Module Information

Module Identifier
EDM3300
Module Title
Advanced Research and Enquiry Skills
Academic Year
2025/2026
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Other Staff

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Research Enquiry Proposal  Research Enquiry Proposal 4000 Words  100%
Supplementary Assessment Research Enquiry Proposal  Research Enquiry Proposal 4000 Words  100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Plan their own independent research/enquiry studies within their own school/education context or setting.

Critically engage with the international research literature in ways that inform their independent research and ongoing professional practice.

Reflect upon the current theoretical debates within the social sciences and within educational research in order to inform their decisions around research design and enquiry.

Critically evaluate advanced research/enquiry processes including research design, data analyses and data representation.

Critically evaluate different research paradigms, methodologies and perspectives and apply these within their own professional context.

Brief description

This module equips students with the advanced research knowledge and enquiry skills required to complete a Master’s degree by providing them with the research, enquiry and analytical skills that are necessary to undertake a piece of independent research within their own context. The module will ensure that students develop the skills of literature survey, research design, data analyses and data representation that will support their personal research and enquiry work. The module will also provide students with an extensive understanding of international research on various topics as well as research philosophies, methods, forms of analyses and presentation styles.

Aims

1. Enable students to plan and undertake a research/enquiry study within a school/education setting
2. Engage students in an international research literature in ways that inform their independent research and ongoing professional practice
3. Critically examine the theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches which underpin research design and the processes of qualitative, quantitative and enquiry-based research.
4. Engage students in a critical evaluation of advanced research/enquiry processes including developing the skills of research design, data analyses and data representation.
5. Provide students with the skills to critically evaluate different research paradigms, methodologies and perspectives so these can be applied within their own professional context.

Content

  • Planning and undertaking an independent research/enquiry study within a school/education setting.
  • Undertaking a literature review, drawing on international evidence, to inform and shape research design
  • Examining the theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches which underpin research design in education settings.
  • Qualitative, quantitative and enquiry-based research methods in education settings.
  • Data analyses (both primary and secondary data) and data representation. .
  • Evaluating different research paradigms, methodologies and perspectives within education research.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Adaptability and resilience Continue to advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level. All module content is intended to challenge students to reconsider what they think they know, to adopt critical mindsets and to be ready to adapt what they do, in light of the new knowledge and understanding they encounter during the module.
Creative Problem Solving Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.
Critical and analytical thinking Conceptual understanding that enables the student: - to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline - to evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new. Hypotheses.
Professional communication Typically, holders of the qualification will be able to: Deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Real world sense And holders will have the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring: - the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility - decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations - the independent learning ability required
Subject Specific Skills A systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study or area of professional practice.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7