INVESTIGATION OF RESEARCH METHODS COURSE IN SOCIAL SCIENCES ACCORDING TO THE VIEWS OF THE FACULTY MEMBERS

The purpose of this study is to investigate the Research Methods course which is taught at the postgraduate level in the field of social sciences according to the views of the faculty members. The case study, which is one of the qualitative research designs, was used in this study. The sample of the study consisted of 7 faculty members teaching at the master or doctorate level research methods courses in the social sciences chosen through maximum diversity and criterion sampling. Data of the study was collected by a semi-structured interview form consisting of 12 questions. The views of the faculty members were presented under four themes as curriculum, students, faculty members, resources. According to the findings, the most emphasized point is insufficient Turkish resources in the respect of curriculum. During the course, it was stated that the most difficult subject is sampling methods. The most important problem is that students and faculty attend the course without sufficient preparation due to lack of time. In order to be effective in the research methods course, it is emphasized that a real research process should be carried out and but the weekly course hours are low. In this direction, it would be appropriate to design an applied instructional design for the research methods course at the postgraduate level and to use resources effectively for the course to be productive.