Postgraduate Course: Conceptualising research: Foundations, assumptions and praxis (REDU11045)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | 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. |
| Course 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.
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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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Flexible |
| Course Start Date |
12/01/2015 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 5,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 8,
Formative Assessment Hours 25,
Summative Assessment Hours 25,
Revision Session Hours 35,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
0 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
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.
|
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
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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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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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Conceptualising research |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mairin Hennebry
Tel: (0131 6)51 6539
Email: Mairin.Hennebry@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Marie Hamilton
Tel: (0131 6)51 6678
Email: marie.hamilton@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2014 The University of Edinburgh - 12 January 2015 4:43 am
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