Master of Education
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About this unit

This unit provides an introduction to the foundations of research in education including qualitative, quantitative and mixed research approaches. The unit covers foundational knowledge such as what is empirical research, the concepts of research design, common methods, trustworthiness and validity and ethical considerations in education research.

This unit will strengthen your understanding of research in education and your ability to assess the quality and trustworthiness of research in terms of design, methodology, rigour and ethical approach. This unit is designed to support you to be a critical consumer of research, enabling you to determine the value, relevance and implications of research for your professional practice.

About this unit

This unit develops an understanding of the ethical considerations that underpin the design, development, review, and conduct of contemporary educational research. It introduces you to the core principles and behaviours that characterise the responsible conduct of research. You will learn why research ethics and integrity are so important, and how these issues relate to different research methodologies and special populations.

About this unit

Program logic models depict the activities or actions taken in a program, and the expected short, medium, and long-term outcomes expected to be achieved. For example, if a school introduces a new transition-to-school program; what activities does it involve (classroom visits, parent information sessions); and what outcomes are they hoping to achieve in the short-term (child comfort in the setting) and in the longer-term (parent engagement with school)?

The process of developing program logic models helps individuals and teams in many fields better articulate exactly what it is they are trying to achieve in their work, and acts to get everyone on “the same page”.  Logic models are also a necessary first step in designing an evaluation that seeks to understand what works and for whom. In this unit, you will learn about the theory and practice of program logic modelling, and its uses for program development and evaluation as a type of research.

About this unit

This unit will introduce you to practitioner-led approaches to research and promote valuing practitioners, such as educators, as knowers and agents of educational change. You will learn about a range of approaches within this family of research including, for example, design-based research; action research; and participatory action research. Dimensions covered include an introduction to the roles of researchers and practitioners; research problems that lend themselves to practitioner-led inquiries; research design and methods and how they are applied; and issues of rigour. The unit will culminate in the preparation of a practitioner inquiry proposal.

About this unit

This unit will support you in gaining knowledge about conceptualising, designing, conducting, and evaluating survey research. The purposes, principles, and practices of survey research are introduced to help you to build ‘survey literacy’. You will learn how to develop research questions/hypotheses, basic statistical modelling for hypothesis testing, and how to design a survey questionnaire that can produce data that is essential for hypothesis testing. The unit encourages and supports you to consider using survey research to problematise, inform, or improve contemporary educational practice.

This unit is designed to be studied as part of the research pathway in the Master of Education course. This unit helps prepare students for both practitioner research and further postgraduate study. This unit may also be studied as a single option.

About this unit

You will have the option select a unit from an education specialisation of your choice. You will be free to mix and match these units according to your interests and the expertise you wish to gain from the course. However, some units do have prerequisites, and you will only be able to select these units if you meet the requirements.

The specialisations include:

Career Development and Counselling
Innovative Learning Design
Indigenous Education
Autism and Inclusive Practices.