Objectives and competences
The objective of this course is:
- to enable the students to use appropriate scientific and research approaches in school practice,
- to enable the students to use empirical quantitative and qualitative pedagogical research methods in school practice,
- to enable the students to carry out action research in school in a team or individually,
- to develop an interest for scientifically exploring their own pedagogical practice,
- to enable the students for writing research articles, seminar works, and final master’s thesis.
Content (Syllabus outline)
- The school teacher as a researcher .
- Basic terms of pedagogical research (qualitative and quantitative research, mixed methods research, pedagogical action research, scientific findings, scientific inference).
- Ways and sources of scientific findings.
- Types of research: theoretical, empirical, applicative.
- Phases of empirical research (scheme IMRD).
- Principles of scientific writing: systematic literature review, guidelines for summarizing and citing references (APA standard), plagiarism.
- Ways of collecting the data and measurement tools (especially about how to run surveys and interviews, observation, case study).
- Basic statistical terms (statistical population, sample, unit, variable, parameter, estimate of parameter).
- Ways of analysing the data (measures of mean values, variation measures, distribution measures, correlation measures, testing hypothesis of independence about the differences/ correlations between variables).
- Computer analysis of the quantitative data with software statistical programme SPSS.
- Characteristics of quality pedagogical research in school practice: assessing validity, reliability, and objectivity; development of a new measurement tool, rating scale.
- Structure, approaches and advises for writing a seminar work, final thesis, and research paper for publication.
Learning and teaching methods
- lectures,
- tutorial
- didactical use of informational and communication technology.
Intended learning outcomes - knowledge and understanding
On completion of this course the student will be able to
- know and understand basic methodological concepts and approaches of research in pedagogical practice,
- use scientific framework, research techniques, approaches of data collection and data analysing in quantitative and qualitative research,
- use software programmes of SPSS and NVivo for quantitative or qualitative data analysis,
- make distinction between a high-quality research of school practice from research, which leads to inadequate interferences,
- write a research paper based on the theoretical/ empirical/ applicative research,
- critically evaluate and promote development of research competences by themselves, their colleagues, and pupils in school.
Readings
Cencic, M. (2009). Kako poteka pedagoško raziskovanje. Ljubljana: Zavod Republike Slovenije za šolstvo.
Lassonde, C. A., Galman, S., & Kosnik, C. (ur.). (2009). Self-Study Research Methodologies for Teacher Educators. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods approaches (5th Edition). Los Angeles, ZDA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Sagadin, J. (2003). Statisticne metode za pedagoge. Maribor: Obzorja.
Zurc, J. (2021). Metodologija pedagoškega raziskovanja: skripta študijskega gradiva za ucno enoto. Maribor: Univerza v Mariboru, Filozofska fakulteta.
Prerequisits
The course deals with the foundations of pedagogical research, which are as obligatory content already included in the Pedagogy study program. Therefore, this course is not available for students of Pedagogy.
Additional information on implementation and assessment - written examination, 70 %
- seminar work. 30 %
