Department of Education, Unit Catalogue 2006/07

ED10301 Introduction to research methods I

Credits: 6

Level: Certificate

Semester: 1

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

Aims: To introduce the student to the methods and practice of research in an educational context.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit students should be able to:
* Critically evaluate research reports, describe various research designs, employing qualitative and quantitative techniques and understand rudimentary statistical methods;
* Have some understanding of issues and caveats relating to research ethics, sampling, data collection and analysis, and the interpretation of findings.
Skills:
Production of concise, scholarly, written communication to agreed specifications and deadlines
Analysis and synthesis of written information from multiple sources
Oral presentation skills
Interpretation and analysis of numerical data
Working independently
Team work in the production of an assignment
Formulation of research questions and research design to answer them.
Content:
The unit will introduce students to commonly used qualitative and quantitative approaches, including interviews, questionnaires, surveys and observation. They will gain understanding of sampling strategies and procedures, issues of validity and reliability, ethical considerations, issues in data collection and analysis, including basic techniques in statistical analysis (descriptive, with simple notions of statistical significance testing), and issues concerning the presentation and discussion of research in education.

University | Catalogues for 2006/07