Educational Research Methods - EDU00072I
Module summary
The purpose of the module is to build students' ability to understand social scientific research methods and apply them to educational questions. We encourage students to develop awareness of a broad range of research methods, and critically appraise what we can learn from them.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2025-26 |
Module aims
The key aims of the module are:
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To be able to assess the strengths, weaknesses, and uses of a range of educational research methods.
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To gain the skills needed to critically assess the strength of the evidence for claims in the educational literature.
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To gain practical experience using a range of data collection and analysis methods.
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To develop knowledge and skills which are essential in a range of careers in education and in the social sciences more widely.
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To prepare and gain experience for the Empirical Dissertation module, in which you will carry out research as part of your Year 3 programme.
Module learning outcomes
After completing the module, students will:
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Be familiar with a range of research strategies and methods, including both qualitative and quantitative methods;
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Be able to use the common research techniques of questionnaires, interviews and observation and be aware of the strengths and limitations of each method of data collection;
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Know how to analyse the data collected using each of the aforementioned methods of data collection;
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Be able to apply knowledge of research methods to critically evaluate claims in published literature;
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Be able to plan a piece of research and have a clearer understanding of the characteristics of an ideal empirical dissertation;
Academic and graduate skills
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Students will develop their critical thinking, argumentation, and communication skills.
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Specifically, students will engage in activities examining the relative strengths and weaknesses of different research paradigms, methods of data collection and methods of data analysis.
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Students will gain practical experience collecting and analysing data, both by themselves and in groups.
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As an additional skill, students will develop their IT skills by interacting fully with the VLE (Yorkshare).
Module content
Designing research projects
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Research projects and research questions
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Research designs - causal inference
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Systematic literature searching
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Research ethics
Data collection methods
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Surveys, questionnaires, and sampling
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Interviews
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Observation
Data analysis
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Quantitative analysis
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Qualitative analysis
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Document analysis
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Individual written feedback reports, with follow-up tutor meeting, if necessary. The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information
Indicative reading
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Babbie, E. (2017). The Basics of Social Research. 7th Edition. Cengage Learning.
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Cohen, l., Manion, L., and Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in education. 7th Edition. London: Routledge
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Einarsdottir, J. (2007). Research with children: Methodology and ethical challenges. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. 15(2):197-211.
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Field, A.P. (2017). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS : (and Sex and Drugs and Rock’n’roll). 5th Edition. London: SAGE.
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Murray, S.B. (2003). A spy, a shill, a go-between, or a sociologist: unveiling the “observer” in participant observation. Qualitative Research. 3(3):377-395.
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Saris, W.E. and Gallhofer, I. (2014). Design, Evaluation, and Analysis of Questionnaires for Survey Research. Second edition. Hoboken, New Jersey:John Wiley & Sons
The module also has a detailed online reading list with weekly readings, including examples of the methods covered on the course.