Postgraduate Course: The Nature of Enquiry (REDU11002)
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 | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The aim of this course is to introduce philosophical and epistemological perspectives that inform research practice in the social sciences in an educational context. The course provides an essential introduction to the issue of values and ethical problems in educational research. It discusses conceptions of education and their implications for educational research processes. Within MSc by Research (Education). |
| Course description |
The aim of this course is to introduce philosophical and epistemological perspectives that inform the aims and practices of social and educational research. Discussion of the main debates between positivism, critical theory, constructivism, post modernism, feminism will lead to a consideration of the arguments and assumptions which each makes about the social world. The course will focus on issues of knowledge, what is knowledge, how do we know what knowledge is as well as determining what knowledge is for education research.
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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 |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Please contact the course secretary before enrolling students to verify spaces available
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
A written assignment (4000 words)
This assignment will assess all three learning outcomes |
| Feedback |
All students will be expected over the length of the course to present a paper on a particular position. The presentation will be a group presentation but a feed forward meeting with the course organiser will take place for each group prior to the presentation. Feedback on the presentation will be given in class.
The students will also be expected to submit a feedforward plan of around 300 words of their essay assignment. The course organiser will comment on this plan. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically evaluate the main traditions and paradigms of educational research
- Analyse the ways in which the different methodological positions affect research questions, and research design
- Demonstrate critical awareness of the values and ethical debates inherent in social and educational research.
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Reading List
Introduction: The nature of educational research
* Hirst P & Carr W (2005) Philosophy And Education ¿ A Symposium, Journal of Philosophy of Education, vol. 39, 4, pp 615-632
Holma K (2009) The Strict Analysis and the Open Discussion, Journal of the Philosophy of Education, Vol. 43 (3), pp 325-338 ]
Peters R S (1968) Education as Initiation, pp 87-111 in Philosophical Analysis and Education, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London
Virtue epistemology
* Pritchard, D. (2013), Epistemic Virtue and the Epistemology of Education. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 47: 236?247
Paul, R. (1993): Critical Thinking, Moral Integrity and Citizenship: Teaching for the Intellectual Virtues, In: Paul, R.. Critical Thinking: What Every Student Needs to Survive in A Rapidly Changing World, Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation For Critical Thinking.
http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/critical-thinking-moral-integrity-and-citizenship-teaching-for-the-intellectual-virtues/487
Dewey, J. (1916). Experience and Thinking. (Chapter 11, pages 108-117.) in Democracy and Education. in the Public Domain, Champaign, ill: Project Gutenberg.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/852/852-h/852-h.htm
Background reading on Virtue Epistemology (to be read before class):
Mark Ortwein. Virtue Epistemology and Education. Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory.
http://eepat.net/doku.php?id=virtue_epistemology_and_education
Kotzee, B. (2013), Introduction: Education, Social Epistemology and Virtue Epistemology. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 47: 157?167
Kotzee, B. (2013), Introduction: Education, Social Epistemology and Virtue Epistemology. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 47: 157?167
Heather Battaly (2008). Virtue Epistemology. Philosophy Compass 3 (4):639-663
What is Knowledge
* Pritchard, D. (2009). Analysing Knowledge. In Knowledge. University of Edinburgh, Palgrave Philosophy Today. p 3 - 21
Pritchard D. (2009). Understanding and the Value of Knowledge. University of Edinburgh, Palgrave, Phophy Today p 128-150
Pritchard D (2007) Recent Work on Epistemic Value, American Philosophical Quarterly (44), pp 85-110
De Paul M & Zagzebski L, (2007) Intellectual Virtue, Perspectives from Ethics andEpistemology Ed by De Paul M & Zagzebski L, Clarendon, Oxford, 2nd Ed, 1st Published 2003
Positivism to Rationality. ¿The war on Induction¿
*Schrag, F. (1992) In Defense of Positivist Research Paradigms. Educational Researcher, 21 (5): 5-8.
