EDUC44030: Design and Methods in Education Research

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• This module introduces students to core education research concepts, processes and design. It develops a repertoire of key research skills including the evaluation of research techniques across different research contexts.

• This module has two foci. The first concerns theoretical and philosophical aspects of the research process. It will focus on:
• Recognising the different purposes of education research
• Understanding key terms and vocabulary in education research
• Developing a critical standpoint in relation to research in education
• Exploring notions of causation across different contexts
• Developing an understanding of quality in relation to education research, including ethics, validity, reliability, and generalisability or applicability.
• The second focus is on application. It will:
• Provide spaces for students to reflect critically on research design using published articles
• Explore key aspects of research in practice
• Develop an understanding of the process in education research from design, to application, analysis and evaluation
• The empirical applications discussed during this part of the module are considered with respect to implications for students' planning of a research design for their own dissertations.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• At the end of the module successful students will have acquired knowledge and understanding of:
• different approaches to conducting research and their strengths and weaknesses
• core education research concepts and frameworks
• the design, application and evaluation processes needed to conduct a piece of research
• education research as a holistic process, which includes formulating research questions, selecting and developing a suitable research design and methods, and evaluating the research process and its limitations.

Subject-specific Skills:

• At the end of the module successful students will be able to:
• Articulate and employ core research terminology
• Explain different research approaches and their characteristics
• Deal with common problems arising in applied research
• Demonstrate the ability to design, use and evaluate a study
• Assess educational research studies with regard to ethics, design, validity, reliability and generalisability and applicability
• Identify articles and studies which demonstrate key aspects such as causation and quality in education research

Key Skills:

• Successful students will be able to:
• Demonstrate the ability to analyse research literature in education
• Critically engage with educational research
• Learn independently
• Engage in critical discussions with tutors and their peers
• Develop study and research skills, information retrieval, and the capacity to plan and manage learning, and to reflect on own learning
• Use written and spoken communication skills

• A mixture of lectures and seminars will be employed. Students work in mixed groups consisting of participants from different programmes. Problem-based learning will support student engagement with the key concepts within and beyond their subject area.
• Lectures will give access to broad knowledge of key education research concepts and frameworks and help structure students own study and learning towards the learning objectives. Seminars will facilitate a more in-depth student engagement with themes and issues raised in the lectures. The format of lectures and in particular seminar exercises will enable students to critically discuss assessment issues.
• On-line materials will also support self-study activities.
• The success with which students have acquired knowledge and a critical understanding of the research process as a whole (which includes being able to formulate research questions, to select and develop a suitable research design, to devise appropriate data collection methods and sampling strategies, and to plan data analyses all pertinent to answering the research question), is assessed via a 4000-word written assignment. In addition to verbal feedback given to students' contributions during lectures and in workshop activities, students will receive formative feedback on work completed in preparation of the two tutorials.

Understanding of key elements and ideas will be checked informally throughout the course. Students will have an opportunity produce a draft outline of their research protocol and will receive feedback before submission.

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