IA910-7-AU: RESEARCH METHODS 1
Year: 2013/14
Department: International Academy
Essex credit: 0
ECTS credit: 0.00
Available to year(s) of study:
Available to Study Abroad / Exchange Students: No
| Module is taught during the following terms |
| Autumn |  | Spring |  | Summer | |
Module Description
This support module has been designed to help students to develop the reading, writing and research skills that they will require to achieve success on the MA TESOL programme. During the early sessions the main emphasis will be on raising awareness of tutor and University of Essex expectations in this respect, and on familiarizing students with university standards and procedures for the completion of coursework assignments. Later sessions will provide an introduction to research methods within an Applied Linguistics context. Participants will then design their own web-based surveys using appropriate software.
Module aims
The aims of the module are therefore:
1. To enable students to develop the essential skills required to achieve success in academic reading, writing and research
2. To raise awareness of academic standards set by Essex University in the completion of written assignments and research projects
3. To provide an introduction to educational research methods
4. To enable students to design and administer an educational survey
Learning outcomes
At the end of this module participants will:
1. Understand the MA TESOL standards and procedures for written assignments
2. Be familiarized with the University of Essex learning resources available to them.
3. Be able to use critical reading skills and strategies when engaging with relevant literature
4. Be able to make effective use of source materials from other authors and avoid plagiarism in their academic writing
5. Understand the different approaches and methods available to them as potential researchers in TESOL
6. Know how to design, pilot and administer a web-based survey using SurveyMonkey or equivalent software.
7. Be able to present survey findings to their peers
Syllabus
Orientation to the MA TESOL programme and its requirements
Developing IT skills:
Developing reading and writing skills for academic study
Requirements of written assignments
Introduction to Research Skills and Methods
Researching the literature
Quantitative vs qualitative research methods
Introduction to survey design
Learning & Teaching Methods
10 x 2 hour sessions including discussion and workshop activities. The training sessions for using survey software will take place in computer rooms rather than classrooms.
Exam Duration and Period
Bibliography
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Cohen, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, K. 2000, Research Methods in Education, Abingdon: Routledge
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Denscombe, M., 1998, The Good Research Guide for Small-scale Social Research Projects, Maidenhead: Open University Press
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Dornyei, Z. 2007. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, Oxford: Oxford University Press
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Foddy, W. 1993, Constructing Questions for Interviews and Questionnaires - Theory and Practice in Social Research, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
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Fowler, F. 1993, Survey Research Methods, Newbury Park: Sage
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Fowler, F. 1995, Improving Survey Questions, Thousand Oaks: Sage
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Gray, D. 2009, Doing Research in the Real World, London: Sage
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Nunan, D. 1992, Research Methods in Language Teaching, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
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Oppenheim, A.N., 1992, Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement, London: Pinter
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Seale, C.(ed.), 2004, Researching Society and Culture, London: Sage