EDU-40123

Research Methods

Module Lead: Dr Sihui Wang

Tutors: Dr Aneta Hayes

Dr Sihui Wang

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Welcome to Research Methods

You will see that the module is focussed upon research methods and
methodologies. Through the module sessions and the aligned reading, the aim is
to encourage you to consider a range of research methods and then how these
might be practically applied in the field.

The outcome of the module will be for you to begin to develop both a design and a
methodological rationale for your work and the methods you will choose to use.
You will be supported to identify your intellectual position relative to the
research and be able to justify this with recourse to appropriate theories and
literature.

This module guide gives you information about the key readings and substantive
content of the module itself. Please do get in touch should you have any
questions.

We look forward to working with you.

Aneta and Sihui

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 EDU- 40123

Module Summary

This module introduces you to key issues and methodologies underpinning

research in the social sciences. You will be introduced initially to how to
construct a research project by looking at how to develop and build research
questions and how these might be operationalized in your own study. You will be
encouraged to begin close planning of your own project.

Second, the module will take a look at a range of research methods both
qualitative and quantitative and it will introduce you to the advantages and
pitfalls of these as research tools. You will be supported throughout to reflect on
your own understandings of the social world and how it can be known, and the
implications of these for developing justified strategies for carrying out your
research project.

Module Aims

• To introduce students to the methodological tools that will facilitate the

development of knowledge, understanding and critical analysis of issues
impacting on work in Education.
• To support the development of students’ knowledge and skills about research
methods and how these can be applied in the field to support their own research
interests.
• To further hone students’ skills in critically evaluating research findings and
methods and to support the application of these to their developing research
agenda.
• To enable students to develop concrete plans for the development of the
methods and approaches for researching in relation to their proposed thesis
topic.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

By taking full advantage of the learning opportunities presented you should, by the
end of the module, be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the process of research from within a particular

theoretical and methodological framework.

• Develop appropriate research questions that reflect this theoretical framework.

• Justify the choice of methods for the collection and analysis of data.

• Critically discuss issues of sampling, access, validity and bias.

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• Critically discuss issues of ethics, politics and power in their role as a researcher.

• Use clear, concise, coherent and well-structured arguments.

• Offer a critical evaluation of appropriate evidence and/or relevant literature.

Module Outline

Week 1 Designing your Research Project

The first part of this session introduces students to the aims and objectives of the
module. It is concerned with key principles of research design. This session
explores factors that influence how you design your research – ontology and
epistemology. We will learn about positivism, interpretivism and critical theory
and how your research fits into these terms. It also explores ‘questions to ask when
starting out – that is, what is a researcher’s position, assumptions and
expectations? The session then continues with formulating research questions,
aims and objectives and exploring the difference between them.

Required Readings:

Blaikie, Norman W. H., and Priest, Jan (2019), Designing Social Research: The logic
of anticipation, 3rd Edition, Cambridge: Polity Press. Chapter 3: ‘Four
research design tsks’, pp33-49. (Please find the digitised copy under
learning resources on KLE)
Cohen, L. et al. (2018). Research methods in education Links to an external site..
Eighth edition. London: Routledge. Part 1 – Chapter 1: The context of
educational research – The nature of enquiry: setting the field

Suggested Readings:

Bell, Judith (2010), Doing Your Research Project, 5th Edition, Maidenhead: Open
University Press, Chapter 4 on ‘Reading, Referencing and the Management
of Information’, Chapter 5 on ‘Literature Searching’, and Chapter 6 on ‘The
Review of the Literature’.
Blaxter, Loraine, Christina Hughes and Malcolm Tight (2010), How to Research, 4th
Edition, Maidenhead: Open University Press, Chapters 2, 4 and 5.
Bouma, Gary D. and G. B. J. Atkinson (1995), A Handbook of Social Science Research:
A Comprehensive and Practical Guide for Students, 2nd Edition, New York:
Oxford University Press. [Chapter 3 on ‘selecting a problem’]
Brians, Craig Leonard, Lars Willnat, Jarol B. Manheim and Richard C. Rich (2011) ,
Empirical Political Analysis, 8th Edition, Boston: Pearson Longman.
[Chapter 4 on designing your research]
Bryman, Alan (2015), Social Research Methods Links to an external site., 5th

