Research in Education
Code: 101655 ECTS Credits: 12| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2500260 Social Education | OB | 2 |
| 2500261 Education Studies | OB | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Montserrat Rodriguez Parron
- Email:
- montserrat.rodriguez@uab.cat
Teachers
- Carla Quesada Pallarès
- Laura Arnau Sabates
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
There are no specific requirments.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The purpose of this subject is to give a basic and applied vision of educational research’s approaches and processes and also about the collection, treatment, analysis and interpretation of the data, using specific software.
In the last years, the need and importance of the research in the area of the Sciences of the Education and Social Sciences has increased. Thus, this subject is of prime importance to configure the professional profile of a pedagogue and social educator due to one of the fundamental functions refers to the capacity to research, evaluate and innovate.
On the other hand, is promoted the capacity to analyze, to teamwork, to use specific software and to interpret the data gathered from socioeducational contexts. Among all, the knowledge that will be provided, will be used in many other subjects that also develop or analyze researches.
The objectives to be achieved, are:
- To help to understand the concepts and basic terminology of the contemporary educational research, so the students will be able to read research reports, published in specialized media and also, in the future, enroll themselves in advance courses of methodology.
- To develop a positive, critic and plural attitude toward the research as a tool to comprehend and improve the educational reality.
- To know and understand the main characteristics of the most common research methods applied in the educational field.
- To assess the advantages and limitations of quantitative, qualitative and mixt approaches.
- To learn the basic characteristics of a research work.
- To develop a wide range of skills and procedures to collect, analyze and interpret data.
- Identify the main software to analyze data.
- Develop a research project in the context of a working group
Competences
- Social Education
- Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
- Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
- Know and apply information collection, analysis, processing and evaluation processes, to improve professional practice itself and the foundation of professional action.
- Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
- Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Education Studies
- Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
- Foster improvement process on the basis of the results of research or needs assessment processes.
- Identify educational approaches and problems, inquire about them: obtain, record, process and interpret relevant information to issue supported judgments that enhance education and training.
- Introduce changes in the methods and processes of the field of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and demands of society.
- Manage information related to the professional environment for decision-making and reporting.
- Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse a situation and identify its points for improvement.
- Analyse a situation and identify points for improvement.
- Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
- Develop descriptive studies by producing strategies and tools to obtain and record quantitative and qualitative information.
- Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.
- Identify situations in which a change or improvement is needed.
- Produce reports based on results received
- Properly formulate research problems and hypotheses in real or simulated contexts.
- Relating research results with processes of innovation.
Content
BLOCK A (4 ECTS)
Construction and development of scientific knowledge in education. Research epistemology and methodology:
- Education as a scientific knowledge.
- Research process in education.
- Paradigms in educational research.
- Research methods and design: quantitative, qualitative and mixed.
BLOCK B (8 ECTS)
Techniques and tools of quantitative and qualitative data collection and registration.
- Main tools to register and collect data.
- Construction and validation of instruments.
Quantitative analysis of socioeducational variables:
- Quantitative data analysis software.
- Socioeducational variables: characteristics and measurement.
- Role of statistics in scientific research.
- Descriptive statistics of categorical variables.
- Descriptive statistics of quantitative variables.
- Bivariate analysis.
- Introduction to statistical inference.
Qualitative analysis of socioeducational variables:
- Qualitative research characteristics.
- Models of data analysis.
- Qualitative data analysis research processes.
- Qualitative data analysis software.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Large group | 60 | 2.4 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 |
| Seminars and Laboratory | 30 | 1.2 | 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Activities supervised | 60 | 2.4 | 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Activity autonomy | 150 | 6 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
Teaching in large group: It is done for the entire class group and allows the exhibition of the main contents through an open and active participation by the students in different discussion forums.
Seminars and lab practices: Working spaces with reduced groups supervised by the professor. Through the data analysis, the analysis of documents, case studies and various activities, the students will examine in depth the contents approached in in-class sessions.
Evaluation activities: Activities to verify and grade the achievements through the works and tests.
Autonomous activities: Self-managed activities to acquire competencies through a self-regulated learning.
