Applied Research in Education, Special Education

In this module students will have the opportunity to initiate a small-scale applied research study that addresses an issue, topic or challenge within the broad field of education, special education or early childhood. The applied research will support professional formation and contribute to knowledge within the wider community. The module is designed to guide students towards design, implementation and completion of an applied research project, either in the format of a Literature Inquiry or of an Online Empirical Inquiry. Through the Wednesday 1hr skills sessions students will continue to develop a range of academic and practical skills. In the lectures students will gain further understanding of theoretical knowledge and of key research literature. The seminars will consist of a mixture of Peer Supported Learning sessions and of 1:1 supervision meetings. The Peer Support Learning sessions are conceptualised as a space to apply skills and knowledge to the individual research projects; students will be working individually with the support of set peer groups and with the guidance of the lecturer. The 1:1 supervision meetings are crucial moments of discussion of individual projects with the allocated supervisor. Students will apply skills and knowledge to address a real-world problem of their choice through ethical research practice, professional engagement and problem solving leading to research dissemination. Students will be supported through the identification and the design of a project in an area of applied research linked to their personal interests and professional aspirations within the broad field of early childhood.

MODULE AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The overarching aim of the module is to enable students to develop as critical, reflective, and independent researchers grounded in research theory and knowledgeable in research methods. Our aim is for students to develop competence and confidence in the application of research skills through the design, implementation and reporting of an independent research project.

Demonstrate understanding of key concepts and strategies in research relevant to the discipline. (IC, CC, SID, COI, CID)

Frame a set of research aims and questions that are relevant to the topic and the practice context for the applied research. (IC, SID, CID, CC COI)

Justify positionality within research project (paradigm, theory, literature, knowledge) (CID, COI, SID)

Subject-based practical skills

Implement a research design that upholds ethical principles and standards for professional practice within the field. (IC, CID, COI)

Translate findings into practical recommendations for professional practice and/or policy change (COI, SID, CID, IC, CC)

Skills for life and work (general skills)

Improve project management and problem-solving skills through undertaking applied research through professional and community-based learning (SID, COI) ED6088 is a CORE 40 credit module for students on the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, BA (Hons) Education Studies and the BA (Hons) Special Education. This module is underpinned by an HE pedagogy that aims to enable students to become independent researchers. The pedagogy is informed by the principles of respecting student agency, student knowledge, student competence and social participation. In this Module lecturers and students co-construct knowledge of research theory and practice relevant to the disciplines of Early Childhood Studies, Education Studies and Special Education. Teaching and Learning opportunities are set out in the weekly workbook and in students’ calendars and include

Students must check the Moodle site for the Weekly activities across the 24 weeks of the Module and read the Weekly Post/Announce on Teams or Moodle.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT:

In the first 7 weeks of the module students will be invited to explore and finalise the topic, title and research questions for their Independent Research project. You must submit your research proposal by Friday 12th November 14.59 GMT. Students will be invited to choose between two research pathways: a small scale qualitative inquiry (with human participants and on line data collection) or a literature inquiry (desk top study). In line with the UEL Research Ethics Policy framework all students conducting research involving human participants must complete an application for ethical approval to conduct research. Students need ethical approval from the Module Leader prior to recruiting participants and collecting any data. If students conduct empirical research without ethical approval, then this will mean that the dissertation will be awarded a mark of 0 (zero). Students who opt for the literature inquiry pathway will also be expected to submit an ethical research practice plan outlining the ethical principles that will inform their desktop study.

UMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS:

Summative 1: ethics application for research (no grade – written feedback- non submission leading to 5% penalty) Monday 17th January 2022 14:59 GMT submission. Summative 2: submission of the whole dissertation project (100% grade) Date TBC

Take a deeper dive into Application for MSc Construction Project Management Program with our additional resources.

RESEARCH SUPERVISION

All students on the module will have access to a research supervisor. Six supervision meetings will be timetabled by the Module Leader during the 10:30-12 Friday sessions.

Timetabled supervision cannot be re-scheduled.

Supervision is a collaborative process between the supervisor and the supervisee; it is an opportunity for the student to reflect on their project with their supervisor as well as seek advice and guidance on all aspects of the research project. Students must complete the Dissertation Supervision Log on Moodle.

