| CODE | EDS2209 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Doing Educational Research | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Education Studies | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This unit introduces student teachers to the area of research in education. It intends to help students understand the nature and use of educational inquiry with reference to the particular concerns of educational research in Malta. The unit introduces students to the basic epistemological and ethical aspects of research as well as three main orientations to research namely philosophical inquiry, qualitative and quantitative research. During the first sessions students will have whole group lectures that focus on general basic issues in research methodology. They will also be presented with guidelines that help them throughout the proposal process. The unit will then give students more detailed knowledge of what is involved in philosophical inquiry, qualitative methods and quantitative methods of research. About seven hours will be allotted to each area. Students will have smaller group sessions (30 students for each group) so that they can be involved more in the discussion of the more practical aspects of the research methods mentioned. In general the unit is informed by a rationale that highlights the epistemic responsibility of the student researchers. The small group sessions are aimed for students to come across examples of production of good quality knowledge specifically focusing on actual critical analysis of data, texts and documents. Detailed Unit Descriptions General Research Methods Sessions This part of the unit includes a discussion of various general issues and topics related to research including The Use and Purpose of Educational Research that argues for the importance of teachers in being involved in research within educational contexts and for educational purposes; their obligations and responsibilities in knowledge production within spheres of education and their double commitment as teachers and researchers in contributing to educational change. Educational Research in Malta. An overview of the research community in Malta, focusing in particular on the university’s role in creating knowledge as well as the research contribution by Faculty of education staff to the development of knowledge in education. Raising Questions for Research to guide students in thinking about relevant and focused research questions. The resources are to be used to ensure that the research question is relevant to current local and international educational spheres and the use of critical and creative skills in forming research questions. Ethical Guidelines for Student Teacher Researchers Essentially ethics is concerned with making sure that the interests and well being of the people involved are not harmed throughout the various stages of the research process. The lecture discusses issues related to the choice of research topic and research subjects, power relationships between the researcher and the researched and especially the importance of getting informed consent, maintaining confidentiality and showing respect for human subjects in research. Reference to the Data Protection Act will be made. Writing your Proposal The students will be given guidelines on how to write the dissertation proposal and formulate a research question. What constitutes a good proposal? What is involved in the process of writing a proposal? How should a student prepare herself before actually engaging in its write up? What does the dissertation committee expect of a proposal? Philosophical Inquiry The aim of this part of the unit is to introduce students to philosophical approaches in doing research. What is philosophical inquiry? Why do we do it and how? The sessions are intended to involve students in a discussion of the main aspects of philosophical inquiry focusing on an analysis of the techniques illustrated in the texts presented throughout the unit. The sessions are to help students use texts selectively, question educational issues, develop arguments, raise their own issues and present short write ups related to the issues discussed. Various texts including texts by philosophers and philosophers of education, films, stories, literary texts and policy documents will be used to discuss the educational themes that emerge from the texts. How and why these themes can be read philosophically? How are they relevant to the the teacher and the researcher? Unit Outline: The following aspects of philosophical inquiry will be discussed: Introduction to Philosophical Inquiry Why do we need to inquire philosophically about education? What characterizes philosophical inquiry? What are the main sources of research? Where can they be found? In what ways can they be analysed? Textual Analysis The aim is to introduce students to philosophy of education texts and also to the different educational texts used in philosophical inquiry. The ideas will help students ask: what is a text; and to note different kinds of texts and the various ways to read texts. The discussions will include references to what an author is; open and ‘close’ analysis of a texts and practical suggestions for the analysis of documents in philosophy of education. Critical Reflection The discussions will take a closer focus on critical reflection by engaging students in an analysis of texts/ documents related to education/ educational context. Understanding and Developing an Argument. What makes a good argument? What are the skills needed to develop a good philosophical argument. The session will go into the various stages in the process of developing