The PNG National Research Institute (PNGNRI) is now offering a course on research methods that has been developed for people interested in research design, data collection, and analytical methods in social science.
The Certificate in Social Science Research Methods (SSRM) Course began classes last week Friday with more than 20 participants including policy analysts, consultants, researchers and other officials from the government and private sector who have registered for this week-long course.
The course covers Planning of social science research, Qualitative research methods in theory and in practice, Quantitative research methods in theory and in practice, and Report writing.
PNG NRI Acting Director Dr. Osborne Sanida, when welcoming the students to the PNG NRI Campus said that their decision to apply and be considered for this course was evidence of their quest to learn more about research and the important role it plays in generating information for decision-making.
“I hope that you finish with a much broader appreciation and knowledge of SSRM and that, the concepts you learn will help you do quality research in whatever area you may be engaged in,” said Dr Sanida.
According to course Coordinator PNG NRI Deputy Director for Research Prof. Eugene Ezebilo, this is the first time the Institute is offering this course and are planning to do this each year.
He said the motivation to offer this course was to assist people in conducting quality research that can contribute in evidence based public policy and strategies.
“Through our experience, we found out that some of the government workers have things to do with research and so they need assistance in terms of upskilling them on how to conduct quality research. Not only that, some of the graduates are not well-versed on how to conduct research so this is an opportunity for them to build their capacity on how to conduct quality research,” said Prof. Ezebilo.
He also said that this is a refresher for those who already know how to carry out research and that contributes to human capital development in PNG.
“We need people who can conduct quality research so that it can help in making informed decisions,” He added.