In order to make the most of supervision please consider the following guidance: Own your research project – it is your degree!​ Come prepared for supervision by completing the independent study tasks. Adopt a solution orientated approach relating to challenges and barriers at each stage of the research project. Identify your learning needs in relation to research skills and the key elements of the research project. ​ Undertake regular self review of progress your progress in the research project.​ Keep to timescales to maintain the momentum of the project.​ Maintain a high level of professionalism in all conduct and communications with your supervisor and in supervision.​ Keep an individual record of learning and actions arising from supervision.

Please note that research supervisors do not read draft work; there will be detailed frameworks and guidance to students on the structure, content and writing of each section of the dissertation in order to support the process of drafting and reviewing.

Summative 1: ethics application for students completing small scale qualitative inquiry Monday 17th January 2022 14:59 GMT – submit to Turnitin. Summative 1: ethical research practice plan for students completing a literature inquiry, Monday 17th January 2022 GMT – submit to Turnitin.

Failure to submit will result in a 5% reduction in the available marks for the module. Learning outcome to be assessed. LO4.Implement a research design that upholds ethical principles and standards for professional practice within the field. (IC, CID, COI)

Assessment:

Independent Research Project Report (dissertation) (8,000 words)

Weighting:

100%

Due date / time:

Final summative submission of the dissertation: week commencing 9th May 2022 (date and time to be confirmed).

Knowledge

Demonstrate understanding of key concepts and strategies in research relevant to the discipline. (IC, CC, SID, COI, CID)

2.Frame a set of research aims and questions that are relevant to the topic and the practice context for the applied research. (IC, SID, CID, CC COI) 3.Justify positionality within research project (paradigm, theory, literature, knowledge) (CID, COI, SID) Subject-based practical skills 4.Implement a research design that upholds ethical principles and standards for professional practice within the field. (IC, CID, COI) 5.Translate findings into practical recommendations for professional practice and/or policy change (COI, SID, CID, IC, CC) Skills for life and work (general skills) Improve project management and problem-solving skills through undertaking applied research through professional and community-based learning (SID, COI)

Assessment criteria:

The independent research project report (dissertation) is assessed against the learning outcomes and the grade rubric for ED6088. The Grade Rubric can be found in the ‘Assessment Tasks and Guidance’ workbook on Moodle. How to submit your work: All submissions of the Independent Research Project Report (dissertation) for ED6088 must be submitted according to these instructions. If you fail to submit as directed, a mark of 0 will be awarded for the Independent Research Project Report. You will find the Turnitin Link in the ‘Assessment and Feedback’ section on Moodle. Return of your work: Work submitted will be returned to you online through Turnitin.

REASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS

In the event that your first submission does not meet the threshold for a pass (ie your mark is below 40%) you will move to the second submission opportunity. Students will be given formative feedback on how to revise the dissertation in order to meet the threshold for a pass. Students should revise their independent research project report and submit. You will be advised of the resubmission date via Moodle. LATE SUBMISSIONS You should aim to submit all coursework by the deadline set. Meeting deadlines is an essential employability skill, and an expectation for your course. UEL does permit students to submit coursework up to 24 hours after the deadline. Work submitted within 24 hours of the deadline will be subject to a fixed penalty of 5% of the total marks available (as opposed to marks obtained). Please note that if you submit both before the deadline and during the 24 hour late period, then the second submission will be marked and 5% deducted. This rule only applies to coursework. It does not apply to examinations, presentations, performances, practical assessments or viva voce examinations. If you miss these for a genuine reason, then you will need to apply for extenuating circumstances, or accept that you will receive a zero mark.

Extenuating Circumstances are circumstances which:

impair your examination performance prevent you from attending examinations or other types of assessment, or prevent you from submitting coursework or other assessed work by the scheduled deadline date, or within 24 hours of the deadline date Such circumstances rarely occur and would normally be: unforeseeable - in that you could have no prior knowledge of the event concerned, and unpreventable - in that you could do nothing reasonably in your power to prevent such an event, and expected to have a serious impact on performance You can make an application for extenuating circumstances by following this link.

