections from a course book used and written in Nigeria, adapted here and there, (by the tutor), to our circumstances in Mozambique.

The justification for using this book here (which is not perfect, by the way, but practical) is that the course book fits our purpose for this course very well. Why invent the wheel if it has already been invented? The book is based on the experience of another African country (Nigeria) i.e. how to do research with the objective of instructing English undergraduate students how to do research and complete a dissertation, and, based on their research results and dissertation, how to defend and obtain the BA degree.

This material will be complemented by another work (written by the tutor) “TRABALHO DE CULMINAÇÃO DO CURSO” that focuses on the writing of the dissertation, i.e. how to organise and sequence the chapters, and the linguistic aspects, referencing, bibliography and the layout of final presentation.