EDUC 7020 - Qualitative Approaches to Educational Research
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2014
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code EDUC 7020 Course Qualitative Approaches to Educational Research Coordinating Unit School of Education Term Semester 1 Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 2 hours per week Corequisites EDUC 7001 Educational Inquiry Assessment essay (40%), reflective piece (60%) Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr Andrew Hope
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
SEMINAR TOPICS
Topic
Comment
What is qualitative research?
Overview of the course
The nature of qualitative research
Qualitative research and commonsense knowledge.
Objectivity / Subjectivity
Key themes in social research (Validity, reliability, generalisability)
‘Schools Of Thought’ in Qualitative Research
Epistemology/ Ontology
Realism / Idealism
Positivism / Interpretivism
Social Theory and Social Research
The purpose of the literature review. Induction / Deduction, Falsification, Paradigms, Critical Theory,.
Types of Qualitative Interviews
Semi-structured Interviews
Unstructured Interviews
Oral Histories
Focus Groups
Undertaking Qualitative Interviews
Interview Schedules
Asking Questions
Piloting and probing
Rapport and engagement
Observational Techniques
Different types of qualitative observation (Overt / covert, participant / non-participant).
Spradley’s Dimensions of Descriptive data
Ethnography and Ethics
Ethnography, ethnographic authority
Ethics and qualitative research, informed consent.
Qualitative Content Analysis
Analyzing words and images, Understanding cultural context.
Discourse Analysis
Discourse analysis, Personal Documents
Data Analysis
Techniques for Generating Meaning
Data Presentation
Using data. Voice and Authority: The Case of Autoethnography
Evaluating Qualitative Research
Framework for Evaluation
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module, students will have:
1) An understanding of the links between qualitative social research, philosophy, methodology and theory.
2) Knowledge and understanding of qualitative research methods.
3) Understanding of the process of qualitative social inquiry including issues such as validity, quality, sampling and ethics.
4) Developed a critical understanding of qualitative research design together with an appreciation of the challenges facing those undertaking such social research.University Graduate Attributes
No information currently available.
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Learning Resources
Recommended Resources
Bogdan, R. & Bilken, S. (2003) Qualitative Research For Education, An Introduction to Theories and Methods. Boston/Sydney: Allyn & Bacon.
Burns, R. (2000) Introduction to Research Methods. Melbourne: Longman.
Bryman, A. (2012) Social Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2011) Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge.
Clifford, J. and Marcus, G. (1987) Writing Culture. Berkeley, University of California Press.
Burke Johnson, R. and Christensen, L. (2011) Educational Research. Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed Approaches. Boston: Pearson.
Burton, D. (Ed.) Research training For Social Scientists. London: Sage.
Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K., (2011) Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge.
Creswell, J. W., (2008) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Crotty, M., (1998) The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process. London: SAGE Publications.
Denzin N. & Lincoln Y. (Eds.) (2012) Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publication Inc.
Glesne, C., (2010) Becoming Qualitative Researchers: An Introduction. Boston: Pearson.
Grbich, C. (2007) Qualitative Data Analysis. London: sage.
Hammersley, M (1997) Reading Ethnographic Research. London: Longman.
Hammersley, M and Atkinson, P. (2009) Ethnography: Principles and Practice. London: Routledge.
Kvale, S. And Brinkmann, S. (2009) Interviews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing. London: Sage.
May, T. (2011) Social Research: Issues, Methods and Processes. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
Patton, M, (2002) Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Payne, G and Payne, J. (2004) Key Concepts in Social Research. London: Sage.
Rose, G. (2012) Visual Methodologies. London: Sage.
Shank, G., (2005) Qualitative Research: A Personal Skills Approach. Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. (1998) Basics of Qualitative Research. London: Sage.
Weinberg, D. (ed) (2002) Qualitative Research Methods. Oxford: Blackwell.Online Learning
In addition there are various journals dedicated to qualitative research, which can be accessed via the university website. Most notably these include:
Ethnography http://eth.sagepub.com/
Qualitative Research http://qrj.sagepub.com/
Qualitative Inquiry http://qix.sagepub.com/ -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
No information currently available.
Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
There is a weekly, two-hour seminar. Students are expected to attend all seminars, and you must notify the course coordinator if you are going to be absent.
In addition there is one hour of online activity each week.
The course is constructed as a graduate-level seminar program. That is, all members of the class are expected to make a substantial contribution to class discussion, and everyone is expected to prepare properly for class by undertaking appropriate reading, reflection, research etc. activity.
In addition, all class members are strongly encouraged to utilise the collaborative facilities available through MyUni (such as discussion boards, wikis etc.) to assist each other in exploring this important and interesting subject.
The collaborative and communication skills developed through regularly and actively participating in discussions are considered by the School to be most important, and are essential skills in educational research and professional practice.Learning Activities Summary
No information currently available.
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assignment 1 2000 word essay worth 40% of the total mraks.
Assignment 2 3500 reflexive piece worth 60% of the total marks.Assessment Detail
ASSIGNMENT ONE
Critically discuss the links between social theory and qualitative social research.
Length: 2,000 words
Weighting: 40%
Graduate attributes: 1, 2
Submission method: Via hardcopy to Professions Postgraduate Hub.
ASSIGNMENT TWO
You must formulate a working research question and discuss how you would go about conducting a piece of qualitative research on this topic if you had 12 weeks to do it in. You are not expected to do the actual fieldwork, but to discuss the key issues that you would have to consider if you were doing this work ie. theoretical underpinnings, ethics, access issues, pros and cons of the methods used, time management and planning as well as how you would record and analyse the data.
The topic you choose should be approved by the course coordinator and relate to some aspect of education or learning.
Length: 3,500 words
Weighting: 60%
Graduate attributes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Submission method: Via hardcopy to Professions Postgraduate Hub.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.
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