Unit name | Psychophysiological Methods in Educational Research |
---|---|
Unit code | EDUCM0071 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Yau |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
EDUCM5504 - Statistics in Education |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Education |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
In this unit, students engage critically with psychophysiological methods involving simple measurement of nervous system response (e.g. skin conductance, heart rate), and gain a deeper understanding of eye-tracking and more complex neuroimaging methods (e.g. functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Magnetoencephalography). Students get to put together the various components of the experimental research process (e.g. identifying a research question and hypothesis, developing a sound and ethical methodology, selecting appropriate methods of psychophysiological data collection and analysis, and drawing evidence based conclusions). In practical sessions, they learn to navigate a neuroimaging dataset and learn to plan, undertake and report a small-scale research experiment themselves using one or more of the simpler measurements. Within this unit, an overview of the philosophies underpinning this experimental method of data collection and analysis, and their relation to other research perspectives, will be studied in terms of the interrelation of brain/body, mind and education.
The unit aims to:
• to explore the philosophical and methodological issues encountered when applying experimental psychophysiological methods to address educational issues;
• to provide students with the tools to assess and make judgements about the strengths and limitations of educational research involving simple and complex psychophysiological measurements, the appropriateness of the techniques employed and how these relate to research coherence, quality, rigour and value;
• to interrogate the ethical issues involved in conducting educational research involving simple and complex psychophysiological methods;
• to enable students to apply their understanding when critically developing, conducting and reporting educational research designs involving the use of psychophysiological measurement.
Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to demonstrate:
The unit involves 20 hours of contact time, comprising two 6-hour whole day sessions and 4 2-hour sessions. A variety of teaching strategies will be used to deliver this unit, which may include whole group lectures, case studies, practical demonstration and hands-on practical tasks, critical analysis of key readings, group discussions and student presentations.
These strategies will encourage students to make their thinking and ideas explicit, providing ample opportunities for formative feedback that will include critical assessment of their plans for their small-scale experiment, data collection and analysis
The assignment will arise from 3 assessments:
Berntson, G.G., Quigley, K.S. and Lozano, D. (2007) Cardiovascular Psychophysiology, in The Handbook of Psychophysiology by Cacioppo, J., Tassinary, L.G. and Berntson, G.G. (eds), 3rd edition, p 182-210.
Cochrane Reviews in evidence-based educational interventions
http://www.cochrane.org/search/site/education?f%5B0%5D=im_field_terms_cochrane_library%3A50167
Dawson, M.E., Schell, A.M. and Filion, D.L. (2007) The Electrodermal System, in The Handbook of Psychophysiology by Cacioppo, J., Tassinary,
L.G. and Berntson, G.G. (eds), 3rd edition, p 159-181
Papanicolaou, A. C. (Ed.). (2017). The Oxford Handbook of Functional Brain Imaging in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences. Oxford University Press.
Please note that these are some recommended texts and sources of information. The unit does not rely on a core textbook, and instead uses a mix of papers from peer-reviewed journals to keep up to date with the latest in the field. Key papers for each lecture/topic will be signposted on Blackboard.