an argument. Writing in Philosophy of Education. The various stages in presenting a philosophical write up or essay will be discussed referring to the common errors of students in essay writing. Reading Texts: Various texts will be used for the sessions; films, stories, educational documents, newspaper articles and letters, literary texts, policy texts. Lectures notes will be provided. Qualitative Research Methods The unit will introduce students to qualitative modes of inquiry. The research methodologies are characterized by an exploration of things in their particular settings and their understanding and interpretation according to different theoretical perspectives. The unit will include a brief account of the different qualitative research methods used to gather data and some examples of how data can be analyzed and theorized. The students will also get acquainted with the use of ICT software in data analyzing. Unit Outline: Characteristics and Products of Qualitative Research The characteristics of different research methods will be presented through examples of research products such as ethnography, case studies, history research, oral histories, life histories and biographies and action research. Processes of Data Collection The basic processes of data collection namely the interview and observations will be discussed. Students will be given ideas about how to conduct an interview including the setting up of interview questions and the general basic skills for successful observations. Students will also be introduced to focus group techniques. Reflection on Common Ethical Problems in Qualitative Research The session will focus on the importance of acknowledging the particular values underlying the research and how these shape the research process itself as well as the interpretation of data. The session will also highlight the ethical responsibility of the student researcher and give an overview of the basic standards for ethical research. Analysing and Theorising Data. Writing Up How do researchers organize data gathered and how do they make sense of it? The sessions will include examples of how researchers synthesize ideas, develop themes and build up theories from important data gathered throughout the research process. The sessions will also focus on processes of triangulation for the validation of research findings. The use of ICT Software in Data Analysis These sessions are intended to introduce students to the use of ICT software in research. What is the current software available for the interpretation of qualitative data? What kind of software can be used for the different types of data gathered? How can data be analyzed through the various software available? During this session students will have the opportunity to make use of ICT software for the analysis of data. Quantitative Research Methods This unit aims at introducing students to some of the fundamental concepts and techniques underlying quantitative research methodology. The main focus will be on the basics of questionnaire design, response styles and coding, and data management. This will be accompanied by an exposure to the use of the SPSS. Emphasis will be placed on meaningful student participation primarily derived from a ‘hands-on’ approach. Unit Outline The topics covered during the lectures include: Nature of Quantitative Research a. Main steps. Inductive and Deductive Methods. b. Concepts and their measurements c. Reliability and Validity d. Preoccupations of Quantitative Research – Measurement, Causality, Generalization and its limits e. Replication Research questions and Research designs Research Designs a. Experimental b. Cross-sectional c. Longitudinal d. Case Study e. Comparative design Sampling a. Sampling Error b. Types of Probability Sample c. Qualities of probability sample d. Sample size e. Types of non-probability sampling error in survey research Self-Completion Questionnaires a. Planning a Questionnaire b. Questionnaire items c. Clarity and appropriate questions d. Piloting e. Administering a questionnaire f. Ethical considerations g. Pros and Cons Structural Interviewing and Issues of Bias a. Interviewing process b. Structured Interviews c. Interviewing children Data Analysis and Presentation of Results a. Coding b. Quantitative: i. Univariate Analysis & Bivariate Analysis c. Statistical Significance: i. Correlation ii. Comparing means iii. Statistical & Practical Significance d. Presentations of results Recommended Reading: Cohen L., Manion L., & Morrison K. (2006). Research Methods in Education (6th ed.) London, Routledge. Graybosch A. J. Scott G.M. & Garrison S.M. (2003). The Philosophy Students Writers’ Manual: New Jersey, Prentice Hall. Bryman, A. (2008). Social Research Methods. 2nd Ed. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Gillham, B. (2008). Developing a Questionnaire: London: Continuum Publishers. Neuman, W.L. (2013) Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Wiersma, W. (2008). Research methods in education: an introduction. Allyn & Bacon. Reid, A., Hart, P. & Russell, C. (eds.) (2009) The Sage Companion to Research in Education Sage. Barbour, R. (2008) Doing Focus Groups Sage. Readings will be made available to students. The readings will be regularly updated. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Matthew Luke Agius Maria M. Brown Louise Chircop Mario Cutajar Alex Ellul Simone Galea Victor Martinelli John Portelli Milosh Raykov Oswald Tanti Rigos |
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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 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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