RETURN OF WORK AND FEEDBACK

Formal results are ONLY available in UEL Direct, and will be published within 8 working days of the Board, where results are formally confirmed. Any other results are provisional / indicative but not approved.

You will receive feedback throughout your course through the following:

☒ one-to-one or individualised (i.e. tutorials, conversations with supervisors, or individualised comments on assignments) ☒ generic feedback (i.e. use of rubrics, ‘Quickmarks’ in Turnitin or standardised forms) ☒ peer feedback (i.e. feedback from other students) ☒ informal feedback (i.e. through in-class discussions or online forums) ☒ self-evaluation (i.e. online checklists or reflective submissions) ☐ other (see below) If you selected ‘other’, please provide details here Feedback and students’ marks should be provided within 15 working days of the due date for summative work (i.e. work that counts towards the final course grade) and formative work (i.e. work that is developmental and designed to help you improve). Whilst feedback will be given on draft/formative work, it shouldn’t be assumed that every aspect will be identified

ONLINE SYSTEM FAILURES

If you experience a problem submitting your work online, you should notify your lecturer/tutor by email immediately and report the issues you are experiencing to the HUB / IT service helpdesk. Please ensure to retain ticket number provided by the HUB / IT service helpdesk as evidence of the issues experienced. Deadlines are not extended unless there are significant systems problems. If UEL finds that the issue with the system was significant, you will receive an email notifying you of the issue and that you have been given a 24 hour extension. If you don’t receive any email that specifically states you have been given an extension, then the original deadline has not been changed. Best advice: Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your assessments electronically.

If the course is using a referencing system other than Cite Them Right, please include information here. Otherwise, leave this section blank by deleting this text.

Feedback is crucial for your learning and it is an important part of the academic cycle. It tells you what the strengths are of your work, what its weaknesses are and how it can be improved.

WHY IS FEEDBACK IMPORTANT?

Feedback is the most effective way to: Help you understand how to succeed in your assessments; Help you produce better work for the future; Signpost you to other resources for assistance. If you pay attention to feedback, particularly where the same comment is made in several modules, you can use the information to improve.

WHERE DO I GET FEEDBACK?

• When a tutor comments on your answers in seminars/lectures/workshops
• General comment on assessment performance in lectures and seminars
• General comment on questions prepared for seminars
• When another student makes comments on your presentation
• When you produce practice questions for a tutor who gives comments
• When you receive written comments on your work submitted either as coursework or exam
• When you look at general feedback on module performance on UEL Direct.
• When you see your Academic Adviser with all your assessment feedback for general advice. You should always do this after each assessment period.

CORE:

Key text: Clark, T., Foster, L. and Bryman, A. (2019) How to do your social research project or dissertation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. This will be available as your Kortext.

All of the following texts can be accessed via the UEL library – please note – this list does not follow the Harvard referencing style to ensure accessible reading for all students

Research methods

Bassot, B (2015) The Reflective Practice Guide : An Interdisciplinary Approach to Critical Reflection, London: Taylor and Francis Group. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=4045409

Bassot, B. (2020) The Research Journal. Bristol: Policy Press. Not available as an e-book.

Bell, J, & Waters, S (2014) Doing Your Research Project : A Guide For First-Time Researchers, 6th edn. Milton Keynes: McGraw-Hill Education . Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=1910218

Bloor, M, & Wood, F 2006, Keywords in Qualitative Methods : A Vocabulary of Research Concepts, London: Sage Publications. Available from: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=334442

Bolshaw, P, & Josephidou, J (2018), Introducing Research in Early Childhood, London: Sage Publications.. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=6408528

Brooks, R, te, RK, & Maguire, M (2014) Ethics and Education Research, London: SAGE Publications, London. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=5164467

Carter, C. (ed.) (2018)Successful Dissertations : The Complete Guide for Education, Childhood and Early Childhood Studies Students. 2nd edn. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=5389336

Cohen, L., Manion, L., and Morrison, K. (2017) Research Methods in Education. 8th edn. London: Taylor & Francis. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=5103697

Denscombe, M (2010) Good Research Guide : For small-scale social research projects, McGraw-Hill Education, Berkshire. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=650320

Greetham, B (2014) How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan,. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=4762988

Grant, A. (2019) Doing Excellent Social Research with Documents. Practical Examples and Guidance for Qualitative Researchers. London: Routledge http://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/29440

Holley, K. A. and Harris, M. S. (2019). The Qualitative Dissertation in Education. A Guide for Integrating Research and Practice. Routledge. Requested as an e-book.

