Run by School of Educational Sciences

30.000 Credits or 15.000 ECTS Credits

Organiser: Mr Graham French

The overall aim is to facilitate the satisfactory development of a workable proposal for a doctoral thesis. It provides a bridge between the taught elements in Part 1 of the EdD and the EdD thesis. It will help students to focus on areas that are both of interest to them and within the research strengths of the School of Education and to explore possibilities for a thesis. The identification of a suitable issue and the development of a practical research strategy are intended to lead to designing a detailed and viable research proposal.

Why do Educational Research? What is a thesis proposal? Areas of interest- getting a good question Where to start? Finding and Reviewing the Literature, Research Design and Methods Ethics and Practicalities

threshold

Relevant aspects of the subject have been considered critically, without significant omissions. The project is feasible and due account has been given to practical issues. There is evidence of wide and relevant reading, referenced appropriately. The work is coherent and well-presented.

good

Relevant aspects of the subject have been considered critically, without significant omissions. The work is well-organised, and focused, shows insight, sustained and relevant chains of argument. The project is feasible and due account has been given to practical and ethical issues. There is evidence of wide and relevant reading, referenced appropriately. The work is coherent and well-presented.

excellent

Relevant aspects of the subject have been considered critically, without significant omissions. The work is original ,well-organised, and focused, shows insight, and an aexceptinal level of analysis. The project is feasible andethical and practical issues have been considered in depth Relevant areas of literature and theory are discussed in depth and referenced appropriately. The work is fluent and well presented.

1. Successful students will 1. Have identified a research project which is feasible and has the potential to extend the boundaries of knowledge in the relevant area; 2. Have shown how their proposed project is linked to literature in their chhosen field, including theoretical perspectives 3. Have worked out a rigorous research design, including discussion of methods, possible data collection tools 4. have demonstrated a comprehensive awareness of the practical and ethical issues involved in the proposed project and how these may be tackled.

Type	Name	Description	Weight
	Thesis Proposal		100.00

		Hours
Private study	Individual Reading research and writing	274
Tutorial	Individual tutorials with module conveners. Regular meetings with proposal supervisor, including feedback on darfts of proposal sections.	20
Seminar	Four 1.5 hour group seminars.	6

• Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
• Numeracy - Proficiency in using numbers at appropriate levels of accuracy
• Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
• Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
• Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
• Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
• Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
• Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
• Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
• Caring - Showing concern for others; caring for children, people with disabilities and/or the elderly
• Management - Able to utilise, coordinate and control resources (human, physical and/or financial)
• Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
• Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

• the underlying values, theories and concepts relevant to education
• the diversity of learners and the complexities of the education process
• the complexity of the interaction between learning and local and global contexts, and the extent to which participants (including learners and teachers) can influence the learning process
• the societal and organisational structures and purposes of educational systems, and the possible implications for learners and the learning process.
• analyse educational concepts, theories and issues of policy in a systematic way
• identify and reflect on potential connections and discontinuities between each of the aspects of subject knowledge and their application in educational policies and contexts
• accommodate new principles and understandings
• select a range of relevant primary and secondary sources, including theoretical and research-based evidence, to extend their knowledge and understanding
• use a range of evidence to formulate appropriate and justified ways forward and potential changes in practice
• the ability to reflect on their own and others' value systems
• the ability to use their knowledge and understanding critically to locate and justify a personal position in relation to the subject
• an understanding of the significance and limitations of theory and research
• collect and apply numerical data, as appropriate
• present data in a variety of formats including graphical and tabular
• analyse and interpret both qualitative and quantitative data.

Optional in courses:

• X3AK: EdD Education Studies year 1 (EDD/EDS)