Postgraduate Course: Research Methods: Planning Research (REDU11044)
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 | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Students preparing to embark on undertaking their masters dissertation need to be prepared in both theoretical and practical aspects of research methodology and methods. Through this process they also gain a greater understanding of the substantive literature in their specific area of study. However, when it comes to conceptualising, planning, implementing and locating their own research within the relevant literature students require specific skills and advice.
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| Course description |
Indicative Content
- Stages in planning research and issues in research design, key terms and texts;
- Approaches to the identification of appropriate research questions;
- Research design - the spectrum to consider, sampling;
- Strategies and instruments for data collection - interviews, questionnaires, documentation, focus groups;
- Issues of validity and reliability and the evaluation of evidence.
Preparation for developing a research proposal for dissertation
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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 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
| Course Start Date |
15/01/2018 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 5,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 8,
Formative Assessment Hours 25,
Summative Assessment Hours 25,
Revision Session Hours 35,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
0 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment (proposal poster)
Each participant will produce a proposal poster that should specify his/her research question, or a set of related research questions, and justify its/their practical, professional and theoretical significance. It will outline a strategy and design for collecting and analysing evidence that is suitable for the research question. Provision for philosophical studies and empirical research will be made. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course students will have:
1. identified appropriate research questions and how they might be addressed by particular methodological approaches and data collection methods;
2. planned a programme of research, showing an appropriate level of critical awareness of issues relating to research reliability and validity, and ethical considerations;
3. articulated clearly the kinds of conclusions and recommendations they will be able to make given the research design choices they have made;
4. presented a proposal for a research project in poster form in accord with the relevant academic conventions.
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Reading List
Alvesson, M. & Skoldberg, K. (2009) Reflexive Methodology: New Vistas in Qualitative Research, 2nd edition. London: Sage.
Bechhofer, F. & Paterson, L. (2000) Principles of Research Design in the Social Sciences. London: Routledge.
Bell, J. (2005) Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-Time Researchers in Education and Social Science, 4th edition. London: Open University Press.
Bernard, H. R. (2008) Social Research Methods, 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Berry, R., (2004) The Research Project: How to Write It, 5th edition. London: Routledge Falmer.
Blaxter L, Hughes, C. & Tight, M. (2006) How to Research, 3rd edition. London: Open University Press.
Burns, R. B. (2000) Introduction to Research Methods, 4th edition. London: Sage.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007) Research Methods in Education, 6th edition. London: Routledge.
Cottrell, S. (2005) Critical Thinking Skills. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Crotty, M. (1998) The Foundations of Social Research. London: Sage.
Denscombe, M (2003) The Good Research Guide: For Small-Scale Social Research Projects, 2nd edition. London: Open University Press.
Denzin, N., & Lincoln, Y. (2008) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials, 3rd edition. London: Sage.
Field, A. (2009). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS, 3rd edition. London: Sage.
Fielding, J. & Gilbert, N. (2006) Understanding Social Statistics, 2nd edition. London: Sage.
Girden, E. R. (2001) Evaluating Research Articles from Start to Finish, 2nd edition. London: Sage.
Hammersley, M. (1992) Social Research: Philosophy, Politics & Practice. London: Sage.
Hart, C. (1998) Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination. London: Sage.
Kumar, R. (2005) Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, 2nd edition. London: Sage.
May, T. (2003) Social Research: Issues, Methods and Process, 3rd edition. London: Open University Press.
Neville, C. (2007) The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism. Berkshire: Open University Press/McGraw-Hill.
Oliver, P.S. (2003) The Student's Guide to Research Ethics. London: Open University Press.
Potter, S. (2006) Doing Post-graduate Research, 2nd Edition. London: Open University/Sage.
Punch, K. (2005) Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, 2nd edition. London: Sage.
Reason, P. & Bradbury, H., eds. (2007) The SAGE Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice, 2nd edition. London: Sage.
Robson, C. (2002) Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioner-Researchers, 2nd edition. Oxford: Blackwell.
Sim, S. & Van Loon, B. (2004) Introducing Critical Theory. Royston: Icon Books.
Silverman, D. (2006) Interpreting Qualitative Data, 3rd Edition. London: Sage.
Silverman, D. (2007) A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Qualitative Research. London: Sage.
Thomas, G. (2009) How to Do Your Research Project: A Guide for Students in Education and Applied Social Sciences. London: Sage.
Walliman, S. R. (2005) Your Research Project: A Step-By-Step Guide for The First-Time Researcher, 2nd edition. London: Sage.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Enrolment in Semester 1 instance is by arrangement with the Course Organiser. |
| Keywords | Research dissertation |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Miss Angela Gayton
Tel: (0131 6)51 4878
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Marie Hamilton
Tel: (0131 6)51 6678
Email: |
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