Research Methods for Education II: Answering Questions - EDU00109M
Module summary
This is the second of two core Research Methods modules which focus on developing skills in research methodology in the field of Education. This module focuses on the practical applications that are used to carry out quantitative and qualitative research.
Professional requirements
N/A
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2025-26 |
Module aims
This module builds on the material taught in Research Methods for Education I: Researching Questions during the Autumn term.
- To equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to develop a research proposal and ethics application in the field of Education.
- To deepen students' knowledge and understanding of a full range of data collection methods and quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques appropriate for educational research topics;
- To offer practical experience in using a range of quantitative and qualitative research tools and techniques;
- To deepen students' understanding of the characteristics of scientifically rigorous and ethical educational research;
The module continues to develop students' methodological knowledge, skills and understanding to a point where they will be well-equipped to formulate their research questions, find and critique the literature related to those questions, design appropriate studies to address them, gather quantitative and qualitative data, analyse that data using appropriate techniques, and write reports of empirical investigations in APA style.
Module learning outcomes
Subject content
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
- develop a research proposal and ethics application;
- gain a much deeper understanding of the knowledge, skills, and experience of research methods articulated in the module outcomes of Research Methods for Education I: Asking Questions;
- determine how and when to use statistical techniques, including descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlations, regression, and ANOVA;
- conduct a content/thematic analysis and develop a coding framework;
- justify the selection of particular research methods and analysis techniques, and understand the assumptions surrounding them;
Academic and graduate skills
Students will have gained experience in:
- writing a research proposal;
- writing an ethics application;
- using a range of research methods and analysis techniques;
- carrying out quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
Module content
Research Methods for Education II: Answering Questions
Developing a research proposal
Conducting ethical research and preparing an ethics application
Quantitative Methods: Descriptive statistics and SPSS
Quantitative Methods: Correlation and regression
Quantitative Methods: Inferential statistics, T-tests and Anova
Qualitative Methods: Document analysis
Qualitative Methods: Thematic analysis
Qualitative Methods: Coding and Nvivo
Reporting research findings
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Students will be given the opportunity to take part in a formative task (producing a research proposal and ethics application).
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Module feedback
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
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. London: Sage.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morisson, K. (2007). Research methods in education. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. [Available as an e-book]
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. London: Sage.
Muijs, D (2011). Doing quantitative research in education with SPSS. London: Sage.
Silverman, D. (2006). Interpreting qualitative data. London: Sage.