The University of Adelaide
Course Outlines

EDUC 7001NA - Educational Inquiry

Ngee Ann Academy - Quadmester 2 - 2015

This course provides an introduction to educational inquiry and research, and to issues involved in interpreting the findings of inquiry to enable students to become critical consumers of educational research for enhancing professional practice. The role of literature in educational inquiry is examined, and techniques and strategies for critiquing literature are developed. The modules in the course provide a grounding in key concepts, and qualitative and quantitative research designs to develop understanding and skills in particular methods of data collection and analysis. The modules of study include epistemology in the social sciences, the philosophical foundations of modern research strategies, the general classes of research investigations in education, and will help students to develop their skills to better support them in reading and understanding research projects. This course is an initial preparation for writing project work, thesis and dissertation in education.

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  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code EDUC 7001NA
    Course Educational Inquiry
    Coordinating Unit School of Education
    Term Quadmester 2
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s Ngee Ann Academy
    Units 3
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Restrictions M Ed students only - Singapore
    Assessment readings/discussion portfolio, research review presentation, research
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Michelle Picard


    Course Coordinator: Dr Michelle Picard
    Phone: (+61) (0)8 8313 3957

    Email: michelle.picard@adelaide.edu.au

    Skype: michelle.picard8

    Rooms: TBA
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    1. Develop students’ understanding of the nature and process of social research

    2. Develop students’ ability to select a research project topic, plan a research project, develop researchable questions and communicate these issues clearly in oral and written form

    3. Develop students’ understanding of the relationship of theory, knowledge and practice as it applied to contemporary research in education and their ability to explain these relationships in oral and written form

    4. Develop students’ ability to critically review and evaluate educational literature and identify areas for future research

    5. Develop students’ ability to evaluate and select a research design and data collection and evaluation instruments (both qualitative and quantitative) in harmony with a chosen paradigm

    6. Develop students’ ability to evaluate research according to standards of validity, reliability and ethics

    7. Develop students’ ability to write, present and defend a research proposal for a well-designed research project
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1,3,4,5,6,7
    The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 6,7
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 1,6
    Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 4,7
    A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 1,4,5,6,7
    A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 4,5,6,7
    A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 6
    An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources

    1. Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011) Research Methods in Education 7th Edition, Routledge: UK.
    Recommended Resources

    1. http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/cohen7e/powerpoints.asp

    2. Bryman, A. (2008) Social Research Methods 4th Edition, Oxford University Press, UK.

    3. Terreblanche, Durrheim and Painter (2007) Research in Practice: Applied Methods for the Social Sciences 2nd Edition, University of Cape Town Press, South Africa.

    4. Additional course-related material and examples of research articles are available on MyUni.
    Online Learning

    Additional course-related material is available through MyUni.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The course is built around a series of workshops covering the fundamental research design and communication of design issues.
    Related assignments are designed to consolidate the learning of key principles and development of research design and communication skills.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    5 Days intensive face-to-face course (7.5 hours per day approx) = 37.5 hours

    Online reflections and interactions with lecturers and classmates = 24 hours

    Intensive reading and preparation for 1st session and research seminar presentation = 48 hours

    Research Proposal = 46.5 hours

    Total = 156hrs

    Learning Activities Summary
    Day 1:
    - The nature and processes of research
    - Topic selection and developing research questions
    - The relationship of theory, knowledge and practice
    - Research paradigms
    - Reviewing literature
    - Introducing research (issue, research, gap focus)

    Day 2:
    - Presentation of introduction slides
    - Causality in Educational Research
    - Validity and Reliaiblity (Quantitative and Qualitative Research)
    - Inductive and deductive reasoning
    - Grounded theory (an extreme inductive methodology)
    - Surveys and questionnaires (as extreme deductive methodologies)
    - Selecting paradigms appropriate to the research problem

    Day 3:
    - Methodologies and their definition
    - Communicating research
    - Researching research methodologies
    - Action research and participative action research
    - Observation (checklists and semi-structured)
    - Historical and documentary research
    - Critical Discourse Analysis
    - Interviews and focus groups

    Day 4:
    - The purpose of ethics and codes
    - Ethics in Educational research scenarios
    - The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research
    - Research articles evaluation
    - Criteria for evaluating a seminar presentation
    - Sample seminars and evaluation
    - 20 questions on research design

    Day 5:
    - Seminar presentations
    - Providing peer feedback
    - Criteria for evaluating research proposals
    - Evaluation of sample proposals

    Specific Course Requirements
    Full attendance is a requirement of the course unless valid medical certification can be provided.
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    Small Group Discovery Experience is not explicitly part of this course, however, all activities
    involve research and work in small groups guided by a senior academic.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    The assessment focuses around the development of a research proposal and the justification of all the design elements in the proposal.
    Assessment Related Requirements
    All assessment items are required for formative development. However the Research Proposal is a hurdle requirement and must be completed and passed for the student to pass the course.
    Assessment Detail
    The following assessment items must be completed:

    1. Formative oral presentation (5 Powerpoint slides)

    Oral presentation of an introduction to a research issue, related literature, gaps and resulting research question(s) Completed on Day 2 of intensive course.  5% of final grade. This is both formative & summative assessment (Objectives 1,5 & 7 (partly))

    2. Reflective blog entries. Posts should total 3000 words.
    Students should complete 5 blog posts and/or responses on issues related to research paradigms, design, data collection and analysis, reliability and validity and ethical issues. One blog entry should be completed before after each of the intensive days of the Program. 4% is awarded per blog entry = 20% This assessment is both formative and summative (Objectives 1-6)

     
    3. Summative seminar presentation (15 Powerpoint slides)
    Oral presentation of your full research proposal. This is a summative assessment (Objectives 1,5 & 7). This assessment item constitutes 20% of the grade. This will be completed on Day 5 of the intensive.

     
    4. The Research Proposal is 4000 words approximately.  The research proposal includes:

    1. Introduction to issue and context

    2. Critical review of the literature

    3. Gaps in the literature and potential for future research

    4. Research Question(s)

    5. Theoretical framework & methods


    It must be completed on or before the 8th of July 2015. The research proposal comprises 60% of the grade. This assessment item is predominantly summative (Objective 7).



    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines

    This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.

  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.
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