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Researching Education - EDU00002C

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  • Department: Education
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Chelsea Sellers
  • Credit value: 30 credits
  • Credit level: C
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
    • See module specification for other years: 2021-22

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23

Module aims

This module focuses on skills for learning about education, skills for reading and undertaking educational research, and transferable skills. Skills developed through this module include analytical, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, presentation, ICT, research literacy, data analysis, and data presentation. Intended outcomes are an understanding of the purpose of educational research; an understanding of approaches to educational research; and an understanding of the impact of educational research. Students will develop their skills through application to a substantive topic in educational studies.

Module learning outcomes

Subject content
Students will consider the nature of research in educational studies and be introduced to the design and construction of educational research in order to become research literature. They will apply this literacy to the understanding of a body of research on an educational issue in compulsory education. Particular attention will be paid to issues of sampling and critical understanding of educational research and educational statistics in the media and politics.

Academic and graduate skills
Students will develop their skills of communication, searching for sources, and analysing issues and ideas. Specifically, students will engage in group work, formal and informal presentations to the group, supplement their assigned readings with ones they have found, and critically examine issues and ideas relating to argumentation and research literacy. Moreover, students will develop their IT skills by interacting fully with the VLE (Yorkshare).

Module content

Autumn term

Week 2: An Introduction to research literacy

Week 3: An introduction to research styles and methods

Week 4: Ethics, reliability and validity

Week 5: Reading educational research

Week 7: Literature Searching

Week 8: Referencing

Week 9: What is criticality?

Week 10: Criticising research

Spring Term

Week 2: Considering different perspectives - We look at some critical literacy tools to think about things that affect our assumptions and biases and explore how these might impact on our attitudes to research.

Week 3: Ontology and epistemology - We discuss different research paradigms and look at how these impact on our approaches to educational research.

Week 4: Methodology and methods - We go into some more depth with our understanding of qualitative and quantitative research and the methods associated with them, considering important benefits and limitations. We think about how these relate to ontology and epistemology.

Week 5: Conducting a literature review - We look at some top tips for conducting a literature review and start looking at the topic of the literature review for the formative assessment.

Week 6: READING WEEK (formative assignment)

Week 7: Becoming a researcher - We explore the importance of criticality and the role of the researcher in educational research and use some example topics to think about how we frame our understanding. We look at different areas of educational research.

Week 8: Development research interests - You are given the opportunity to start thinking about areas of education that you would be interested in researching. Working in small groups you will think about your topic and how you could narrow it down to develop research questions.

Week 9: Research design and sampling - We look at the next stages of research design and consider how methodologies fit with research questions. We consider issues of sampling and other important research choices.

Week 10: Feedback and marking criteria - We discuss some general feedback to the formative assessments and look at how we can ensure that our work meets the marking criteria. This is also an opportunity to revisit areas explored the term.

Summer term:

Week 1: Teamwork skills, overview of the module and assessment. Seminar: topic selection, ground rules, group forms

Week 2: IT skills for communicating educational ideas, Literature Review. Seminar: group work, literature review.

Week 3: Visual presentation skills, Group work health check. Seminar: 1 minute PPT Group presentation

Week 4: Oral presentation tips. Seminar: elevator pitch.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Critical review of research report		 N/A 33
Essay/coursework
Literature review		 N/A 44
Oral presentation/seminar/exam
Group work		 N/A 23

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

Please note that individual reassessments correspond to each original individual assessment component (i.e. if you fail the 33% component, the reassessment will be at the same weighting).

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Reassessment: Critical review of research report		 N/A 33
Essay/coursework
Reassessment: Essay		 N/A 44
Essay/coursework
Reassessment: Essay in two parts		 N/A 23

Module feedback

Written feedback on assignment report sheet and face-to-face feedback in supervisions. The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.

Indicative reading

Gorard, S. (2006) Using Everyday Numbers Effectively in Research. London: Continuum.

Bryman, A. (2008) Social Research Methods (3rd Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Wellington, J. (2015) Educational Research: Contemporary issues and practical approaches. Second edition. London: Bloomsbury.

Atkinson, J. (2005). Lend me your ears ; all you need to know about making speeches and presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Axtell, R. (1993). Do's and taboos of public speaking : how to get those butterflies flying in formation. London : BCA.

Chivers, B. & Shoolbred, M. (2007). A student's guide to presentations: making your presentation count. Los Angeles : SAGE Publications.

Eales-White R. (1995) Building Your Team. London: Kogan Page.

Gillies, A. (2007). The Art of Presenting. Oxford: Radcliffe.

Shank, G and Brown, L (2007) Exploring educational research literacy. Abingdon: Routledge.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.