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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2013/2014
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Moray House School of Education : Education

Undergraduate Course: Childhood Practice Research Project (EDUA10156)

Course Outline
SchoolMoray House School of Education CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) Credits40
Home subject areaEducation Other subject areaNone
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionCourse Description:
In this course students will assess their development as childhood practitioners by carrying out a small-scale research project through which they will attempt to improve their own practice. A systematic process of self-development activities will support the students to progressively develop the capacity to act as ¿reflective practitioners¿ by initiating and evaluating interventions in their workplace. Course tutors will introduce the theory and practice of research, consultation and evaluation and support students in designing and carrying out their own research projects. Students will gain knowledge and experience of a range of different approaches to childhood research that have enabled parents and children and young people to influence children¿s services. Specific emphasis will be placed on the ethics of childhood research, the variety of tools employed in research and consultation with children and young people and the roles that practitioner-researchers can adopt. Students will be encouraged to compare and contrast different approaches to research and evaluation. By developing and carrying out their own research, students will develop their ability to integrate knowledges of childhood theory and to critically analyse work based practices
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course participants will be able to:
Compare and contrast different research approaches within childhood studies;
Critically evaluate research projects in childhood studies in terms of ethics, roles and tools;
Situate the project within a range of relevant national and international literatures;
Discuss the principles, processes and conditions underpinning participatory and emancipatory research;
Demonstrate a critical understanding of the relationship between research, evaluation and change in childhood practice;
Critically analyse the inter-relationship between childhood theory, method and practice and demonstrate this in research design;
Design and carry out a small-scale research project investigating an aspect of their own practice;
Demonstrate their development as a critically reflective practitioner by carrying out self-evaluation in the workplace;
Be able to explain information to a range of other people in appropriate ways;
Report the results and implications of their research project in both written and oral formats.

Assessment Information
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on an 6,000-8,000 word research report in which they will document, explain and reflect upon a small-scale research project carried out in their own workplace. The research project aims to promote and support students in developing reflective practice through research inquiry. The research project will need to include the following:
1. Review of the academic literature and policy context
2. Methodology (including design, sampling, data collection tools, and data analysis)
3. Ethics and participation
4. Findings and Discussion
5. Critical reflections on the project
This research project will account for 100% of the total marks for the course.

The summative assessment will be scaffolded throughout by the class structure, and students will be offered several opportunities to gain formative assessment:
1. Students will work on a detailed research proposal throughout semester 1. Staff will provide formative assessment on the proposal at the end of the semester. The proposal will encompass the necessary aspects of ethical review to allow students to carry out their research projects.
2. In semester 2 staff will lead workshops on aspects of data collection and analysis. These will be designed to be responsive to the needs of the different projects being undertaken.
3. Students will be able to discuss their individual projects with staff during drop-in supervision sessions during the class period in the second semester. This will allow the part-time students to access supervision within the time they are able to attend university.
4. Students will write and present a 15 minute presentation about their project at the BACP conference. They will receive formative assessment on this presentation, which they can incorporate into their final research project.


Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Not entered
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Indicative Reading:
Alderson, P. (1995) Listening to Children: Children Ethics and Social Research, London: Barnardo's
Alderson, P. (2008) Young Children¿s Rights: Exploring Beliefs, Principles and Practice (2nd edition), London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Christensen, P. and James, A. (2008, eds) Research with Children: Perspectives and Practices (2nd edition), London: Routledge.
Clark, A. and Moss, P. (2001) Listening to Children: the Mosaic Approach, London, National Children¿s Bureau
Clark, A., Kjørholt, A.T., and Moss, P. (2005, eds) Beyond Listening: children¿s perspectives on early childhood services. Bristol: Policy Press.
Clark, A. (2010) Transforming Children¿s Services, London: Routledge
Engel, S. (1995) The Stories Children Tell. Making Sense of the Narratives of Childhood. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company
Farrell, A. (2005) Ethical Research with Children, Buckingham: Open University Press
Greene, S. and Hogan, D. (2005, eds) Researching Children¿s Experience: Approaches and methods, London: Sage.
Hammersley M. and Atkinson P. ( 2007) Ethnography: Principles in Practice (3rd Edition). London: Routledge
MacNaughton, G., Rolfe S. and Sirai-Blatchford, S. (2001, Eds) Doing Early Childhood research: international perspectives on theory and practise, Buckingham: Open University Press.
Robson, C. (2002) Real world research (2nd edition), Oxford: Blackwell
Tisdall, E.K.M., Davis, J.M. and Gallagher, M. (2008) Researching with Children and Young People: Research Design, Methods and Analysis. Sage: London
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Lesley Gallacher
Tel: (0131 6)51 6256
Email: Lesley.Gallagher@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Alison Macleary
Tel: (0131 6)51 6382
Email: Alison.Macleary@ed.ac.uk
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© Copyright 2013 The University of Edinburgh - 13 January 2014 3:57 am