EDUC 5011 - Research Methods

Course Description

In Research Methods, students investigate a variety of methods for conducting research relevant to the field of education. Students learn to be critical consumers of research and become familiar with procedures for securing ethics committee approval for conducting research. 

Learning outcomes

• Discuss the moral principles of good educational research.
• Critically examine ontological and epistemological perspectives and their impact on how we consume and conduct research.
• Describe the characteristics, purpose, opportunities, and limitations of various research approaches and methods.
• Apply trustworthiness criteria to appraise the value and quality of research across various approaches and methods.
• Synthesize theoretical and/or empirical literature on a topic of interest.
• Critically examine research approaches and research methods used by others.
• Identify gaps in knowledge and understanding in a topic of interest.
• Articulate a clear and well-reasoned statement of research topic and problem.
• Design clear research questions aligned to a specific research purpose and approach.
• Apply appropriate research methods to answer different research questions.
• Critically examine ethical issues in research with humans.
• Respect Indigenous and non-Indigenous research paradigms, worldviews, and ethical protocols.

Course topics

• Week 1: Fundamentals of Educational Research 
• Week 2: Research Approaches and the Steps in Education Research
• Week 3: Ethical Considerations in Educational Research  
• Week 4: Trustworthiness in Research
• Week 5: Identifying a Research Interest 
• Week 6: Critiquing the Literature
• Week 7: Literature Review
• Week 8: Research Questions
• Week 9: Quantitative and Mixed-Methods Research Designs
• Week 10: Introduction to Statistical Analyses
• Week 11: Survey Designs
• Week 12: Qualitative Research Designs
• Week 13: Processing Qualitative Data

Required text and materials

Online MEd students are responsible for sourcing and/or ordering their own books. Please see the list of required textbooks here: https://www.tru.ca/distance/courses/MEd_Textbook_List.pdf

Please note, if students choose to source their own textbooks, publishers may offer several package options that include additional resource material not required in your course. Students may choose to purchase any package as long as it includes the correct author, title and edition listed for their course. 

If students have any questions about obtaining the correct textbook, please contact OLMaterials@tru.ca. 

Assessments

In order to successfully complete this course, students must obtain at least 50% on the mandatory Final Project and 70% overall.

Prerequisites

Admission to the TRU MEd degree program.