Unit name | Researching Educational Questions |
---|---|
Unit code | EDUC10001 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | C/4 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Cassie Earl |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
none |
School/department | School of Education |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit introduces students to some of the key educational questions that spark debate in the education field and amongst the wider community. Students will consider how researchers in education set out to answer these questions, using a variety of research approaches. They will examine how particular disciplinary traditions (such as history, sociology, economics and philosophy) lead to different lines of enquiry founded on different ways of knowing. They will explore the advantages and disadvantages of choosing particular research approaches and examine how they can be used to answer different research questions. Through this process students will become critical readers of education research and appreciate how to assess the quality and rigour of individual research studies.
The aims of the unit are to enable students to:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of lectures, class discussion, investigative activities, debates and group presentations. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis.
Formative assessment: a 1,000-word essay critically reviewing a research study in the light of their learning from the unit.
Summative assessment: three-hour exam in two parts:
1) ILO 1-3 : A multiple-choice test covering both qualitative and quantitative methodologies (30%);
2) ILO 1-3 : A critical review of an unseen research study reflecting on the methods/methodology that informed the research findings and assessing the main contribution the research might make to knowledge, to policy or to practice (70%).
Bryman, A. (2012). Social Research Methods (4th edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Curtis, W., Ward, S., Sharp, J and Hankin, L. (eds) (2014) Education Studies: An Issue-Based Approach. London: Sage.
Hammersley, M. (2013) Methodology: Who Needs It? London: Sage
Gilbert, N. and Stoneman, P. (eds) (2015) Researching Social Life. London: Sage.
Tracy, S.J. (2010) Qualitative quality: Eight ‘Big-Tent’ Criteria for Excellent Qualitative Research, Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837-851.
Wellington, J. (2015) Educational Research : Contemporary Issues and Practical Approaches (Second Edition) London: Bloomsbury Academic.