Master's Degree Dissertation
Code: 43665 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Formación de Profesorado de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanza de Idiomas | TFE | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Anna Marba Tallada
- Email:
- anna.marba@uab.cat
Teachers
- José María Sanahuja Gavaldà
- Emilee Sarah Moore De Luca
- Genaro de Gamboa Rojas
- Maria de las Neus Gonzalez Monfort
- Anna Marba Tallada
- Begoña Oliveras Prat
- Laia Viladot Vallverdu
- Julia Llompart Esbert
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
None.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The structure of this module is common to all specializations. Yet, each specialization sets specific research topics and procedures, closely related to students' performance during the internships that are part of the practicum module.
The Masters Dissertation, namely TFM, is conceived as a learning activity whose main objective is to get students to integrate the knowledge and the skills acquired during the Masters. It takes the form of a small research study based on data obtained during the internship. It should combine theory and reflections upon data obtained through processes of observation or during the implementation of the teaching unit students need to design and put into practice as part of the requirements of the practicum module.
This small research is conducted under the supervision of a university tutor. The calendar for the Masters establishes the mandatory dates for the tutorial meetings between students and tutors.
The course is worth 6 ECTS and can only be taken if students passed the practicum module.
Learning Outcomes
- CA10 (Competence) Adopt ethical behaviour that follows professional rules in the processing of data from the centre and in the writing of the Master's Dissertation.
- CA11 (Competence) Demonstrate digital teaching competence in the different stages of preparing the TFM.
- KA08 (Knowledge) Identify a humanist vision that integrates scientific, social and artistic knowledge in the interpretation of real classroom situations.
- SA09 (Skill) Reflect on teaching actions using evidence to improve the teaching and learning processes of teachers' professional development.
- SA10 (Skill) Master oral and written expression in academic discursive practices related to the presentation and preparation of the TFM.
- SA11 (Skill) Use research instruments in the classroom to analyse, reflect on and improve pedagogical processes, teaching approaches and the role of the teacher.
- SA12 (Skill) Demonstrate knowledge of the disciplinary contents and the curriculum of the subject of the specialty and the ability to adopt an inquiring perspective on how to integrate them into the classroom.
- SA13 (Skill) Evaluate information, ideas and arguments, form well-founded opinions, evaluate and judge the soundness of both their own and others' statements and conclusions, take a stance and lay the foundations for decisions, considering their implications and consequences.
Content
Students must prepare an educational research paper related to the activity developed during the Practicum.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Seminars with the tutor in charge of guiding and assessing the process of writing a Masters dissertation and the resulting document. | 22 | 0.88 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Supervision of the whole process (elaboration of a Masters dissertation & preparation of the viva). | 40 | 1.6 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Producing the written dissertation and preparing the viva | 88 | 3.52 |
Each student will be assigned a TFM tutor at the beginning of the course, preferably the same as the one assigned to the Practicum. During the phase dedicated to the preparation of the TFM, guided activities can be proposed in the form of sessions for the entire group with instructions on the work, in which students must prepare the different parts of the work under the supervision of the tutor. The work methodology is divided into supervision sessions, independent work and evaluation activities. The supervised activity, preferably in the form of individual tutorials, includes 5 mandatory face-to-face seminars, distributed over the different phases of the process, which cannot exceed 6 hours. Students may also request up to 4 more hours of extension tutorials, which will be agreed between the student and the tutor. Considering the autonomous nature of the work, no more than 4 hours of extension tutorials may be carried out without exceptional justification. At the time each specialty is established, each specialty coordinator will hold an information meeting in which the fundamental aspects of the TFM will be explained to the students (development process, operation, dates, etc.). The development of the TFM is considered a continuous process with 3 different phases: an initial phase in which the work is specified and proposed (with an approximate workload for the student of 25 hours), a development phase (with approximately 75 hours of workload), and a completion and closing phase that involves the presentation of the report (with approximately 50 hours of workload). The seminars are designed as a space for discussion, resolution of doubts and proposals to advance the work. It is recommended that students present the working document prior to the seminar with progress and doubts so that the tutor can prepare the meeting. The total time dedicated to all the compulsory seminars should not exceed 6 hours of teaching and, in the case of extension seminars, should not exceed 4 additional hours. The final submission, which must be made through the CV within the established deadline, must follow these formal aspects of presentation:
Extension of about 70,000 characters (spaces included) (approximately 20/25 pages).
Separate section of bibliographical references and annexes, where complementary information will be included (not part of the body of the work).