The recommendations on gender perspective and inclusion will be pursued.
The possibility of organizing a field visit is being considered
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence 1. THEORY. Exam Block A (individual) | 15% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Evidence 1. THEORY. Exam Block B (individual) | 35% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Evidence 2. PRACTICE. Compilation of the practices of Block A and B (group) | 10% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Evidence 3. Research project that will be developed throughout the academic year referred to Blocks A and B (group) | 35% | 0 | 0 | 4, 7, 8, 9 |
| Evidence 4. Poster presentation (group) | 5% | 0 | 0 | 3, 9 |
Continuous evaluation. To pass the subject, the minimum final grade of each block will be no less than 5. The average will be calculated from a minimum score of 5 in each evaluation activity of each block. The final grade will be the calculation of the weighted mean of each block (block A and block B).
- Regarding the block A, the minimum grade must be a 5. The minimum grade of every assignment to form an average is 5.
- Regarding the block B, the minimum grade must be a 5. The minimum grade of every assignment to form an average is 5.
- Regarding the final work, given the continuous monitoring that will be made of it (through seminars or individualized tutorials), the grade must be 5 and it is not re-assessable.
At the end of each block, there will be an evaluation test, except for block B for the quantitative part, where there will be 2 tests.
EXPECTED DATES OF THE TESTS
GROUP 1 PEDAGOGY
-Block A: 19/11/2024
-Block B1 (qualitative):21/01/25
-Block B2 (quantitative) test1: 25/3/25 //test 2: 27/05/26
GROUP 2 SOCIAL EDUCATION
-Block A:14/11/24
-Block B1 (qualitative): 16/01/25
-Block B2 (quantitative): test 1: 20/03/25 // test 2: 29/05/25
It is needed to submit every activity proposed by the professor, it is a mandatory requirement to be assessed. The students who along the subject have been doing a continuous work, and even though, still have an under 5 graded block, will have the chance to be re-assessed within the course period. The date of revaluation of the failed activities will be agreed according to the calendar provided by the Faculty.
At the end of the course, those students who have not passed any of the tests will be able to demand to be re-examined. Those tests will be graded 6 as a maximum qualification. The requirement to do so is that the student must have been previouslyevaluated in a set of activities the weight of which is equivalent to a minimum of two thirds of the total grade of the subject or module. Similarly, the teacher may require a minimum grade of 3.5.
DATES OF REVALUATION
GROUP PEDAGOGY: 10/06/25
GROUP SOCIAL EDUCATION: 19/06/25
The final presentation of research project will happen after the completion of the course, although there will be partial presentations at the end of each block. The final presentation of the research project cannot be recovered. Professors will establish the dynamization, follow-up and evaluation of the group work appropriate for each moment.
The rest of activities, practices and study cases will be distributed along the subject. Each will be temporized with a submitting deadline that will be accurately informed at the beginning of the course. In case any student is willing to review the grade, would have to do so within the following 15 days after the feedback, in tutoring time. These dates will be specified in the course program that will be accessible on the first day of class.
The attendance to the classes is necessary and professors will follow-up.
Students who repeat the subject can choose to take a synthesis evaluation (the test dates coincide with those continued evaluation).
Unique evaluation. Students undergoing a unique evaluation must submit a single written piece of evidence (40%) at the end of the teaching period. It will incorporate the content from both blocks of the subject, Block A and Block B (qualitative and quantitative), through the resolution of cases and practical assumptions related to the software. It will use Nvivo for the qualitative block and Jamovi for the quantitative block. This written evidence will also be evaluated orally (60%) and in person and will be recorded in the presence of the teaching team members according tothe scheduled date.
DATE UNIQUE EVALUATION
Group pedagogy: 3/06/25
Group social education: 5/06/25
Students who have opted for a unique evaluation have the right to resit according to the schedule established in the subject, and the same type of test will be applied (submission of written evidence + oral defence). Thefinal grade review follows the same procedure as for continuous evaluation. Students who choose the unique evaluation will not submit or receive any evaluative or grading feedback for the continuous evaluation activities carried out during the course of the subject.