Jarvis, P, George, J, Holland, W, & Newman, S. (2012) Research in the Early Years : A Step-By-step Guide, London: Taylor & Francis Group. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=1596501

Mcgrath, J, & Coles, A (2013) Your Education Research Project Companion, London: Taylor & Francis Group, Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=1569791

McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013). How to Write Dissertations & Project Reports, 2nd edition. Harlow: Pearson Available at: Full details and actions for How to write dissertations & project reports (vlebooks.com)

Mertens, D. and McLaughlin, J. (2004). Research and Evaluation Methods in Special Education. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. Available at: http://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781412985666

Mukherji, P. and Albon, D. (2018) Research methods in early childhood: an introductory guide. 3rd edn. London: Sage (Available as a hard copy in the UEL library – might also still be available as a Kortext)

Newby, P (2014) Research Methods for Education, Second Edition, London: Taylor & Francis Group, Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=1734204

Nolan, A. Cartmel, J., MacFarlane, K. (2013) Research in Early Childhood, London: SAGE. Available at: Research in Early Childhood - SAGE Research Methods (sagepub.com)

O’Hara, M., Carter, C., Dewis, P., Kay, J. and Wainwright, J. (2011) Successful dissertations: the complete guide for education, childhood and early childhood studies students. London: Continuum. Available at: Full details and actions for Successful dissertations: the complete guide for education, childhood and early childhood studies students (vlebooks.com)

Oliver, P. (2012) Succeeding with your Literature Review: A Handbook for Students. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill, Open University Press Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=863799

Punch, K. and Oancea, A. (2014) Introduction to Research Methods in Education, London: Sage Publications. (Available as a hard copy in the UEL library – might also still be available as a Kortext)

Rumrill, P, Cook, BG, & Wiley, AL (2011), Research in Special Education : Designs, Methods, and Applications, Springfield: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Limited/Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=631182

Smith, E. (2008) Using Secondary Data in Educational and Social Research. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill, Open University Press Available at: Full details and actions for Using secondary data in educational and social research (vlebooks.com)

Thomas, G. (2017) How to do your research project: a guide for students in education and applied social science. 3rd edn. London: Sage. (Available as a hard copy in the UEL library – might also still be available as a Kortext) Note to students: Thomas (2017), O’Hara et al (2011) and Greetham (2014) are dissertation writing guides. Whilst the sources are a valuable guide you must engage with the research methods books .

Edited books reporting research studies

Day, T, Travers, J, Mendicino, K, & Wasihun, B (eds) 2012, Special and Inclusive Education : A Research Perspective, Bern: Peter Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=1056098

Farrell, A. Kagan, S. and Tisdall, E. K. (2016). The SAGE Handbook of Early Childhood Research. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Available at: The SAGE Handbook of Early Childhood Research - SAGE Research Methods (sagepub.com)

Yasar, M, Ozgun, O, & Galbraith, J (eds) (2014) Contemporary Perspectives and Research on Early Childhood Education, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publisher. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/reader.action?docID=1685900&ppg=8

Find a theory

David, T., Goouch, K., & Powell, S. (Eds.). (2015). The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care (1st ed.). Routledge. Available at: The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care | Taylor & Francis Group (taylorfrancis.com)

Apple, MW, Ball, SJ, & Gandin, LA (eds) (2010), The Routledge International Handbook of the Sociology of Education, Taylor & Francis Group, London. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [15 July 2021]. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=465314

Connor, DJ, Ferri, BA, & Annamma, SA (eds) 2007, DisCrit—Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education, Teachers College Press, New York. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [15 July 2021]. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uel/detail.action?docID=4513496

Pears, R. and Shield, G. J. (No date) Cite them Right. Available at: Cite them right online - Home

OTHER RESOURCES AND FORMS:

Students will find the following pro-formas on Moodle Research Project Proposal Form Research Supervision Dissertation Log (available also as note book on teams). Application for ethical approval for a small scale empirical study Template for the Ethical Practice Plan for the Literature inquiry