• The cover page must include:
o Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
o Name of the author o Title of the TFG o Date and call for submission
o Master's degree taken o Name and department of the tutor
• After the cover page, it must include:
o Summary in Catalan and English
o Acknowledgements (if applicable)
o Index with pagination
o Numbered sections and subsections
o References
o Annexes (if applicable)
The TFM will consist of: (1) The diagnosis of a problem or a research question preferably based on the proposed intervention or guiding action that has been carried out, or some other aspect related to the practicum, (2) the specification of the research questions and the selection of the instruments that will allow the extraction of the pertinent information, (3) the analysis of the data and conclusions, (4) the final writing and presentation.
Structure of the TFM Introduction.
It includes a general presentation of the work carried out and the approach and/or justification of the topic to be addressed.
1. Justification. The educational problem that is intended to be addressed is defined and what the personal, social or professional justification is.
2. Question and/or assumptions and/or objectives. The problem raised must be specified in a question or questions, an initial assumption and the objective - or objectives - that is intended with the fieldwork and the application of one or more analysis or research instruments, to make a diagnosis, to carry out a process of educationalinnovation or in the theoretical reflection on a concept relevant to one of the educational sciences.
3. Theoretical framework to base the theoretical and methodological approach based on at least five references. A state of the art is made on the most relevant research works that exist on the topic and on the basic literature relating to the related innovation. Exhaustive theoretical work is not necessary but rather referencing or situating the work in a scientific field of education, that is, defining the lines in which the work is registered and the essential authors on which it is based.
4. Methodological framework. It must respond to the objectives of the research that is intended to be carried out and must define what type of research/innovation is carried out. It is necessary to apply research instruments (documentary analysis, questionnaire, interviews, observations, results of experimentation with materials or educational activities). If the work is oriented towards educational innovation, it is necessary to foresee which instrument will be used to analyze the starting situation (questionnaire, interview, observation script, etc.), to justify this innovation and its relevance.
5. Description of the context in which the teaching task is developed or focused (can be included in the methodological framework).
6. Data analysis (descriptive, interpretative). Discussion of the data. It is important that the student knows how to differentiate between the description of the results and their interpretation. He/she must also demonstrate that he/she is able to discuss the results of the research with theoretical references.
7. Conclusions and proposals for improvement. It should include: a) an overall assessment of the investigation or proposal; b) an answer to the initial questions and an assessment of assumptions and objectives; c) a self-criticism of the methodological process followed; d) an assessment of what the research/innovation contributes to the improvement of teaching, the organization of education, teacher training or a specific theoretical field; e) raise new research questions or for innovation.
8. Documentary references (bibliography, websites, online documents, etc.).
9. Annexes.
Due to data protection regulations, the work cannot contain any data that identifies the center or any participating person. If videos or audios are analyzed, informed consent must be requested from the center, students and families (in case they are minors).
The work must be automatically paganized.
The intellectual property of the TFM will belong to the student author of the work. However, understanding that the tutor has also contributed to its preparation, if it is disclosed, the consent of both the author and the tutor will be required. In addition, it must be specified that the study has been carried out within the corresponding master's edition.
It is recommended to take one of the bibliographic reference management courses that are organized free of charge by the UAB Library Service.
Submission and defense
The Master's coordinator, together with the coordinators of the specialties, will establish the submission period and dates of the oral presentations of the TFMs. For the 25/26 academic year, the submission and defense dates are as follows:
|
|
Ordinary call |
Extraordinary call* |
|
Lliurament del treball fi de màster (TFM) |
June 17, 2026 |
September 1, 2026 |
|
Oral presentations |
June 25 to July 3, 2026** |
September 4, 2026 |
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Closing of proceedings |
July 7, 2026 |
September 6, 2026 |
* Only for extraordinary situations (illness, unforeseen situations, etc.)
**On the 25th, panels can be organized whenever there are no faculty members participating in the degree panels.
Coordinatiors will distribute the panels within the established days. This information must be posted on the CV.
The September call is reserved only for exceptional cases (illness, accident, etc.). The TFM will be presented publicly and in person during the dates established for each course (see calendar). In this presentation, the student will explain the context of the intervention, the problem or question, the objectives of the work, the most relevant results and the conclusions and proposals for improving the intervention.
The panel will be made up of 3 professors from the master's degree and in no case may the tutor participate. Since the defenses are public, in addition to the panel, family members, friends, other students or other professors who wish to do so may attend as an audience.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active participation in the seminars and during the process of elaborating the dissertation | 10% | 0 | 0 | CA10, KA08, SA09, SA12, SA13 |
| Oral presentation | 40% | 0 | 0 | CA11, SA10, SA13 |
| The Masters Dissertation (written document) | 50% | 0 | 0 | CA10, CA11, KA08, SA09, SA11, SA12, SA13 |
The evaluation of the TFM consists of three evaluation evidence:
1. Tutor report: 10%
2. Evaluation of the written work by the board 50%
3. Evaluation of the oral presentation by the board 40%
The final grade of the TFG is the result of the evaluation of the tutor and the board in the percentages assigned to each activity. To pass the subject, it is necessary to have all the evaluation evidence with a minimum grade of 5.
