Postgraduate Course: Conceptualising research: Foundations, assumptions and praxis (REDU11045)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education and Sport |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course builds and complements the earlier research course looking in more depth at issues concerning the conceptualisation of research questions, the foundations and assumptions that these questions are based on and methods which may be appropriate to answer such questions. The course will enable students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the ontological underpinnings of research and what it is to make claims on the basis of research (epistemological challenges). Furthermore the relationships between research, theory and practice will be an underpinning theme throughout the course. Consideration will be given throughout the course to the role of philosophical inquiry and educational theory. |
| Course description |
Indicative content
1. Introduction to theories of the nature of reality and knowledge and their relationship to educational research.
2. The relationship between methods and methodologies
3. The relationships between research, theory and practice in educational research.
4. Ethical challenges and practices in educational research
5. Inductive and deductive strategies in research planning and implementation.
A significant part of the course will be concerned with identifying the value of various research approaches in relation to the substantive literature in various fields of practice and through this process identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the literature of these fields.
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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
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate a critical awareness of different philosophical assumptions in foundations of educational research
- demonstrate the ability to analyse and synthesise evidence of theorising in published research
- critically evaluate the relation between research, theory and practice
- exercise professional insight into the ethical challenges of research projects
- exercise initiative in research design based on critical understanding of the relation between theory and practice
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Reading List
Ariely, D. (2008). Predictably irrational: The hidden forces that shape our decisions. London: Harper Collins.
Boyle, D. (2000). The tyranny of numbers: Why counting can't make us happy. London: HarperCollins.
Cohen, L., L. Manion and K. Morrison (2007). Research methods in education. London: Routledge.
Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. London: SAGE.
Goldacre, B. (2008). Bad science. London: Fourth Estate.
Pring, R. (2000). Philosophy of educational research. London & New York: Continuum.
Robson, C. (2011). Real world research: a resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers. Madden, Mass., Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
Taleb, N. (2007). The black swan: The impact of the highly improbable. New York: Random House.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1. knowledge and evaluative ability in research and enquiry
2. critical awareness of decision making in own research projects
3. engagement with knowledge exchange processes
4. personal effectiveness in applying theory to practice |
| Keywords | Conceptualising research |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Gale MacLeod
Tel: (0131 6)51 6448
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Amanda Gilmour
Tel: (0131 6)51 1196
Email: |
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