EDO4675 Research Approaches for Contemporary Educators

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Assessment details
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

It is crucial that contemporary educators are also researchers. Educators' research activities can vary from action research projects designed to maximise their students' learning to community projects intended to enhance links between educational institutions and their constituencies to academic and professional projects calculated to contribute to educational research knowledge and scholarship. Given this crucial role, it is vital that prospective educators understand and engage with a range of effective, efficient and ethical contemporary approaches to educational research, so that they can knowledgeably evaluate the findings and implications of current research as well as contributing to that research in various fora and ways. This course is relevant to all specialisations within the Bachelor of Education program; it is a required course for students undertaking the Honours pathway within that program.

SYNOPSIS

The course is divided into five sections. The first section considers the purposes, types and effects of contemporary educational research. The second section examines selected issues, problems and questions in contemporary educational research. The third section overviews paradigms, orientations, methods and techniques in contemporary educational research. The fourth section focuses on collecting, managing and analysing data in contemporary educational research. The fifth section engages with ethics and politics in contemporary educational research. Each section is underpinned by a range of resources gleaned from contemporary educational research. These resources are designed to highlight key debates and divergences as well as to suggest possible strategies for planning, conducting, reporting, publishing and evaluating educational research.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

demonstrate understanding of selected approaches to and strategies in contemporary educational research (Critical Commentary)

2.

evaluate the character and effectiveness of selected accounts of contemporary educational research (Critical Commentary)

3.

design an effective, efficient and ethical proposal for an educational research project (Research Proposal)

4.

establish meaningful links between the proposed research project and selected elements of the course content (Research Proposal)

5.

demonstrate an appropriate standard of academic literacy (Critical Commentary and Research Proposal)

6.

demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of language and literacy, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing. (All assessments)

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The USQ library provides advice on how to format information sources using this system. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/ehelp/ref_guides/apastyle/default.htm

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.