Dissertation (ELM) (P02417)

? Credit Points : 60 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : EDU-P-P02214

The Dissertation is a major study demanding a high level of individual application and commitment to research and enquiry. It provides the opportunity to identify, reflect on and explore a topic that has significance in terms of the candidates own professional development and the qualities reflected in the Standard for Headship?. The Dissertation will involve a critical interrogation of the relationship between professional practice, academic theory and the ethics, design, conduct and interpretation of research. Students in discussion with their supervisors should decide the design of the study. Whether empirical or not, the dissertation should demonstrate an understanding of research design, data collection and analysis, presentation, and research ethics.

Before beginning the dissertation, students must submit a detailed dissertation proposal (approx. 1-2000 words). If the proposal is satisfactory, a student may begin work on the dissertation with guidance and support from his/her supervisor.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Successful completion of the Pg Diploma programme in Educational Leadership and Management.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Research (EDU), (The Moray House School of Education, Schedule C)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Full Year (Blocks 1-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 5 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Specify a topic of enquiry suitable for a dissertation and justify its theoretical significance, professional relevance in relation to the Standard for Headship, and practical feasibility;
2. Identify and reflect critically on relevant up-to-date literature, research reports and other scholarly evidence with specific reference to the research process used;
3. Collect and analyse evidence, justifying the approaches and techniques used, and identify the implications of these decisions in terms of the status of the evidence, and the findings based upon it;
4. Examine critically the contribution and limitations of the study undertaken in theoretical and applied terms with regard to the practices and roles of relevant professionals;
5. Demonstrate that the study complies with relevant ethical guidelines;
6. Present work, observing appropriate academic conventions in relation to style, tone, paragraphing, paraphrasing, sectioning of the text, proof-reading and referencing.