Module EDUC45830: Education Enquiry

Department: Education

EDUC45830: Education Enquiry

Prerequisites

• • None

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• This module aims to develop students to become more than reflective practitioners but to become enquirers in their professional context. The module aims to instil in students an 'enquiry as stance' (Cochran-Smith&Lytle, 2009) position, where a discerning, critical, investigative and informed mind is fostered in students. Students will also be provided with the tools to carry out pilot practitioner research into their own practice, whilst remaining connected to and aware of the wider 'enquiry as stance' model and critical reflection as the underpinning to their work.

Content

• The module will introduce students to the notion of 'enquiry as stance' position, where students will be encouraged to be flexible, reflexive, embracing of change, critical and informed. Indeed, they will be encouraged to embark on professional ‘transformative’ development of their own practice.
• The module will provide students with an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of education research and a basic introduction to the language of education research, including qualitative and quantitative paradigms, methodology, validity and reliability.
• The module will encourage reflexive practice and enquiry, in order that students understand and consider the effects of ‘enquiry as stance’ positioning as an educator, and adopt approaches to changing their developing practice, rather than simply evaluating this. Students will be introduced to the idea that this will be a ‘transformative’, ‘troublesome’ and ‘reconstitutive’ process and links with threshold concepts will be explored.
• The module will introduce students to a range of approaches to practitioner research and research design and methods therein for application in educational environments.
• The module will introduce students to ethics in education research.
• The module will provide support for students in the development of a research proposal to enable a small pilot research project to be carried out. The project will be relevant (personally and/or professionally) to the students.
• The module will also provide guidance on: planning research and the various aspects of this process; formulating a research problem; selecting cases for study; producing and analysing data; writing research reports.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the main strategies and techniques used in practitioner enquiry.
• Understand the theoretical underpinnings applied to practitioner enquiry.
• Develop an effective research design in order to carry out a small-scale pilot research project within the 'enquirer as stance' model.
• Apply a reflexive and critical approach to practitioner research design, where the results contribute to the student’s development as a professional and have the potential to be ‘transformative’.
• Develop an effective research design, strategy and method, in order to carry out a small-scale pilot research project.

• Appreciate in depth 'enquirer as stance' model and apply to own practitioner research
• Plan and conduct small-scale practitioner research and engage critically with literature (empirical and conceptual) that supports the ‘transformative’ in pedagogical practice.
• Be reflexive of their own practice and consider the effects of ‘enquiry as stance’ positioning as an educator, and adopt approaches to changing their developing practice based on the process of practitioner enquiry.
• identify, understand, and consider the effects of problematics in practice and / or specific educational contexts , and adopt approaches to changing these.

• Student assessment will demonstrate their ability to:
• research literature, including, for example: searching, synthesising, summarising and critiquing literatures; these will include differing theoretical standpoints.
• engage with theory, practice and research evidence use ICT when presenting assessments;
• organise and plan research;
• formulate, analyse and solve problems;
• be reflective and reflexive; and
• Learn independently, in co-operation and collaboratively.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching, learning and assessment will occur through lectures and seminar teaching supported by DUO resources... Lectures and seminars enable the ideas of the module to be considered. Seminar work also enables students to develop their understanding of the ideas and consider them in a range of professionally relevant contexts. Activities in seminars include a variety of active learning approaches including discussion, group work, presentations, question and answer sessions and individual tasks. The students will be offered an opportunity to submit a short plan of their pilot research enquiry and write-up for formative assessment and individualised feedback. DUO enables staff and students to continue their interaction between teaching sessions.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative Assessment: The interactive nature of the teaching sessions, with discussion, small group work, individual questioning, student presentations etc provides opportunity for informal formative feedback. The assignment title will be introduced early in the module to enable ongoing discussion during the teaching sessions. In addition to contact with the tutors during teaching sessions, tutors can be contacted by phone or email. students are required to carry out a pilot research enquiry into an aspect of their professional practice, a Proposal Proforma is submitted and written formative feedback is provided by the Module Convenor. For this proposal, students are strongly advised to submit an outline (maximum 2 sides of A4) summarising the research aims and research questions, a justification for these with reference to relevant literature, a proposed research methodology and methods and an explanation for these. The formative proposal should be submitted on or prior to the formative assessment submission deadline specified in DUO.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University