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 Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bryman, Alan (2011), Social Research Methods, 4th Edition, Oxford: Oxford
University Press; Chapters 4 and 5.
Flick, Uwe (2015), Introducing Research Methodology, 2nd Edition, Thousand Oaks
CA: Sage. [Chapter 4 – from research idea to research question]
Green, Nicola (2008), ‘Formulating and Refining a Research Question’, in Nigel
Gilbert (ed.), Researching Social Life, 3rd Edition, pp. 43-62, London: Sage.
Hart, Chris (1998), Doing a Literature Review, London: Sage.
Kumar, R. (2019) Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners links
an external site.. 5th edition. London: SAGE Publications.
McNiff, J. (2016). You and your action research project (Fourth ed.). Milton Park,
Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Machi, Lawrence A. and Brenda T. McEvoy (2012), The Literature Review: Six Steps
to Success, 2nd Edition, Thousand Oaks CA: Corwin Press. [Chapter 5 on
‘Critique the Literature’ is digitized on the module’s KLE page]
Potter, Stephen (2006), ‘Undertaking a Literature Review’, in Stephen Potter (ed.),
Doing Postgraduate Research, 2nd Edition, pp. 152-79, London: Sage.
Powner, Leanne C. (2015), Empirical Research and Writing: A Political Science
Student’s Practical Guide, Thousand Oakes CA: CQ Press.
Punch, Keith F. (2014, 2005 or 1998), Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative
and Qualitative Approaches, London: Sage. Chapter on ‘Research Questions’.
Ridley, Diana (2012), The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students, 2nd
Edition, London: Sage, [Chapter 2 on the purposes of a literature review]
Walliman, N. (2011). Your research project: Designing and planning your work (3rd
ed., Sage study skills). London: SAGE.

Week 2 Research Strategies

In the context of social research, the terms methodology and approach are often
used to refer to the same thing as ‘strategy’. In this session, we will learn about
three common qualitative research strategies or methodologies: case study,
ethnography, and phenomenology. It is worth noting however that whilst
qualitative methods are often used in these designs, they are not exclusive and
quantitative methods can also be used, especially in case study research where
mixed-methods approaches are very common.

Required Readings:

Iskender Gelir (2021) Can insider be outsider? Doing an ethnographic research in

a familiar setting Links to an external site., Ethnography and Education,
16:2, 226-242

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Van der Mescht, H. (2004).Phenomenology in education: A case study in
educational leadership links to an external site. Indo-Pacific Journal of
Phenomenology, 4(1).

Hamilton, L. (2011) Case studies in educational research, British Educational

Research Association on-line resource. Available on-line
at https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/case-studies-in-educational-
research, Links to an external site. accessed [21 Sept 2021]
Suggested readings:

Cheek, Colleen et al. “Improving Case Study Research in Medical Education:

a Systematised Review. Links to an external site.” Medical education5
(2018): 480–487.
Denscombe, M.. (2017). Qualitative Data. In: Denscombe, M. The good research
guide. 6th ed. London: Open University Press. pp. 305-333. Chapter 3, 5 and
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Journal with multiple articles ‘Ethnography and Education’ Peters, Michael A.
“Editorial: Heidegger, Phenomenology, Education. Links to an external
site.” Educational philosophy and theory 41.1 (2009).

Week 3 Qualitative Research Methods

This session will have as its focus qualitative research methods, specifically
focussing upon widely-used and popular methods for the gathering of data – the
interview, focus groups, text-based methods and observations. You will know how
to practically conduct research using these methods. The core and extra reading
set will give you steps to follow. By the end of this week you will be able to identify
circumstances when it is useful to use these methods as well as justify the choice
and use of them.

