Becoming a Researcher - Theories and Methods (X6606)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

Study how research with children can be conducted, and the key theoretical and methodological debates about research with children.

The module will:

• provide insights in to different methodologies, methods and applications of research
• give the opportunity to explore a specific research paper in detail
• prepare you for your dissertation in Year 3.

Content includes:

• theories of knowledge and dominant approaches to research
• an introduction to qualitative and quantitative methodologies and how they are used
• literature reviews, including how to search electronically, summarise key debates and draw conclusions
• ethical concerns relating to research with children and young people, and the implications for research design
• practitioner and insider research, including action research, case study and evidence-based practice
• exploration of how policy makers and practitioners use published research to develop practice
• an introduction to the academic skills needed to identify an article for review and to critique it from both a methodological and a substantive perspective.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 33 hours of contact time and about 117 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2022/23. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.