This course exposes students to the positivists approach and/or philosophy of conducting research in education. It is aimed at helping students to acquire knowledge and skills in educational enquiry including designing and conducting relevant educational research and writing the report. The course takes students through the research process; from problem formulation, literature review and the various research designs in educational research to the research report writing. Validity and reliability issues in instrumentation and data collection are dealt with. Research proposal writing is also discussed and students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge by presenting a draft proposal for their thesis at the end of the course.

The course is an overview of several themes in sociology in/of education, such as education as a social institution, the social and private benefits of schooling as well as the latent and manifest functions of schooling on the individual, the family and society at large. The course also concerns itself with the reciprocal influences of schooling and social stratification, social mobility and social reproduction. Social interventions adopted in contemporary times are also examined.

In this course we examine the nature of sociological theory, the major varieties of sociological theories, the theorists who developed them, and the social and historical contexts of theory development and construction. Linkages between theory and research are examined. Types of theory, such as factionalism, conflict, social exchange theory and phenomenology are examined.

The focus of this course is on the long-term effects of schooling on the individual, family, community and society at large. It is concerned with the cultural, economic, political, selection and change consequences of education on society and vice versa. It is also concerned with how these consequences impact on formal, non-formal and informal education.