Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

None

Co Requisite Comment

None

Aims

To further develop student knowledge and appreciation of the complexities and skills required to critically evaluate, interpret, and successfully undertake research. To provide a deeper understanding of, and the facility to, actively use varied research designs and methods. This module explores the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative methods and explores the basic design principles of instruments that address particular research problems or questions. The module also enables students to apply these basic design principles and concepts to a potential or actual proposal for their thesis/dissertation.

Outline Of Syllabus

• What is research in education?
* Finding and critical reading of research
* Methodologies: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research
* Planning research: research questions and proposals
• Ethics in research
* Research designs: cross sectional, longitudinal, ethnography, case study, experiments, action research.
• Validity, reliability and generalisation
• Interviews and focus group; visual methods
• Document analysis
• Observation
• Surveys and sampling; questionnaires
• Using these methods in practice
• Quantitative data, including secondary data analysis
• Qualitative data
• Evaluating research

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

1. To understand the main criteria for evaluating social research (reliability, validity and
generalisation) centred on the research process rather than particular approaches or methods.
2. To understand the terms ‘strategy, design, methodology and method’ and be able to use these terms
appropriately.
3. To be familiar with the main research designs and to be aware of their uses and limitations.
4. To be familiar with a range of research methods and to be aware of their uses and limitations.
5. Understand the characteristics of good research practice within these designs and methods.
6. To be able to define qualitative and quantitative data, understand the methods appropriate to generating and analysing these data, and recognise the possibility of mixed methods research, combining quantitative and qualitative data.
7. Critically evaluate research tools, including questionnaires, observation coding schemes and interview schedules.
8. To have a good understanding of the structure of the research process, including the consideration of research ethics.
9. To understand how to evaluate the research of others by drawing on this knowledge.
10. To understand how to plan own research by drawing on this knowledge

Intended Skill Outcomes

1. To be able to evaluate research (namely published research) using knowledge of methods,
design, methodology and strategy.
2. To design research methods which address the aforementioned criteria and good research
practice.
3. Plan an effective study.
4. Design a questionnaire, an observation coding scheme, and an interview schedule (for both
quantitative and qualitative strategies).
5. To be able to apply the best research methods to the research problem presented.
6. To enable students to formulate a valid research question, aims and objectives from a basic
research idea.
7. To be able to ask clearly defined, answerable research questions.
8. To improve students' organisation and planning skills.
9. To communicate effectively with written work.
10. To be able to carry out basic analysis of qualitative and quantitative data

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

This module is taught using 2 hour interactive sessions, part workshop and part mini-lecture, supported by directed learning in the students’ own time, some student-led group work and synchronous online drop-in sessions. The learning activities for this module will include: critical reading of research, group discussion, research design, computer-aided and other data analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, research planning, ethics. Implicit in the design of each session, is an attempt to engender a deep and active approach to learning, but also to develop both subject knowledge and key skills. The mini-lectures during the sessions, supporting materials online and the directed tasks, enable assignment work to be planned and developed.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Assignment One consists of two parts.

Part One:
To write a critique of two research articles of the student's choice; to include reflection on possible relevance of said articles for student's own research.

Part Two:
To write a research proposal, upon which the dissertation can be based.

General Notes

N/A