Designing, Conducting And Evaluating Educational And Social Research

Course Code: MMAIAR_02

Masters Level Module

This distance learning module is designed to provide participants with knowledge and understanding of the theoretical foundations, processes and practices of educational, and social research and evaluation, and to enable them to apply this to the critical evaluation, design and conduct of research and evaluation in areas related to inspection and regulation.

The module aims to:

• enable participants to understand and evaluate research in education and related areas
• help to identify and critically engage with research and other literature relevant to participants' research interests
• introduce a wide range of approaches to educational and social research
• consider key issues in the design and conduct of research, including ethical considerations to ensure the rigour and validity of findings
• examine the relationship between theory, practice and empirical research
• provide an introduction to and experience of common data collection techniques
• explore the principles of and techniques for qualitative and quantitative data analysis
• assist participants in the development of coherent and informed research proposals
• consider the presentation, writing and dissemination of research.

Session titles are:

• Session 1: Comparing Real World and Academic Research
• Session 2: Research Designs
• Session 3: Research Methods
• Session 4: Epistemology
• Session 5: Qualitative Data Analysis
• Session 6: Quantitative Data Analysis
• Session 7: Approached to Evaluation
• Session 8: Writing and Communicating Research

The module is assessed through a 5000 word assignment: including the development of a research proposal, with explanatory notes, and a critical commentary on an existing body of research. Both of these elements of the assignment allow inspectors to demonstrate their understanding of key elements of module content. The research proposal may also allow participants to position themselves advantageously with regard to their own emergent research agendas, e.g. MA dissertation, further study or practitioner research in their own workplaces.

Related Programmes