Required reading:

Denscombe, M. (2021) The good research guide : research methods for small-
scale social research projects. Seventh edition. Maidenhead: Open
University Press. Chapter 14, 17, 18, 19

Suggested readings:

Abell, J., Locke, A., Condor, S. Givson, S. and Stevenson, C. (2006). Trying
Similarity, Doing Difference: The role of interviewer self-disclosure in
interview talk with young people, Qualitative Research, 6(2), 221–244.
Agee, J. (2009). ‘Developing Qualitative Research Questions: A reflective
process’, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 22(4), 431-447.
Bereswill, M. (2008). ‘Gender and Subjectivity in the Interview Situation’,
Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society, 13(3), 316-24.

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Bloor, M., and Frankland, J. (2001). Focus Groups in Social Research (Introducing
Qualitative Methods). London: Sage.
Brownlie, J. (2018). ‘Out of the Ordinary: Research participants’ experiences of
sharing the ‘insignificant’’, International Journal of Social Research
Methodology (online). DOI: 10.1080/13645579.2018.1535880
Chamberlayne, P., Bornat, J. and Wengraf, T. (2000). The Turn to Biographical
Methods in Social Science. London: Routledge.
Denzin, D. (2001)’ ‘The Reflexive Interview and a Performative Social Science’,
Qualitative Research, 1(1), 23-46.
Finch, J. (1993) 'It's great to have someone to talk to: Ethics and politics of
interviewing women', in M. Hammersley (ed.) Social Research: Philosophy,
Politics and Practice. London, Sage.
Fontana, A. and Frey, J. H. (2008). ‘The Interview: From neutral stance to political
involvement’, in N. K. Denzin and Y. S. Lincoln (eds.) Collecting and
Interpreting Qualitative Materials (3rd ed), Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Geddes, A., Parker, C., and Scott, S. (2018). ‘When the Snowball Fails to Roll and
the use of ‘Horizontal’ Networking in Qualitative Social Research’,
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 21(3), 347-358.
Ghorashi, H., (2007). Giving Silence a Chance: The importance of Life Stories for
Research on Refugees’ Links to an external site., Journal of Refugee
Studies, Vol. 21 (1), 117-132.
Goebert, B. & Rosenthal, H. M. (2002). Beyond listening learning the secret
language of focus groups. New York: J. Wiley.
Hennink, M. M., Kaiser, B. N., and Marconi, V. C. (2017). ‘Code Saturation Versus
Meaning Saturation: How Many Interviews Are Enough?’ Qualitative
Health Research, 27(4), 591– 608.
Krueger, R., and Casey, M. (2015). Focus Groups: A practical guide for applied
research (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE. Chapter 1: ‘Overview
of focus Groups’, pp1-16.
Krueger, R. (1998). Developing Questions for Focus Groups (Focus Group Kit 3).
Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Kvale, S. and Brinkmann, S. (2015). Interviews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative
Research
Interviewing (3rd ed.). London: Sage. Chapter 7: ‘Conducting an Interview’,
pp.149-166.
Leavy, P. (2020) The Oxford handbook of qualitative research Links to an
external site.. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Mazzei, L. A. (2013). A Voice without Organs: Interviewing in posthumanism
research, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 26(6), 732-740.
Morgan, D. (1997). Focus Groups as Qualitative Research (2nd ed.).
Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Murphy, D. (2016) Making Voices Visible: Using Visual Data in Teacher Education

