| Unit name | Core Skills in Educational Research |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUCM0105 |
| Credit points | 0 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Barg |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Education |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This unit orientates students often at the start of a PhD to develop their understanding of central concepts and practices in educational research to enable them to evaluate published educational research in a reasoned way from the outset. An overview of paradigmatic differences that operate in social science research is provided, enabling students to consider their implications for understanding and evaluating research in their own area of interest. Through the unit students will understand different philosophical positions in Education and Social Science research. The students will acquire a foundation from which to build their own practice, cognisant of the implications of positioning for research on a given topic. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between evaluation and educational values; research ethics; research quality criteria; and the intended applications and audiences of research. Students will critically engage with these issues as part of a group evaluating one specific published study and presenting it towards the end of the unit.
This unit is also designed to ensure that students embarking on a research degree acquire the foundational practical knowledge and skills necessary to access information from the library, and the web; particularly the electronic sources that are available. More cognitive generic skills such as critical thinking, originality, particularly as applied to, for example, reading and reviewing literature will be developed. All these aspects will be addressed within the general context of starting out on a research programme with the need to turn ideas into researchable questions.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
The unit provides a foundation for all other units on the programme and for students’ dissertation projects. It connects directly with tasks and assignments on the other units on the programme and their research. It gives students the opportunity to reflect on and plan how to manage their dissertation project, which will be imperative as they embark on undertaking their Doctoral/Master projects. The unit also supports students to develop their academic judgement of the quality of research, including literature, introducing them to appropriate criteria across a range of possible approaches and learning to apply them both critically and analytically. The unit signposts opportunities across the university for computer software training that will be useful for students when conducting their own research project as part of their dissertation.
In this unit students are allocated to action learning sets – a group of students with similar research interests. Action learning sets comprise approximately 4 members to support them in undertaking preparatory work for their research, reading, and writing for thinking alongside the taught units on the programme. The action learning set will be sustained beyond the taught phase of the PhD programme.
An overview of content
Through the intellectual orientation provided by this unit, students will explore key issues and practices involved in making academic judgements in research in education. They will examine the role of paradigmatic influences found in current educational research and the implications of these for the reasoned evaluation of published research. There will be opportunities to apply this, with peer and tutor led support, to the evaluation of selected reports and articles relating to the students’ own areas of interest.
More practical orientation into core research skills will introduce students to relevant university services, including library services, support from the Bristol Doctoral College and activities of the Research Centres and Networks in the School of Education. They get to know techniques and software that will support them in planning and implementing their research projects, and for managing citations and references.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
After attending this unit, students will feel ready and confident to start their journeys as educational researchers.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the unit students will be able to:
A variety of teaching methods will be employed and include:
At this level of study, active participation is expected by learners who will normally be expected to:.
Follow up independently on opportunities to develop as a researcher as highlighted in sessions
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (formative)
This unit is a pass/fail unit; to achieve a pass: regular attendance and 80% registered attendance at Action Learning Sets; 2 pass/fail tasks: contribution to a group presentation classifying an article and a short (maximum 2,000 words) critical review of a research article submitted to the Year 1 APR.
How you will be assessed
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUCM0105).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
