Rationale
Evidence about 'what works' in both educational research and other social sciences is a contested issue, however there has been an increasing focus on the challenges of developing both evidence-based (or evidence-informed) practice and policy across disciplines internationally.
This module will involve the critical evaluation of educational research utilising and developing the skills acquired in the mandatory Research Methods module. Students will advance their analytical and interpretative competencies necessary for evaluating research based evidence for use within their practice including advanced scholarship of the mixed methods approach which is becoming an increasingly important methodology within educational research. To enable more informed critique students will develop their understanding of the methodology of meta-analysis which is an important tool for systematic interrogation of evidence which requires understanding of quantitative techniques and their limitations.
The module will focus on the analysis and critique of a number of research papers on a broad range of contemporary topics and within a range of paradigms. The aim is that students are able to read, interpret, critique and understand the implications of the research for evidence based practice. In addition students will have the opportunity of exploring research within their own specialist study area thereby giving them the opportunity of advancing their analytical and interpretative skills in relation to their chosen field.