If, despite having one of the activities suspended, the median grade is higher than 5, the grade that will appear in the report will be 4.5.
All the evaluation evidence cannot be recovered.
The coordination of each specialty can establish mandatory or non-mandatory partial deliveries. This information must be uploaded to the CV.
Each tutor will base their grade on the following report that they will also send to the board:
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INSUFFICIENT |
ACCEPTABLE |
GOOD |
VERY GOOD |
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1. Attendance at meetings and agreed tutorships |
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2. Compliance with commitments and regularity in work |
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3. Ability to incorporate suggested improvements |
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4. Autonomy and initiative during the process |
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5. Progress in the development of research skills |
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2. Evaluation of the written work by the board (50% of the grade)
Each member of the board will evaluate the document submitted by the student. The criteria which will be specified for each specialty, will refer to: - Relevance and quality of the content of the different sections. - Adequacy of the methodology chosen in relation to the problem and context. - Justification, framing and coherence of reflection on the practice.
3. Evaluation of the oral presentation by the panel (40% of the grade) Each specialty will specify the format and specifications of the oral presentation. In all cases, however, the panel will be made up of 3 people, preferably TFM tutors, and in no case may the thesis tutor be part of it.
VERY IMPORTANT: There are three cases that imply automatically suspending the TFM:
1. A lack of mastery of communicative competence: If the work includes many spelling and syntactic errors, very deficient or unintelligible writing, the tutor may directly suspend the work. Given that the vehicular language of the master's degree and secondary education is Catalan, the TFM must be presented and defended in this language or, in the case of linguistic specialties, in the language of the specialty. Linguistic correction, writing and formal aspects of presentation will be considered. Likewise, it is necessary to express oneself orally with fluency and correctness and to show a high degree of understanding of academic texts.
2. Plagiarism of more than 20%: Even if the student can work on the same topic, the final report document must be unpublished and completely individual. In this case, in addition, the execution of other measures such as the opening of a disciplinary file will be assessed. Copying or plagiarism in any type of assessment activity constitutes a crime and will be penalized with a 0 as the final grade for the subject, losing the possibility of recovering it. A work, activity or exam will be considered as “copied” when it reproduces all or a significant part of the work of another colleague. A work or activity will be considered as “plagiarized” when a part of a text by an author is presented as one’s own without citing the sources, regardless of whether the original sources are on paper or in digital format.
3. Fraudulent use of Artificial Intelligence: Any irresponsible use (including incorrect or unverified quotes and documentation) will be grounds for a penalty and uses contrary to the University's ethical principles (manipulation of images for fraudulent purposes, generation of fictitious data presented as real data) will imply suspension of the TFG. In this case, the execution of other measures such as the opening of a disciplinary file will also be assessed.
m/her an automatic FAIL mark. Students who commit plagiarism cannot take part in a Viva. For further details on plagiarism policies at Universitat Autònomade Barcelona, please check: http://wuster.uab.es/web_argumenta_obert/unit_20/sot_2_01.htm
Bibliography
A list of suggested readings would be given to students during their first seminar with their tutor.
Bolívar, A., Domingo, J., y Fernández Cruz, M. (2001). La investigación biográfico-narrativa en educación: Enfoque y metodología. Madrid: La Muralla.
Cohran-Smith, M., y Lytle, S.L. (2002). Dentro/Fuera: Enseñantes que investigan. Madrid: Akal.
Connelly, M., y Clandinin, J. (1995). Relatos de Experiencia e Investigación Narrativa. En J.Larrosa, R. Arnaus, V.R. Ferrer, N. Pérez de Lara, M. Connelly, J. Clandinin, M.
Greene (eds.), Déjame que te cuente: Ensayos sobre narrativa y educación (pp. 11-
59). Barcelona: Laertes.
Guernier, M.C.; Durand, V.; Sautot, J.P. (dir.) (2007) Interactions verbales, didactiques et apprentissages. Besançon: Presses Universitaires du Franche-Comté.
Moral, C. (2006) “Criterios de validez en la investigación cualitativa actual”. RIE 24/1, pp. 147-164.
Reuter, Yves (2006) “Penser les méthodes de recherche en didactique(s)”. En Perrin-Glorian, Marie-Jeanne; Reuter, Yves (éds.) (2006) Les méthodes de recherche en didactiques (pp.13-26). Villeneuve d’Asq: Presses Universitaires du Septentrion.
Reuter, Y. (2007) Dictionnaire des concepts fondamentaux des didactiques. Bruxelles: De Boeck
Software
Not special software is needed.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.