Pen
Masters Degree Module - Practitioner Action Research
The aims of this module are to enable students to…
- Have a deep understanding of and be able to critically analyse the theory and practice of practitioner research
- and to be able to critically analyse the theory and practice of practitioner research in the Early Years, informed by current thinking on qualitative research in education, health, and /or social care
Knowledge and Understanding:
On successful completion of this programme a student will:
Develop a deep and systematic understanding of practitioner research.
Understand a range of research traditions, methodologies, techniques and tools and critically evaluate their effectiveness for use within their setting and role.
Have a deep understanding of ethical issues in relation to small-scale research projects, be aware of guidelines for carrying out research and use guidelines to frame and critically evaluate an ethical approach to undertaking research.
Skills and Attributes:
On successful completion of this programme a student will be able to:
Undertake analysis of qualitative evidence, recognising the complexity of working with data that may be incomplete or contradictory.
Be able to design and implement a research project to identify, and bring about improvement by challenging and critically evaluating work-based practices and developing participation in research processes.
Scheduled Teaching, campus−based activities in general teaching spaces (e.g.lectures, 20 seminars, tutorials) 20 hours
Scheduled campus−based activities in specialist teaching spaces (e.g practical classes, 25 workshops, demonstrations) 25 hours
Directed independent study 60 hours
Self-directed independent study 195 hours
Total hours 300
Scheduled online activities (General Teaching/Specialist Teaching) 32 hours
Directed independent study 68 hours
Self-directed independent study 200 hours
Total hours 300
This module will enable you to explore and critically evaluate the different research methodologies used historically and in different disciplines; quantitative and qualitative approaches; techniques and tools for gathering data. You will consider some of the ethical issues around research in the community and in early years settings and services. There will be particular focus on practitioner research and, during the study block, you will have the opportunity to participate in a small research project, working collaboratively with others. You will plan and undertake practitioner research and address the strengths, limitations and ethical issues in a practice based research project.
This module will give you the research tools and techniques to work through your own lines of enquiry. It will also give you experience of planning, collaborating on and implementing a small practitioner research project which could form the basis of a longer piece of work for your dissertation. Students will be offered tutorial support while they work on the assignment.
This module is assessed through Coursework.
The expectation is that students attend all scheduled learning and teaching sessions.
If there are exceptional circumstances which result in a student being unable to fulfil this, the student should discuss these with the Course Lead.
Programme/module requirements, including those attendance, must be met and students are responsible for making good work missed through absence.