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 and Research: Making Voices Visible Links to an external site.. New
directions for teaching and learning. [Online] 2016 (147), 57–66.
Nowak R. and Haynes, J. (2018). ‘Friendships with Benefits? Examining the role of
friendship in semi-structured interviews within music research’,
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 21(4), 425-438.
Oakley, A. (1981) ‘Interviewing Women: A Contradiction in Terms?’ in H. Roberts
(ed) Doing Feminist Research, London: Routledge.
Seitz, S. (2016). ‘Pixilated Partnerships, Overcoming Obstacles in Qualitative
Interviews via Skype: A research note’. Qualitative Research, 16(2), 229–
235.
Sim, J., Saunders, B., Waterfield, J., and Kingstone, T. (2018). ‘Can sample size in
qualitative
research be determined a priori?’, International Journal of Social Research
Methodology, 21(5), 619-634.
Stewart, D., and Shamdasani, P. (2015). Focus groups: Theory and Practice (3rd
ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Windsong, E. A. (2018). ‘Incorporating Intersectionality into Research Design: An
example using qualitative interviews’, International Journal of Social
Research Methodology, 21(2), 135-147.

Week 4 Data Management and Data analysis

During this week we will learn about how to manage the data you collect and how
to analyse your data. Your choice of approaches will depend on what sort of data
you have collected and what methodological and theoretical frameworks underpin
your research. By the end of this week, you will be able to evaluate the stages to
data analysis under a variety of approaches and be able to discuss questions of
validity and reliability.

Required Readings

Bryman, A. & Cramer, D. (2012) Quantitative Data Analysis with IBM SPSS 17, 18
& 19: A Guide for Social Scientists Links to an external site. [Online].
London: Taylor and Francis. Chapter 1: Data Analysis and the Research
Process
Xu, W. & Zammit, K. (2020) Applying Thematic Analysis to Education: A Hybrid
Approach to Interpreting Data in Practitioner Research Links to an
external site. International journal of qualitative methods. [Online]
19160940692091881

Suggested Readings

Hayes A. “We Loved It Because We Felt That We Existed There in the Classroom! Links
to an external site.”: International Students as Epistemic Equals Versus Double-

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 Country Oppression. Journal of Studies in International Education. 2019;23(5):554-
571.
Kiger, M. E. & Varpio, L. (2020) Thematic analysis of qualitative data: AMEE Guide No.
131. Links to an external site. Medical teacher. [Online] 42 (8), 846–854. Peck,
R. et al. (2020) Introduction to statistics and data analysis. Sixth edition.
Australia: Cengage Learning. Dey, I. (1993) Qualitative Data Analysis: A User-
Friendly Guide for Social Scientists. [Online]. London: Routledge.
Flick, U. (2018) The Sage handbook of qualitative data collection Links to an external
site. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Bohnsack, R., Pfaff, N., Weller, W. (2010) Qualitative Analysis and Documentary
Method: In International Educational Research Links to an external site..
[Online]. Verlag Barbara Budrich.

Week 5: Quantitative Research Methods

What kinds of questions about the social world can we ask when using a
quantitative research design? What challenges do quantitative researchers face in
their work? What tools and types of analyses do social researchers use? To make
social phenomena measurable, researchers use scales. In social sciences, these are
usually in the form of surveys measuring different variables (nominal, ordinal or
continuous). These variables determine the type of analysis that can be conducted.
In this session we will look at principles of questionnaire design. We will also
consider issues of sampling. Finally, we will introduce SPSS, and learn about basic
statistical analyses of survey data (cross-tabs, descriptive statistics, comparison of
means, correlation and regression)

Required Readings:

Chapter 1 ‘Why is my Evil Lecturer Forcing Me to Learn Statistics?’ (especially pp.

1- 15) in Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics
(5th ed.). London: SAGE.
Chapter 8 ‘Sampling’, Chapter 10 ‘Self-completion questionnaires’ and Chapter 11
‘Asking Questions’ in Bryman, A. (2012). Social Research Methods (4th
ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
De Vaus, D. (2014). Surveys in Social Research, (6th ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.
MacInnes, J. (2016). An introduction to secondary data analysis with IBM SPSS
statistics. SAGE.
Muijs, D. (2010). Doing quantitative research in education with SPSS. Sage.
De Vaus, D. (2014). Surveys in Social Research (6th ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.
Good basic introduction to survey research, and includes chapters on
analysing survey data.
Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th ed.).
London: SAGE. Accessible, yet highly detailed text. Covers statistical
techniques, the principles behind them and how to apply them in SPSS.
Fielding, J., & Gilbert N. (2006). Understanding Social Statistics. London: SAGE.
Less detailed, but still useful text on statistical techniques and how to use
them in SPSS.