RECOVERY DATE UNIQUE EVALUATION
Group pedagogy: 10/06/25
Group social education: 19/06/25
The return and follow-up of the activities that contribute to the final grade will take place within 15to 20 working days. Students who wish to request a review of theirgrade must do so within 15 days of its publication in the tutoring schedule established by the teaching staff for this subject, which is part of the subject's program.
Total or partial plagiarism of any exercise, project, practice, or test will imply the failure of the subject. Any activity will be considered “plagiarized” when a part of an author's text is presented as one's own without citing the sources, regardless of whether the original sources are on paper or in digital format. An activity or exam will be considered as "copied" when it reproduces all or part of the work of another colleague.
It is needed to have a teaching-like attitude to pass the subject. Some of the competences are: active listening, respect, cooperation, empathy, punctuality, non-judging attitude, argumentation, appropriate use of the cell phone, etc.
It is also necessary for the student to show a good general communicative competence, both orally and in writing, and a good command of the vehicular language orlanguages that appear in the teaching guide. Therefore, in all activities (individual or in group), linguistic correction, writing and formal aspects of presentation will be taken into account. Students must be able to express themselves fluently and correctly and must show a high degree of understanding of academic texts. An activity can be returned (not evaluated) or failed if the teaching staff considers that it does not meet these requirements. In addition, before submitting any activity or exam, the student must verify that he or she has correctlywritten the sources, notes, citations and bibliographic references following the APA regulations.
Our teaching approach and assessment procedures may be altered if public Health authorities impose new restrictions on public gatherings.
Bibliography
Methodology
Albert, M. J. (2007). La investigación educativa. McGraw-Hill.
Alvira, F. (2011). La encuesta: una perspectiva general metodológica. CIS.
American Psychological Association (APA) (2019). Concise guide to APA style (7a ed.). APA.
Arnal, J., del Rincón, D., & Latorre, A. (1992). Investigación educativa: fundamentos y metodología. Labor.
Arnau, L., & Sala, J. (2020). La revisión de la literatura científica: pautas, procedimientos y criterios de calidad. DDD. Available in: https://ddd.uab.cat/record/222109
Ballestín, B., & Fàbregues, B. (2018). La práctica de la investigación cualitativa en ciencias sociales y de la educación. UOC.
Bisquerra, R. (Coord.) (2004). Metodología de la investigación educativa. La Muralla.
Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (6th ed.). OUP.
Celigueta, G., & Solé, J. (2014). Etnografía para educadores. UOC.
Corbetta, P. (2007). Metodología y técnicas de investigación social. McGraw-Hill.
Del Rincón, D., Arnal, J., Latorre, A., & Sans, A. (1995). Técnicas de investigación en ciencias sociales. Dykinson.
Fàbregues, S., Meneses, J., Rodríguez-Gómez, D., & Paré, M. H. (2016). Técnicas de investigación social y educativa. UOC.
http://openaccess.uoc.edu/webapps/o2/bitstream/10609/55041/1/Sergi%20F%C3%A0bregues%2C%20Julio%20Meneses%2C%20David%20Rodr%C3%ADguez-G%C3%B3mez%2C%20Marie-H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne%20Par%C3%A9-T%C3%A9cnicas%20de%20investigaci%C3%B3n%20social%20y%20educativa-Editorial%20UOC%20%282016%29.pdf
García Ferrando, M., & Escobar, M. (2017). Socioestadística. Introducción a la estadística en sociología (2nd ed.). Alianza.
Hernández-Sampieri, R., & Mendoza, C. (2018). Metodología de la Investigación. Las rutas cuantitativa, cualitativa y mixta. McGraw-Hill.
Jariot, M., Merino, R., & Sala, J. (Coord.) (2010). Les pràctiques d'educació social. Eines per al seu desenvolupament. Servei de publicacions UAB.
