Unit name | Understanding Educational Research |
---|---|
Unit code | EDUCM5502 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Lucas |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Education |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit develops concepts and practices to enable participants to develop a reasoned evaluation of published educational research. The unit provides an overview of paradigmatic differences that operate in social science research and facilitates participants in considering the implications of these for understanding and evaluating research in their own field of interest. Particular attention will be paid to associated issues concerning the relationship between evaluation and educational values; research ethics; implications for research design and methodology; research quality criteria; and the intended applications and audiences of the research. Participants will critically engage with these issues by evaluating one or more published studies in their field of interest as group activities during the unit and as the basis for individually prepared assessed work.
Aims:
After taking this unit, the student should:
The unit is taught intensively. The course includes practical activities, reading tasks, discussion and opportunities to relate course material to participants’ own research ideas. Students also engage in a group presentation of a critical evaluation of a research text.
Formative assessment tasks include the oral presentation of an evaluation of published research undertaken in groups of approximately four students to the whole class.Summative assessment consists of a 4000 word evaluation of a student selected report of research concerned with evaluating research in the student’s area of interest.