Unit name | Introduction to Educational Inquiry |
---|---|
Unit code | EDUCM5915 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
Unit director | Mrs. Elisabeth Lazarus |
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 provides an introduction to the variety of methods used to conduct research in education. It engages students in the key debates surrounding educational research and its importance in developing educational policy and improving educational processes. The question of what constitutes good educational research is addressed and students will be encouraged to develop strategies to better understand and critique the immense variety of educational research reported in books and journals.
In this unit, students are introduced to the entire process of conducting educational research from the initial stages of thinking about research questions to designing a project, choosing particular methodologies and methods. Students are encouraged to look at this from a political and philosophical as well as an educational perspective and also to consider and reflect on the key issues that educational researchers face, including how it is possible to ensure good ethical practice.
The unit aims are to:
On completion of the unit students will be able to:
Given the nature of the programme, teaching is organised into an intensive 3-day event during which there are a combination of teaching strategies, which may include whole group lectures, visiting speakers, case studies, critical analysis of key readings, group discussions and student presentations.
The needs of a wide range of students, including those with disabilities, international students and those from ethnic minority backgrounds have been considered. It is not anticipated that the teaching and assessment methods used will cause disadvantage to any person taking the unit. The Graduate School of Education is happy to address individual support requests as necessary
Summative assessment for the unit will be on the basis of a 4,000 word assignment which will assess students’ critical understanding of the literature and their ability to apply the concepts and theories explored to their own professional practice.