CODE | ACA5056 | ||||||||||||||||
TITLE | Research Methods I for Open and Networked Higher Education | ||||||||||||||||
UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||||||
MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
DEPARTMENT | Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education | ||||||||||||||||
DESCRIPTION | This study-unit is designed to give a comprehensive overview to research processes and strategies and to equip students with the knowledge and tools to formulate and evaluate various types of educational research. It will provide students with knowledge of core methods of research design, data collection and analysis. By exposing students to a wide range of research tools, it highlights the strengths and limitations of different methods of data collection and analysis. The study-unit is organized as follows: - Philosophical underpinnings. - Qualitative Research. - Quantitative research. - Mixed methods research. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to introduce participants to philosophical assumptions or positions which are a basic component of any postgraduate research. It aims to ensure students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to design sound educational research, whilst also encouraging students to think systematically, sceptically, and ethically about the research process. This study-unit also offers an overview of the three philosophical domains which inform Education Research methodologies, namely, positivist, interpretivism, and critical realist ontologies and epistemologies. It also presents the traditions of each of the three core methodologies; qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. Specifically, for qualitative research, this study-unit aims to familiarise with: - The principles and methods and the skills to formulate quantitative research designs. - The principal quantitative methods used in conducting primary research and the skills to apply those methods to real data. - The role of research questions and hypotheses and the ability to test them by applying statistical techniques to data. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Deepen and strengthen understanding of the nature of research processes, and the different purposes of research including alternative epistemological positions to provide a context for theory construction. - Critically consider and discuss theoretical bases and research methods used to create knowledge. - Deepen and strengthen understanding of the principles related to the formulation of adequate research questions and of research design. - Discuss founding principles of the three core methodologies; qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. - Identify the components and processes involved in drafting a sound research proposal. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically synthesise the existing literature in a specific area of knowledge. - Discuss a range of research strategies (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research designs) used in educational research. - Identify the advantages and disadvantages associated with different research strategies. - Identify and apply methodologies of investigation appropriate for particular research questions, the nature of the topic and the resources available. - Design an appropriate research study to answer an education-related research question. - Identify and apply appropriate methods to collect and analyse data. - Identify the basic elements required to put together a research proposal. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Creswell, J. W., and Creswell, D. J. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th ed.) SAGE Publications. [various editions available at UM library] - Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th ed). . SAGE Publications. [Available at UM library] - Kaplan, D. W. (2004). The SAGE Handbook of Quantitative Methodology for the Social Sciences. SAGE Publications. [Available at UM library] - Miles, M. B., Huberman, M. A., & Saldana, J. (2013). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook (3rd ed.) SAGE Publications. [Available at UM library] - Tashakkori, A., Johnson, R. B., and Teddlie, C. B. (2020). Foundations Of Mixed Methods Research (2nd ed.) SAGE Publications. Supplementary Readings: - Agresti, A. & Finlay, B. (2013). Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences (4th ed). New Jersey: Pearson Education International. - Bazeley, P., & Jackson, K., (2013). Qualitative Analysis with NVIVO. Sage Publications. - Kuckartz, U. (2014). Qualitative text analysis: A guide to methods, practice & using software. London, SAGE Publications. - Tuckman, B. W. & Harper, B. E. (2012). Conducting educational research (6th ed.). Rowan & Littlefield Publishers. - Wellington, J. (2015) Educational Research: Contemporary Issues and Practical Approaches (2nd ed.). London: Continuum. |
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ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualifications: First Degree (MQF 6) at Second Upper Level or better (as per requirements of the postgraduate study programmes it relates to). | ||||||||||||||||
STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study & Practicum | ||||||||||||||||
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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LECTURER/S | Maria M. Brown Louis John Camilleri Maria Cutajar (Co-ord.) |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |