This module aims to equip students with the necessary advanced research design and methodology knowledge and understanding to conduct research at the postgraduate level. The module also links to the contemporary challenges (HRDT 611), particularly the research discourse in HRD. This module is core in preparing students for the research project in the second year of the BHRD curriculum. Hence, this module in research methodology must be passed before students may proceed with the research project in the second year of the BHRD Hons curriculum.

Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research designs, related research strategies and philosophical underpinning will be attended to. Applicable sampling methods, data collection and analysis related to each design will also be alluded to. Contemporary HRD research issues and topics such as ethics and critical HRD will be exemplified. The need for research in HRD and the gaps in the HRD research literature will be, alluded to as these links with the contemporary challenges in HRD. This module provides the groundwork to prepare students to conduct research in the field of HRD at the post-graduate level.

This module will develop the research competencies of students, needed to conduct post-graduate research, particularly in the field of HRD and to become aware of the research gaps and issues in order to advance HRD as an academic discipline, applied practice and HRD professionalisation.  This module prepares students to conduct limited post-graduate research in the form of a mini-dissertation or article and with the assistance of a supervisor, required in the second year of the BHRD Hons curriculum.

Note:  Students have to review, use and apply all prescribed material and complete all activities and assignments that form part of the notional hours of this module.

This module ‘builds’ on the two research methodology modules HRDT 221 (Introduction to research methodology), and HRDT 311 (Research in HRD) completed in the undergraduate BHRD. This module also links with HRDT 611 (contemporary challenges in HRD), particularly the research discourse and addressing identified HRD research issues to address these modern challenges. This module in research methodology (HRDT 612) also links with and prepares students for the research project (HRDP 671) and is thus a pre-requisite for students to commence with the research project (HRDP 671) in the second year of the BHRD Hons curriculum.

On completion of this module, you should be able to:

• Integrated and applied knowledge of and engagement in a range of various research methodology approaches, research theories and ideas and critical understanding of selecting and applying appropriate research methodology approaches and theories within the current human resource development landscape.
• The ability to critically interrogate a range of research theories and ideas within the social sciences and human resource development research landscape and critically evaluate and review that knowledge by applying information gathering, synthesis of data, evaluation and management processes to ethically develop creative responses to a variety of human resource development problems in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
• The ability to access, process and critically judge the effectiveness and implementation of a range of research methodology approaches by drawing systematically on the methods studied to apply them in a variety of human resource development contexts to advance human resource development as an academic discipline/science and applied professional practice.
• The ability to effectively communicate research-related ideas in the form of advanced literature reviews, a research proposal and a research report, creatively and rigorously contributing to systematic thinking about human resource development research matters.

The calculation of marks is as follows:

Participation mark (consists of the formative assessment as indicated above):  50%

Examination mark (consists of the written examination as indicated above):       50%

Module mark:                                                                                                       100%

Examination admission

A participation mark of at least 40% must be obtained to qualify for entrance to the exam. In the exam, a minimum mark of 40% must be attained and a final module mark of at least 50% is required to pass the module.

Students who were unable to attain the required participation mark of 40% will NOT be allowed to write the exams. NO exceptions will be made.

Prescribed books:

• Anderson, V, Fontinah, R. & Robson, F. 2020. Research methods in human resource management. 4th ed. London: CIPD.
• Creswell, J.W. & Creswell, J.D. 2018. Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Fouché, C.B. & Strydom, H & ,Roestenburg, W,J.H., eds. 2021. Research at grassroots for the social sciences and human service professions. 5th ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik.* (new edition only available in 2021) 
• Maree, K., ed. 2019. First steps in research. 3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik.*

Prescribed articles:

