Educational Research (KPD/E-RES)

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6 credits
Lecturers: doc. PhDr. Zuzana Sikorová, Ph.D.
Lessons (Lectures + Exercises + Seminars): 0 + 0 + 2 [hours/week]
Semester: winter/summer
Credit test preceding examination: None
Examination method: research project
Status of the course in the degree programme: The course is provided by the Department of Education and Adult Education for Erasmus students, especially for those studying teacher education programmes.

Annotation:

Educational reality, if we are to change it, must first be discovered - that is the role of research in and of education. The course introduces students to the basics of educational research. It defines key categories, terms, systems and approaches. After completing the course, students should be able to actively organize their research - to plan methodologically correct measurements and assessments of educational phenomena, to carry out the research itself and to interpret the results - including a discussion of the final results.

Requirements:

80% participation in seminars is required from the students.

Using the knowledge gained, the students create their own research projects, where the emphasis is placed on the correct use of methods and the correct formulation of hypotheses. Then they simulate the results and try to interpret this ‘fictitious’ data mainly via discussions with their colleagues.

The research project is in written form (7 pages).

Aims and objectives:

Students gain:

Knowledge of approaches to the educational research.
Knowledge of methods of educational research.
The ability to judge the advantages and disadvantages of use of particular methods.
The ability to create a research project.
The ability to interpret and discuss the results of the research project.
The competency to carry out a successful research project.

Topics of workshops:

Educational research - quantity vs. quality.
Methods of educational research - convenience, advantages and disadvantages of their use.
Hypothesis - formulation and statistical testing.
Action research in the work of teachers.
Experiment as a method in educational research.
Terms of quality, quality in education TQM/EFQM/ISO norms.
Evaluation in education - internal and external evaluation, areas, standards, indicators.
Assessment/evaluation of school management - director, deputy, ad-hoc teams, delegation of authority. Assessment/evaluation of the educational process - conditions, process, educational results. Measurement and assessment of the climate of a school/class/group - ethos of the school.
Measurement of knowledge and skills acquisition - added value in education.
Presentations of students' projects.
Discussion on the research results.

Literature:

LANKSHEAR, C.; KNOBEL, M. A Handbook for Teacher´s Research: from Design to Implementation. Maidenhead : Open University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-335-21064-3.
GORARD, S. Quantitative Methods in Educational Research: The Role of Numbers Made Easy. London : Continuum, 2001. ISBN 0826453074.
McMILLAN, J. H.; SCHUMACHER, S. Research in Education. Glenview : Scott, Foresman and Co., 1989. ISBN 0-673-39792-0.
BRIGHTHOUSE, T.; WOODS, D. How to Improve Your School. London and New York : Routledge, 2005.
GORARD, S.; TAYLOR, C. Combining Methods in Educational and Social Research. London : Open University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-335-21307-3.
KINCHELOE, J. L.; BERRY, K. S. Rigour and Complexity in Educational Research: Conceptualizing the Bricolage. Maidenhead : Open University Press, 2004.
WALBERG, H. J.; HAERTEL, G. D. (eds.) The International Encyclopedia of Educational Evaluation. Oxford : Pergamon Press, 1990.
WALLEN, N. E.; FRAENKEL, J. R. Educational Research : A Guide to the Progress. New York : McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991. ISBN 0-07-067945-2.
BUCKINGHAM, A.; SAUNDERS, P. The Survey Methods Workbook. Cambridge : Polity, 2004.
SALDANA, J. Longitudinal Qualitative Research: Analysing Change through Time. Oxford : AltaMira Press, 2003.