Developing a Research Methods Pedagogy for International Masters Students Phil Wood & Joan Smith pbw2@le.ac.uk jms32@le.ac.uk

School of Education

Exploring research methods pedagogy

Our context:

• Masters in International Education

• 20-25 students per year international cohort

• Diverse linguistic ability

• Diverse undergraduate experience (none to explicit coverage)

• Diverse professional experience

Some starting points

What are we trying to achieve?

Research methods or research literacy?

Conceptual Foundations

Kiley, M & Wisker, G (2010) 'Learning to be a researcher: the concepts and crossings.' in Jan H.F Meyer, Ray Land & Caroline Baillie (ed.), Threshold concepts and transformational learning, Sense Publishers, Netherlands, 399-414.

Exploring Application

Issues and Emerging Themeso Language

• Conceptual and linguistic richness – language is less of an issue than concepts

• Developing use of a conceptual language, an issue for ALL students

• But for some still a major issue at the end of the module (assignments)

• Pre-reading/online videos (and focused tasks)opportunity to bring ‘knowledge’ to the sessionopportunity to learn vocabulary – less WM used

• Use of ‘opening up’ papersframeworkedmodelling/exemplars of methodological approaches

• Discursive and varied approachesconversational/exploratory dialogue‘slow’ approach explicit discussion of the ‘scientific method’ and

alternatives

o Pedagogies

• Varied level of prior learning• Expectations concerning learning• Role of questioning and reflection

• Flexible/responsive approach. changed and amended approaches/content as the module unfolded, ‘emergent curriculum’

• Group work – focused and meaningful (non-assessed) students value opportunity to discuss and share

• Team teachingdeveloping ideas togetherdebate/model uncertainty and multiple approaches

• Concept mappingopportunity to synthesise and ‘understand’

o Writing and assignments

• Narrative and coherence• Conceptual understanding • Research ‘management’/independence

• Assignments formative assessment – ‘mini conference’ with

presentations and postersfinal assignment – piloting and initial thinking towards dissertation (diagnostic & formative)move towards independence

• Critical writingthree days over the course of the year

(one input, two voluntary)writing as social and peer supported practicemoving from reading to writing

Future Changes/Foci for Exploration

• The role of reading and writinghow does criticality emerge?social writing approachesscaffolding reading and writing for understandingcloser collaboration with English Language Teaching Unit

• Greater use of structured follow-up tasksfor deepening/extending understanding – possible starting point for personalisation

• Quantitative methodsdemystifyingunderstanding and using others’ datadeveloping application

• Extending the blended learning environment

• Wider, more inclusive dialogue and debate

• Data analysis and INTERPRETATION

• Development of ‘micro-lesson study’ for task design and understanding

• Podcasts for terminology and concepts

• Academic Paper ‘Anatomies’more in-depth consideration of language, writing approaches, structures and academic arguments

• Research methods modules are needed – but by themselves they are not enough. This is a whole course issue

Links

http://rmped.weebly.com

http://hereflections.wordpress.com