• AHRD (Academy of Human Resource Development). 2022. https://www.ahrd.org/
• Armitage, A.  2010.  From sentimentalism towards a critical HRD pedagogy.  Journal of European industrial training, 34(8/9):735-752.                http://doi.org/10.1108/03090591011080940  Date of access: 7 Nov. 2017.
• Armitage, A.  2017.  Is HRD in need of an ethics of care?  Human resource development international. http:// www.tandfonline.com/loi/rhrd20   Date of access: 17 Oct. 2017.
• Anderson, 2017. Criteria for evaluating qualitative research. Human resource development quarterly, 28(2):125-133.
• Bierema, L. & Callhan, J.L. 2014.  Transforming HRD: a framework for critical HRD practice. Advances in developing human resources, 16(4): 429-444. https://doi:10.1177/1523422314543818
• Bowen, G.A. 2009. Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative research journal, 9(2):27-40. https://doi:10.3316/QRJ0902027    
• Cho, Y. 2022. Comparing integrative and systematic literature reviews, Human resource development review, 292):147-151. https://doi:10.1177/15344843221089053  
• Grant, M. J. & Booth, A. 2009. A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26: 91-108. doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848
• Grant, C. & Osanloo, A. 2014. Understanding, selecting, and integrating a theoretical framework in dissertation research: creating the blueprint for your “house”. Administrative issues journal; connecting education, practice, and research, 4(2):12-26. https://doi:10.5929/2014.4.2.9
• Hulland, J. 2020. Conceptual review papers: revisiting existing research to develop and refine theory. AMS review, 10:27-35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-020-00168-7
• Hurt, A.C., Lynham, S.A. & McLean, G.  2014. Investigating the HRD cube and explicating extant paradigms of HRD. European journal of training and development, 38(4):323-346. (this is the only and most recent article on the HRD cube, which is essential for this module)
• Munn, Z., Peters, M.D.J., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArtur, A. & Aromataris, E. 2018. Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC medical research methodology, 18:143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x
• Pham, M.T., Rajic, A., Greig, J.D., Sargeant, J.M., Papadopoulos, A. & McEwan, S.A. 2014. A scoping review of scoping reviews: advancing the approach and enhancing the consistency. Research synthesis methods, 5:371-385. https://doi:10.1002/jrsm.1123  
• Rocco, T.S., Plakhotnik, M.S. & Silberman, D. 2022. Differentiating between conceptual and theory articles: focus, goals, and approaches. Human resource development review, 2(1):113-140. https://doi:10.1177/15344843211069795  
•  Sambrook, S.  2017. Making sense of ourselves in HRD: self-less, self-ish and self-lie? Human resource development international.  http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rhrd20
• Sutton, A., Clowes, M, Preston, L. & Booth, A. 2019. Meeting the review family: exploring review types and associated information retrieval requirements. Health information and libraries journal, 36:202-222. https://doi:10.1111/hir.12276   
• Tkachenko, O. & Ardichvili, A. 2017.  Cultural-Historical Activity Theory’s relevance to HRD: a review and application. Human resource development review, 16(2):135-157.
• Turner, J.R., Baker, R. & Keller, F.  2018.  Theoretical literature review: tracing the life cycle of a theory and its verified and falsified statements. Human resource development review, 17(1): 34-61. https://doi:10.1177/1534484317749680  

Planning of your study programme – Study School:  March 2023

ASSIGNMENTS ARE INDIVIDUAL TASKS AND NOT GROUP ACTIVITIES. (UNLESS EXPLICITLY INDICATED AS GROUP ACTIVITIES)

Copying text from other learners or other sources (for instance, the study guide, prescribed material or directly from the Internet) is not allowed – only brief quotations are permitted if indicated.

You should reformulate existing text and use your own words to explain what you have read. It is not acceptable to retype the existing text and acknowledge the source in a footnote – you should be able to relate the idea or concept without repeating the original author to the letter.

The assignment's aim is not to reproduce existing material but to ascertain whether you can integrate existing texts, add your interpretation and/or critique of the texts and offer a creative solution to current problems.

Be warned: Students who submit copied text will obtain a zero for the assignment, and the Faculty and/or University may take disciplinary steps. It is also unacceptable to do somebody else's work, lend it to them, or make your work available to them to copy – be careful and do not make it available to anyone!

Plagiarism is a severe offence, and you should familiarise yourself with the plagiarism policy of the NWU. http://library.nwu.ac.za/copyright-and-plagiarism

Please refer to the Policy on Academic Integrity, which is found on the following website: http://www.nwu.ac.za/sites/www.nwu.ac.za/files/files/i-governance- management/policy/2P-2.4.3.2_Academic%20integrity_e.pdf