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 Week 6: Mixed-methods research approaches

This week we will learn about mixed methods research approaches. This week will
help to draw upon the learning you have already done so that you combine
learning from previous weeks where we have understood quantitative and
qualitative research methods. Mixed-methods research approaches are, as the
name suggests, a set of methods that combine multiple methods and that can
include both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Required Readings:

Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a definition of

mixed methods research Links to an external site. Journal of mixed
methods research, 1(2), 112-133.
Maudsley, G. (2011) Mixing it but not mixed-up: Mixed methods research in
medical education Links to an external site. (a critical narrative review)
Medical teacher, 33 (2), p.92-104.
Klingner, Janette K, and Alison G Boardman. “Addressing the ‘Research Gap’ in
Special Education Through Mixed Methods. Links to an external site.”
Learning disability quarterly 34.3 (2011): 208–218.

Suggested Readings

Plowright, D. (2011) Using mixed methods; frameworks for an integrated

methodology. London: SAGE.
Zappavigna, M. (2016) Social media photography: construing subjectivity in
Instagram images. Visual communication (London, England). [Online] 15
(3), 271–292.

Week 7: Ethics Considerations

During this week we will draw upon everything we have learned in this module
and consider the ethical implications of your chosen research method. By the end
of this week, you will have read and understood Ethical Guidelines for Educational
Research as proposed by BERA (very often referred to for ethical guidance on
educational research), and be able to apply your learning to navigate ethical
implications within your chosen research topic.

Required Readings:

Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research Links to an external site., BERA,

Fourth Edition 2018
Suggested Readings:

Wolff-Michael Roth & Hella von Unger (2018) Current Perspectives on Research
Ethics in Qualitative Research Links to an external site. Forum, qualitative
social research. [Online] 19 (3),

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 Parr, S. (2015). ‘Integrating Critical Realist and Feminist Methodologies: Ethical
and analytical dilemmas Links to an external site.’ International Journal of
Social Research Methodology, 18(2), 193-207.
Iphofen, R., and Tolich, M. (2018). The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research
Ethics Links to an external site. London: Sage.

Assessment:

Keele University MA Education - Criteria for Research Methods Assignment

EDU-40123

Research Methods - Write a 3,500 research proposal for the research design that
you are considering for your dissertation
Due date: 1pm 8 May 2023
Develop a research proposal which includes detail on research aims, objectives,
questions, research rationale, research methodology and justification for chosen
research methods.

• You should identify and reflect in-depth on your stance of research paradigm
in light both of your own reflection and wider reading utilizing the readings
in the handbook as a starting point.
• You should discuss your position and explain how the research methodology
selected relate to your choice of research method/ theory.
• You should consider the methods you are choosing to adopt in your dissertation
and explain why these are appropriate for the project in question

Assessment guidance questions:

Whilst preparing this assessment, you should focus on answering the following
questions:
1. How do you understand the process of research from within your particular
theoretical and epistemological framework?
2. What are the implications of such a framework for your research?
3. How do you understand the nature of knowledge (status of the data that you
will collect and analyse)?
4. What is your selected research design?
5. What is your research focus / questions?
6. Explain and justify your choice of methods for the collection and analysis of
data
7. Discuss sampling, access to a research site, validity, and bias

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8. How do you see your role as a researcher in relation to issues of:
9. Theoretical sensitivity (are you going to be an 'insider', an 'outsider', a 'co -
constructor' or data, a participant / practitioner, or an action researcher?)
10. Ethics (issues of access, consent and power)

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