Postgraduate Course: Advanced Issues in Child Protection Research (fusion online) (EFIE11234)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | *Programme Core Course: Child Protection Data Futures (MSc/PGD/PGC)*
In this course, students will gain an advanced understanding of key methodological and policy considerations in commissioning, designing and conducting studies on violence against children in various settings. In addition, students will also gain in-depth ethics training on conducting child protection research with a particular focus on conducting research on sensitive topics (including with children and young people), the principles of research ethics and research governance procedures internationally.
Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) - Online Fusion Course Delivery Information:
The Edinburgh Futures Institute will teach this course in a way that enables online and on-campus students to study together. This approach (our 'fusion' teaching model) offers students flexible and inclusive ways to study, and the ability to choose whether to be on-campus or online at the level of the individual course. It also opens up ways for diverse groups of students to study together regardless of geographical location. To enable this, the course will use technologies to record and live-stream student and staff participation during their teaching and learning activities. Students should note that their interactions may be recorded and live-streamed. There will, however, be options to control whether or not your video and audio are enabled.
As part of your course, you will need access to a personal computing device. Unless otherwise stated activities will be web browser based and as a minimum we recommend a device with a physical keyboard and screen that can access the internet. |
| Course description |
The course will be taught in a hybrid format with a two week pre-intensive part of the course leading up to a two-day intensive sessions followed by the two-week post intensive sessions.
In the pre-intensive part of the course (2 weeks) students are required to take the self-paced ethics modules developed by UoE to understand the key ethical issues involved in international child protection research. This pre-intensive ethics modules will form 30% of the course assessment.
In the two-day intensive, student will compare and contrast different methodological and ethical challenges through a series of guest lectures from those working the field of international child protection research, case studies and role-playing.
During both the intensive and post-intensive sessions, students working in teams will work with Childlight and other guest researchers to understand a key ethical or methodological challenge they have encountered in this work. Based on a series of interviews, students will complete their last assessment worth (70%) - an ERIC (Ethical Research Involving Children), 2-page case study on the background to the methodological or ethical challenge, how the researchers handled it, reflections, and questions for further learning (according to the ERIC case study template). As part of their post-intensive period, students will also be required to substantively comment on at least two other pre-existing case studies. These case studies may then be published on the ERIC website and on Childlight's website as reflective pieces.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 14,
Fieldwork Hours 3,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
79 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Summative Assessment:
The course will be assessed by means of the following assessment components:
1) Completion of Online Ethics Training Course (30%)
Students will get a certificate which is valid as an ethics training certificate in the United States and for international research.
This online learning module will be created by Childlight and be accessible to students in the lead up to the intensive week. Students will take a short test at the end of four modules that will also cover University of Edinburgh ethics procedures and include interactive learning elements. You cannot proceed to the next module until you have passed the module test with at least 70%.
If you fail a module, you can re-read the course content and take the test again (the computer will automatically change the test questions). Students can save the work done in the online course and do it in several sittings. Each module will take approximately 1-2 hours depending on the student's previous experience with ethics and ethical review processes.
Upon completion, the scores will automatically be sent to the Course Organiser and the student will be able to print out an Ethics Training Certificate that is required by ethics review boards in the United States and internationally.
The course will be completed in the lead-up to the workshop intensive as a foundational ethics piece for further teaching and group work.
2) 2-page ERIC Case Study (70%)
Working in and assessed as teams, students will be introduced to a researcher or research team to discuss with them ethical and methodological challenges they have encountered during their work. Using an existing template, the team will write-up this into a 2-page ERIC case study and post this to the discussion forum. |
| Feedback |
Formative Feedback:
- Small group work during course will receive feedback from peers and staff
- Discussion of issues and questions during Course Organiser's office hours.
Summative Feedback:
- Pre-intensive - online course includes quizzes which provide feedback on correct vs incorrect answers and reasons behind these.
- ERIC case study - facilitator and peer feedback. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the ethical issues in international child protection research.
- Compare and contrast relevant methods and tools to measure violence against children in various settings and the ethical considerations required.
- Demonstrate an understanding of methodological issues in designing, conducting and commissioning research to better understand violence against children.
- Critically review key debates in international child protection research ethics and methodological approaches.
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Reading List
Indicative Reading List:
Essential Reading:
International Charter for Ethical Research Involving Children. Charter and full report available at: http://childethics.com/charter/ (please read Charter and skim the full report document
Cluver, L., et al., Chapter 3: The Cost of Action: Large Scale Longitudinal Quantitative Research with AIDS affected children in South Africa. Ethical Quandries in Social Research.
Neelakantan, L., Fry, D., Florian, L., Silion, D., Filip, M., Thabeng, M., Te, K., Sunglao, J.A., Lu, M., Ward, C.L., Baban, A., Jocson, R., Alampay, L., and Meinck, F. (2022) 'What does that mean?': The content validity of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool - Child version (ICAST-C) in Romania, South Africa, and the Philippines, Child Abuse & Neglect, 134.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213422004033
Neelakantan, L., Fry, D., Florian, L., & Meinck, F. (2022). Adolescents' experiences of participating in sensitive research: A scoping review of qualitative studies. Trauma, Violence and Abuse. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211069072
Recommended Reading:
Child Protection Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group (CP MERG) (2012). Ethical Principles, Dilemmas and Risks in Collecting Data on Violence Against Children: A Review of Available Literature. New York: Child Protection Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group (ChildFund, FRA, ILO, Plan International, Population Council, Save the Children & UNICEF).
Fry, D., Lannen, P., Vanderminden, J., Cameron, A., & Casey, T. (2017). Child Protection and Disability: Practical Challenges for Research. (Protecting Children and Young People Series). Dunedin Academic Press.
Further Reading:
Zimmerman, C. Ethical and safety recommendations for interviewing trafficked women. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2003
Ellonen, N. and Poso, T. (2011). Children's experiences of completing a computer-based violence survey: ethical implications. Children and Society, 25(6): 470-481.
Williamson, E., Goodenough, T., Kent, J., and Ashcroft, R. (2005) Conducting research with children: The limits of confidentiality and child protection protocols. Children and Society, 19(5): 397-409.
Coyne, I. (2010) Research with children and young people: The issue of parental (proxy) consent. Children and Society, 24(3): 227-237.
Gorin, S., Hooper, C.A., Dyson, C. and Cabral, C. (2008) Ethical challenges in conducting research with hard to reach families. Child Abuse Review, 17(4): 275-287.
Faulkner, A. (2004). The ethics of survivor research: Guidelines for the ethical conduct of research carried out by mental health service users and survivors. Policy Press. Available at: https://www.cnesm.org/wp-content/uploads/Faulkner-recherche-participative.pdf
Warrington, C. (2018) Children and young people's participation in research to address sexual violence: Ethical working paper. University of Bedfordshire: Luton, UK. Available at: https://www.our-voices.org.uk/assets/images/IC-CYP-participation-ethical-working-paper.pdf |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Enquiry and lifelong learning.
- Outlook and engagement.
- Research and enquiry.
- Personal and intellectual autonomy.
- Personal effectiveness.
- Communication. |
| Keywords | Child Protection,Data Analysis and Research,Systems Thinking,International Policy,Ethics,PG,Level 1 |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Deborah Fry
Tel: (0131 6)51 4796
Email: Debi.Fry@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Yasmine Lewis
Tel:
Email: yasmine.lewis@ed.ac.uk |
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