Postgraduate Course: Conceptualising research: Foundations, assumptions and praxis (REDU11045)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Research (EDU) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course builds and complements the earlier research course looking in more depth at issues concerning the conceptualisation of research questions, the foundations and assumptions that these questions are based on and methods which may be appropriate to answer such questions. The course will enable students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the ontological underpinnings of research and what it is to make claims on the basis of research (epistemological challenges). Furthermore the relationships between research, theory and practice will be an underpinning theme throughout the course. Consideration will be given throughout the course to the role of philosophical inquiry and educational theory. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2011/12 Flexible, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| No Classes have been defined for this Course |
| First Class |
Week 25, Monday, 09:00 - 17:00, Zone: Moray House. This course will be delivered Semester 2 - dates/times to be notified. Contact Course Secy for full details |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students will be able to:
1. articulate and analyse the foundations of educational research from an epistemological and ontological perspective and consider the nature of theorising in educational research;
2. understand key assumptions which underpin methodologies and methods and gain an awareness of the relationships between methods and methodologies;
3. articulate a critical understanding of the relationships between research, theory and practice including processes of knowledge exchange;
4. recognise and suggest solutions to ethical challenges and issues in research planning and implementation.
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Assessment Information
Assessment (2,000 words)
Assignment activities will be directed towards methodological issues and philosophical underpinnings of the substantive literature in the field of practice of students taking the course.
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
A significant part of the course will be concerned with identifying the value of various research approaches in relation to the substantive literature in various fields of practice and through this process identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the literature of these fields. |
| Syllabus |
Indicative content
&· Introduction to theories of the nature of reality and knowledge and their relationship to educational research.
&· The relationship between methods and methodologies
&· The relationships between research, theory and practice in educational research.
&· Ethical challenges and practices in educational research
&· Inductive and deductive strategies in research planning and implementation
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Ariely, D. (2008). Predictably irrational: The hidden forces that shape our decisions. London: Harper Collins.
Boyle, D. (2000). The tyranny of numbers: Why counting can't make us happy. London: HarperCollins.
Cohen, L., L. Manion and K. Morrison (2007). Research methods in education. London: Routledge.
Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. London: SAGE.
Goldacre, B. (2008). Bad science. London: Fourth Estate.
Pring, R. (2000). Philosophy of educational research. London & New York: Continuum.
Robson, C. (2002). Real world research: a resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers. Madden, Mass., Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
Taleb, N. (2007). The black swan: The impact of the highly improbable. New York: Random House.
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Conceptualising research |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Peter Allison
Tel: (0131 6)51 6001
Email: Peter.Allison@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Lorraine Denholm
Tel: (0131 6)51 6433
Email: lorraine.denholm@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:44 am
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