Elliot W. Eisner Respnse to Schrag Source: Educational Researcher, Vol. 21, No. 5 (Jun. - Jul., 1992), pp. 8-9
Achinstein, P (2010) The War on Induction. Evidence, Explanation and Realism, Essays in the Philosophy of Science. Oxford University Press.
Some type of Constructivism
*Howe, K. (2005). The question of education science: Experimentism versus experimentalism. Educational Theory, 55(3), 306-321.
MacIntyre, A. (1981). After virtue. Indiana: Notre Dame. Chapter 8: The character of generalizations in social science and their lack of predictive power.
Pawson, R. & Tilley, N. (1997). Realistic evaluation. London: Sage Publications. Chap 2
Critical Theory in educational research/ Marxism in Educational Philosophy
*Comstock DE (1982, edit 2002) Knowledge and Values in Social and Educational Research, Philadelphia, Temple University Press
Raduntz, H (1997) Developing a Marxian approach to education research in 'new times' available at http://www.aare.edu.au/97pap/raduh012.htm
Postmodernism
* Baxter, J. (2002) 'Competing discourses in the classroom: a Post-structuralist Discourse Analysis of girls' and boys' speech in public contexts', Discourse and Society, 13(6): 827-842.
Jones, A. (1993) 'Becoming a "Girl": Post-Structuralist Suggestions for
Educational Research, Gender and Education, 5(2): 157-166
Laclau, E. and Mouffe, C. (1987) 'Post-Marxism Without Apologies', New Left Review, No.166, November/December.
Feminist epistemology
* Ackerly, B. and True, J. (2010) Doing Feminist Research in Political and
Social Science. London: Palgrave. Chapter 2: The Feminist Research Ethic Explained
Harding, S. (1987) 'Introduction: Is There a Feminist Method?' in Harding, S. (1987) (ed) Feminism and Methodology. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Narayan, U. (2004) ' The Project of Feminist Epistemology: Perspectives from a Nonwestern Feminist' in Harding, S. (2004) (ed) The Feminist Standpoint Theory Reader: Intellectual and Political Controversies. New York: Routledge.
Values, Ethics and the politics of educational research
*Greenbank, P. (2003) The role of values in educational research: the case for reflexivity, British Educational Research Journal, 29 (6):167-173
McNamara, D.R. (1979) Paradigm Lost: Thomas Kuhn and Educational Research, British Educational Research Journal, 5 (2):167-173
Carr, D (2003). [Political Dimensions of Education?] Making Sense of Education. Routlege Falmer, London
So just what is the value of research?
* Hammersley, M. (2004). Some questions about evidence-based practice in education. In G. Thomas & R. Pring (Eds.), Evidence-based practice in education. (pp. 133-149). Maidenhead: OU Press.
*ebba, J. (2004). Developing evidence-informed practice and policy in education. In G. Thomas & R. Pring (Eds.), Evidence-based practice in education. (pp. 34-43). Maidenhead: OU Press. [Moray House Library: LB1028 Evi]
O¿Sullivan, M. (2007). Research quality in physical education and sport pedagogy. Sport, Education and Society, 12(3), 245-260.
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
http://www.ed.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.49871!/fileManager/NatureOfEnquiry-CourseOutline.pdf |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
be able to exercise critical judgment in creating new understanding
be ready to ask key questions and exercise rational enquiry
be intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest
be able to respond effectively to unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar contexts |
| Special Arrangements |
This course is open to students from other schools, however, please contact the course secretary prior to enrolling your Tutee in order to verify that there is space available; students on MSc Educational Research and MSc Education have priority. |
| Study Abroad |
None |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
There will be 10 classes of 2.5 hours duration.
The classes will consist of student presentation, discussion and staff presentation. |
| Keywords | Knowledge Understanding Education Reseach Enquiry |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr John Ravenscroft
Tel: (0131 6)51 6181
Email: John.Ravenscroft@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Mairi Ross
Tel: (0131 6)51 4241
Email: Mairi.Ross@ed.ac.uk |
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