Unit Outline

This unit provides you with research skills, knowledge and understandings that will enable you to undertake an Honours research project in Education. The unit will encourage critical understanding of research design, as well as using literature to identify and pose research questions. You will be challenged to apply concepts and critically engage with issues as they relate to personal research interests and plans. You will gain core skills in planning major research projects and a deeper understanding of the academic conventions of being an Education researcher.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Locate, retrieve and critique information from a range of sources.
2.	Review literature to demonstrate a breadth and depth of knowledge of an education issue, problem, or phenomenon.
3.	Develop a research question to investigate an issue, problem, or phenomenon in education.
4.	Compare and contrast research design choices.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

N/A

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Research Questions	Week 5	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Literature review	Week 10	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Research Design Portfolio	Week 14	40 %	LO1, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Research Questions

Task Description:

You are required to describe and justify (personally and in the context of the literature) your potential Honours Thesis research question(s).
Specifically, you will be required to write and reflect on the following prompts in your paper:
• Is the question relevant and appropriate to the contemporary context and debates of its disciplinary field(s)?
• Is the question relevant and appropriate to the scope of an Honours thesis?
• Is the question right for you?
You are required to write this paper in an appropriate literature-informed reflective style. First-person is permitted where relevant. Please ensure that you support your discussion with evidence from appropriate academic literature. You may wish to incorporate a graphic organiser (e.g. mind-map, concept map, Venn diagram) to support your discussion of your research question but this is not compulsory.

Task Length:

800 words

Due Date:

Week 5 (27/Mar/2024)

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Critically reflect on literature and personal knowledge and skills to make claims	LO1, LO2
2	Justify a research question with reference to its disciplinary context	LO2, LO3
3	Communicate complex ideas with clarity	LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 2: Literature review

Task Description:

You are required to write a review of literature that is relevant to the context of your research project and is based on a critical evaluation of published literature. The literature review should identify gaps and/or critical debates in the relevant field of literature, and articulate the focus and significance of your research project/questions within that context.

You are required to write in appropriate academic style.
More information on literature reviews will be provided throughout the semester.

Task Length:

1800 words

Due Date:

Week 10 (06/May/2024)

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Search and critically analyse literature to produce a review that is relevant to the Honours thesis project.	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	Identify relevant key concepts and theoretical perspective(s) drawn from academic literature.	LO1, LO2
3	Communicate complex concepts with coherence and clarity.	LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 3: Research Design Portfolio

Task Description:

Research design refers to the overall strategy that you choose to integrate the different components of the study in a coherent and logical way, thereby, ensuring you will effectively address the research question. It forms the plan for the gathering and analysis of data. Note that your research question determines the type of design you use, not the other way around!

Throughout the semester, you will be required to develop a research design portfolio to a) show your knowledge and understanding of the different types of research designs and b) to show your ability to select the most appropriate research design to address varying research problems/questions.

This is an individual, summative assessment task. More information on what you need to include in your portfolio, as well as examples of how you might set up your portfolio, will be provided to you throughout the semester.

Task Length:

1800 words

Due Date:

Week 14 (07/Jun/2024)

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and explain differences among research designs.	LO1, LO4
2	Justify research design choices for a selected research question.	LO3, LO4
3	Integrate and correctly reference relevant academic literature.	LO1, LO4
4	Communicate ideas with coherence and clarity.	LO3, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

O'Leary, Z. (2021). The essential guide to doing your research project. London, UK: Sage Publications.