ED3FDD: Dissertation in Children's Development and Learning

Module code: ED3FDD

Module provider: Institute of Education

Credits: 40

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Professor Carol Fuller, email: C.L.Fuller@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 17 June 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to engage students in educational research, through professional enquiry in a systematic, rigorous, critical and self-analytical manner and to provide a vehicle for development in the context of institutional and professional improvement.

This module will support students to:

• Develop in depth knowledge of a particular aspect of development or learning.
• Critically evaluate aspects of practice and current research from a variety of sources.
• Identify and develop appropriate skills of analytical enquiry.
• Carry out an appropriate research project.
• Examine and reflect on the impact of research on practice.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate literature in terms of the quality of argument and evidence versus opinion
2. Design, manage and conduct research to acquire current, coherent data/information
3. Apply the conventions of academic writing to devise and sustain a relevant, systematic
4. argument
5. Critically analyse and evaluate the results of the research
6. Reflect and discuss the research processes and the results of the study

Module content

Students will be introduced to the module in semester one with the module being taught over semester one and two. There will be initial inputs in semester one to the module expectations and the required tasks relating to the assessments e.g. submission of project proposal, gaining ethical approval.

Learning opportunities will focus on research methods and will include:

• Research-proposal workshops
• Reviewing literature
• Ethical approval workshop
• Methodology: interviews, focus groups and questionnaires
• Making sense of qualitative data
• Making sense of qualitative data
• Method of the analysis of data
• Practical session with quantitative data
• Structuring and polishing your dissertation

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Online materials will support a combination of lectures, seminars, group discussions, case studies and independent research. Complementary work-based tasks, independent activities and directed tasks will contribute to the achievement of the intended learning outcomes.

Study hours

At least 45 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

• A research proposal
• Completed ethics forms
• Literature review

Reassessment

Additional costs