StudyQA — Master: Education and Society

Description Contents Requirements

This course is run by the University's Education and Social Research Institute which was rated in the top ten research departments in the UK for educational research in the last Research Assessment Exercise, with the majority of our research being acclaimed as 'internationally excellent' or 'world leading'.

Features & benefits of the course
* This course is run by the Universitys Education and Social Research Institute which has been ranked 7th in the country for its world-leading research by the recent UKwide assessment of university research quality.
* A research training programme.

This course is aimed at students who wish to progress to study at PhD level and for research workers in education and the social sciences.

It can be taken as a free-standing qualification and as a research training programme with full-time (face to face) or part-time (online) pathways available. All key areas of research methods preparation are covered, including: qualitative and quantitative research mothodologies, data collection techniques, mothods of analysis, developing theoretical, methodological and 'real world' skills for researchers.

The course structure is designed to provide a collaborative, student-centred approach that makes the best use of digital technologies to increase flexibility, collaboration and insight into the latest research and practice. Postgraduate Certificate in Social and Educational Research and Postgraduate Diploma in Social and Education Research exit awards will also be available.

Module Information
The MRes consists of three core units (worth 30 credits each), an elective unit of choice (30 credits) with a dissertation (60 credits) in a chosen subject specialism at the end of the course.

Units include:

* Advanced Qualitative Methods and Data Analysis
* Advanced Quantitative Analysis
* Analysis and Representation in Qualitative Research
* Dissertation
* Introduction to Qualitative Inquiry
* Introduction to Quantitative Data Collection and Analysis
* Introduction to Quantitative Methodological Frameworks
* Language and Representation in Qualitative Research
* Mixed Methods Research
* Negotiated Unit

* Core Units Advanced Qualitative Methods and Data Analysis This unit presents a continuing engagement with the epistemological and ontological assumptions undergirding various research paradigms as introduced in the Introductory Unit. You will begin to enact research design and fieldwork as constrained or unbounded given a particular philosophical orientation.

Advanced Quantitative AnalysisIn concert with MF5, you will engage methods of statistical analysis as applied in mixed qualitative and quantitative research.

Analysis and Representation in Qualitative ResearchIn this unit you will engage postmodern and poststructuralist philosophical ontologies and epistemologies as
they shape research design, method, analysis and representation.

DissertationThe Dissertation will provide evidence of a substantial piece of research carried out under the supervision of the Director of Studies, in preparation for PhD study.

Introduction to Qualitative InquiryThis unit is intended to provide you with an introduction to ontological, epistemological, and ethical considerations that both constrain and present possibilities for research in the social sciences. It will help you to develop critical understanding of the issues involved in generating educational knowledge. You will be given a brief introduction to IT and library resources essential to conducting research. The unit will equip you with the skills and knowledge required to collect, analyse and report interview data. On completion of the Introduction, you will be familiar with the values, purposes and ethical practices that underpin quality in educational research.

Introduction to Quantitative Data Collection and AnalysisThis will give you the opportunity to engage the theoretical learnings from MF3 toward the development of specific research skills for the design and implementation of experimental research. Specifically, you will design a research sample, produce a questionnaire, and engage in appropriate statistical analysis of the data generated.

Introduction to Quantitative Methodological FrameworksThrough the lectures, readings, and assignment, you will gain an understanding of the foundations of experimental research, research design considerations, and the importance of sponsored research as it informs policy and practice.

Language and Representation in Qualitative ResearchYou will engage the epistemological and ontological assumptions of socio-cultural learning theory, activity theory, and communities of practice theory and develop and defend arguments within each of the frameworks as related to research design and methodology. In addition, the unit aims to introduce you to ways of collecting and analysing data, taking account of their socio-cultural environment, and relating the collection and analysis of data to underpinning theoretical frameworks. Semiotic theories, including social semiotics, will be introduced, and associated with multimodal approaches to the viewing and analysis of data. This will include a critical review of the concepts of discourse, and of text. Practical, socially-situated opportunities will be provided during this unit to generate and analyse discursive and multimodal textual data.

Mixed Methods ResearchOn this unit you will discern the appropriateness and utility of mixed qualitative and quantitative research. You will engage theoretically, methodologically, and analytically with issues of ontology and epistemology that warrant a different understanding in the context of such mixed methods research.

Negotiated UnitThe Negotiated Unit will provide evidence of a small scale piece of research carried out under the supervision of the Director of Studies, in preparation for MPhil study.

Assessment details
Written assignments, oral, web-based and group presentations, peer assessment and dissertation.

You will normally have a good undergraduate honours degree.English language requirementsInternational students will be required to demonstrate a sufficiently high standard of English language ability. In order to enter most postgraduate courses the English requirements are: IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 575, TOEFL computer-based 230. Please note some programmes may have higher English language requirements. Applicants who don't meet the English language entry requirements may be able to join an English language course at MMU before starting their postgraduate programme. Our Centre for Academic English offers a range of courses in General and Academic English and it also offers pre-sessional English courses. Courses vary in length from eight to 30 weeks, depending on students' current level of English. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 575 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.