| CODE | EDU5970 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Fundamentals of Educational Research | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Education | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit is organized as follows: - Philosophical Inquiry, - Qualitative Research, and - Quantitative research. This is the core compulsory component. It is an introduction to the three domains which inform Education Research methodologies. It presents the traditions of each of the three core methodologies, key methods and key applications in the field of educational research. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to introduce students to the philosophical and historical antecedents of qualitative research, its ontology and epistemologies. It aims to increase knowledge of key methods, key analytic strategies and issues of ethical responsibility and trustworthiness in qualitative research. A second major aim is to introduce students to those quantitative research concepts and designs necessary to plan and conduct rigorous quantitative research. Its special focus will be on survey research, the development of the questionnaire, and planning and administering the survey. Issues of validity and reliability in quantitative research will also be discussed. A final aim is to bring philosophical perspectives to bear on key topics of educational research. The aim is to familiarise students with: - The ideas that underline the knowledge production of research, such as truth, objectivity, causality, evidence, etc. - The role of the researcher and issues of power in the complex research processes. - The responsibilities of the educational researcher in doing research about/ with others. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to distinguish qualitative research from other research methodologies, identify which research question could be best answered by which qualitative methodology, distinguish between different methods and strategies and evaluate their respective applicability to particular research questions, participants and research settings. Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of different analytic traditions and be able to select those most applicable to the data and research question. They should demonstrate an understanding of research ethics in field research. Students should also be able to: - Demonstrate an understand the basic tenets of quantitative research. - Explain the major quantitative research designs, their purpose and use. - Identify the various types of variables and measurement scales, and their use in quantitative research. - Appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of various response styles in quantitative data collection. - Explain reliability and validity and distinguish among the major types of each. Additionally, students should be able to: - Demonstrate an understanding of the epistemological, political and ethical complexities in the production of knowledge through research. - Acquaint themselves with important philosophical debates related to research processes and products. - Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of developing a theoretical frame for research project. 2. Skills: Qualitative Research Core Component By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify which qualitative research method best suits the research question/s. - Design an outline for qualitative research study. - Identify ethical dilemmas arising out of different research designs. - Make preliminary steps to negotiate access to research sites and to participants. - Select criteria for inclusion of participants, sites etc. Quantitative Core Component By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Design research based upon the research question and constraints. - Decide on the best form of, and write appropriate, questionnaire items vis-a-vis objectives. Philosophical Inquiry Core Component By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically inquire into the usual processes of knowledge production through research. - Problematise research processes through a close reading of the philosophical texts assigned. - Reflect on the personal, ethical and political aspects in becoming researchers - Make a philosophical analysis of a research practice or method that claims to contribute to educational research. - Make a critical reading of a research paper to identify the particular epistemological and political approaches of the researchers and their ethical practices. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Qualitative Core Component - Coffey, A. and P. Atkinson (1996) Making Sense of Qualitative Data, Thousand Oaks, Sage. - Wellington, J. (2000) Educational Research: Contemporary Issues and Practical Approaches. London: Continuum. Quantitative Core Component - Bryman, A. (2016). Social Research Methods (5th ed). Oxford: University Press. ISBN: 978019968453 - Buckingham. A. & Saunders, P. (2004) The Survey Methods Workbook from Design to Analysis. Boston: Polity. ISBN: 0745622445; 0745622453 - Fowler, F.J. (2002). Survey research methods (3rd ed). London: Sage. ISBN: 0-7619-2191-5 - Gay, R., Mills, G.E. & Airasian, P. (2009) Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis & Applications (9th ed). London: Pearson Education International. - Robson, C. & McCartan, K. (2016) Real World Research (4th ed). Oxford: Wiley. ISBN: 9781118745236 Philosophical Inquiry - Biesta G. and Burbules N. (2003) Pragmatism and Educational Research. Rowman & Littlefield. - Bridges D. (2003) Fiction Written under Oath? Essays in Philosophy and Educational Research. Kluwer Academic Publishers. - Pring R. (2004) Philosophy of Educational Research. Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. - Hawkesworth M. (2006) Feminist Inquiry, New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press. - Ramazanoglu C. (2002) Feminist Methodology, London, Sage. - McLure M. (2004) Discourse in Educational and Social Research. Buckingham Open University Press. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Co-requisite Study-unit: EDU5971 | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Mark Borg (Co-ord.) Mary Darmanin Simone Galea Christine Scholz |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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