Jhangiani, R. S., Chiang, I. A., Cuttler, C., & Leighton, D. C. (2019). Research Methods in Psychology (4th edition). KPU Open Education. Available in: https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e/
León, O., & Montero, I. (2015). Métodos de investigación en psicología y educación: las tradiciones cuantitativa y cualitativa (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
López-Roldán, P., & Fachelli, S. (2015). Metodología de la investigación social cuantitativa.
https://ddd.uab.cat/search?f=title&p=Metodolog%C3%ADa%20de%20la%20investigaci%C3%B3n%20social%20cuantitativa&sc=1&ln=ca
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2010). Research in education: evidence-based inquiry (7th ed.). Pearson
Mendia Azkue, I., Luxán, M., Legarreta, M., Guzmán, G., Zirion, I., & Azpiazu Carballo, J. (eds.) (2014). Otras formas de (re)conocer. Reflexiones, herramientas y aplicaciones desde la investigación feminista. Hegoa.
Mertens, D. M. (2015). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (5th ed.). SAGE.
Opie, C., & Brown, D. (Eds.) (2019). Getting started in your Educational Research. Sage.
Sala, J., & Arnau, L. (2014). El planteamiento del problema, las preguntas y los objetivos de la investigación: criterios de redacción y check list para formular correctamente. DDD. Available in: https://ddd.uab.cat/record/126350
Sandín, M. P. (2013). Investigación cualitativa en educación: fundamentos y tradiciones. McGraw-Hill.
Stevens, S. S. (Ed.) (2018). Stevens’ Handbook of experimental psychology and cognitive neuorscience (4th ed.). Wiley.
Van Manen, M. (2003). Investigación educativa y experiencia vivida: ciencia humana para una pedagogía de la acción y la sensibilidad. Idea Books.
Data analysis
Botella, J., Suero, M., & Ximénez, C. (2001). Análisis de datos en Psicología I. Pirámide.
Gibbs, G. (2012). El análisis de datos cualitativos en investigación cualitativa. Morata.
Gil, J., Diego, J. L., García, E., & Rodríguez, G. (1997). Problemas de estadística aplicada a las ciencias de la educación. Kronos.
Jariot, M. (2010). L’anàlisi quantitativa. En Jariot, M., Merino, R., & Sala, J. (Coord.), Les pràctiques d'educació social. Eines per al seu desenvolupament (pp. 143-152). Servei de publicacions UAB.
López-Roldán, P., & Lozares, C. (1999). Anàlisi bivariable de dades estadístiques. Servei de publicacions UAB.
Losilla Vidal, J. M., i Vives Brosa, J. (2023). Análisis de Datos con jamoνi. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. https://ddd.uab.cat/record/273258
Mateo, J. M. (2011). Estadística pràctica pas a pas. Publicacions URV. Disponible a: http://llibres.urv.cat/index.php/purv/catalog/view/22/22/57-1
Miguel Quesada, F. J., Ajenjo, M., i Griera, O. (2021). MUJADES: Manual d’us de jamovi per anàlisi de dades en estudis socials. DDD. https://ddd.uab.cat/record/238222
Pardo, A., & San Martín, R. (2004). Análisis de datos en Psicología II. Pirámide.
Pérez, R., García, J. L., Gil, J. A., & Galán, A. (2009). Estadísticaaplicada a la educación. Pearson.
Ritchey, F. J. (2008). Estadística para las ciencias sociales. McGraw-Hill.
Rodríguez Parrón, M. (2010). L’anàlisi qualitativa. En Jariot, M., Merino, R., & Sala, J. (Coord.), Les pràctiques d'educació social. Eines per al seu desenvolupament (pp. 153-159). Servei de publicacions UAB.
Throughout the course other books, articles and documents will be suggested to expand and/or deepen the different topics addressed.
In each block the teacher can propose compulsory readings
Software
The following software will be used for Block B: Jamovi and Nvivo.
Language list
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 111 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 112 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 113 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 211 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 212 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB) Practical laboratories | 213 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (SEM) Seminars | 111 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (SEM) Seminars | 112 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (SEM) Seminars | 211 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (SEM) Seminars | 212 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 2 | Catalan | annual | morning-mixed |