EDR8001 Effective and Ethical Educational Research

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Other requirements
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

It is vital that educational researchers understand and engage with the ethical and political dimensions and effects of the research paradigms, methods and techniques that they deploy to address their research hypotheses or questions. Researchers need also to comprehend and evaluate approaches to data management in educational research as a foundation for ensuring that their own data collection and analysis approaches are as effective, efficient and equitable as possible. This course provides students with the opportunity to apply critical understandings of principles and strategies gleaned from published research to provide a substantial foundation for their own effective and ethical practices as contemporary educational researchers.

SYNOPSIS

This course provides an overview of selected contemporary issues related to the ethics and politics of educational research, and to the appropriate management of data in educational research projects. Topics include: anonymity and confidentiality; informed consent; gatekeepers and stakeholders; overt and covert research; recording and representing participants' voices; situated ethics; research benefits and interests; ethical implications of and for research designs; primary and secondary data; data collection techniques; data analysis techniques; sampling and selecting participants; reliability, validity, credibility and trustworthiness; drawing inferences and reaching conclusions.

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.

identify the theoretically framed ethical and political dimensions and effects of educational research (Ethical Clearance Application and Commentary)

2.

engage with the approaches to educational research ethics and politics by researchers working with specific research paradigms, methods and techniques (Ethical Clearance Application and Commentary)

3.

demonstrate the skills required to prepare an appropriate and effective ethical clearance application (Ethical Clearance Application and Commentary)

4.

articulate the conceptually framed key components of the efficient collection and management of research data (Data Collection and Analysis Critical Commentary)

5.

communicate the principal elements of the effective analysis and reporting of research data (Data Collection and Analysis Critical Commentary)

6.

demonstrate the skills required to interrogate a published educational researcher's approach to data collection and analysis (Data Collection and Analysis Critical Commentary)

7.

demonstrate competence in the use of scholarly language and literacy appropriate to the doctoral level (Ethical Clearance Application and Commentary/Data Collection and Analysis Critical Commentary).

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).

Coombes, PN, Danaher, MJM & Danaher, PA (Eds) 2004, Strategic uncertainties: ethics, politics and risk in contemporary educational research, Post Pressed, Flaxton, Qld.

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.

Whether you are on, or off campus, the USQ Library is an excellent source of information http://www.usq.edu.au/library/. The gateway to education resources is here http://www.usq.edu.au/library/faculties/education/default.htm

Brown, R, Finger, G & Rushton, C (Eds) 2007, Educational research: who needs it?, Post Pressed, Teneriffe, Qld.

Knight, BA, Walker-Gibbs, B & Delamoir, J (Eds) 2008, Research into 21st century communities, Post Pressed, Teneriffe, Qld.

Martin, KL 2008, Please knock before you enter: aboriginal regulation of outsiders and the implications for researchers, Post Pressed, Teneriffe, Qld.

Preston, N 2007, Understanding ethics, 3rd edn, Federation Press, Annandale, NSW.

Smith Iltis, A (ed) 2008, Research ethics, Routledge, New York.

Somerville, MA 2007, The ethical imagination: journeys of the human spirit, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

Assessment due dates will be negotiated individually between the student and her/his supervisor.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to participate appropriately in all activities including discussion fora scheduled for them, and to study all materials provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To complete an individual assessment item satisfactorily, a student must achieve a grade of at least C-.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval then a penalty of 2 Equivalence Points gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grade for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted grades obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   As there are no examinations in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. Students will require access to e-mail and have Internet access to UConnect for this course.
2. In additional to reading the course materials and the recommended textbooks, students are strongly encouraged to access libraries and/or online articles and books in order to do the background reading necessary to complete both the summative assessment items for the course.
3. IMPORTANT NOTE: You are not required to collect data for the assessment requirements for this course. Moreover, you may NOT collect data for your project or dissertation unless you are doing so under the supervision of your supervisor and, if such data gathering involves human participants, unless you have the prior written approval to do so from the Faculty of Education Ethics Reference Group and/or the USQ Human Research Ethics Committee as appropriate.
4. Students are required to use a recognised referencing system, preferably the American Psychological Association (5th edition) referencing system.

This version produced 19 Nov 2009.