023999 Research Literacies

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular semester, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Handbook description

This subject enables students to become competent, sophisticated readers of research by examining the conventions and assumptions within the different research traditions. The subject is designed to enable students to engage in collaborative appraisal of recent research studies as well as to individually analyse and evaluate a study pertinent to the student's field of practice.

Subject objectives/outcomes

This subject assumes that participants have prior experience with research, through satisfactory completion of prior courses in research methodologies and through some direct research experience. The subject aims to assist participants to build on that experience and develop their abilities to read educational research in more sophisticated and critical ways. By the end of the subject, participants will have:

1. acquired a sophisticated understanding of the research literacies required in doctoral level educational research
2. extended their understanding of different approaches and methods in research and of the kinds of assumptions that underpin different approaches to research (eg assumptions about knowledge, about what constitutes evidence of knowledge, about the status of 'truth' etc)
3. evolved a three-dimensional framework for reading research, which seeks to uncover both explicit and implicit assumptions of research activity
4. begun work on assembling and collecting research studies relevant to your own research interests and on undertaking a critical review of such studies.

Teaching and learning strategies

• modified lectures
• seminars
• general participation on UTSOnline
• study groups
• reading and analysing the literature

Mode of Delivery

Content

What educational research looks like and should look like is a contested terrain. This subject provides an opportunity for you to examine with your peers some of the ways the field of education and the agendas of educational research are constructed and to reflect on the three dimensions of literacies for research in Education. You will also be clarifying your own interests in research and preparing for your dissertation. The following themes, posed as general questions, will define the inquiry of this subject: What are the literacies required for doctoral level research in Education?

• What are current major debates about the nature of educational research and what are some of the positions taken on research in these debates?
• What relationships exist between broad theories of knowledge, of reality (of language) etc, specific approaches to research, and specific methods for undertaking research?
• How is methodology constructed and accomplished through the researcher's activity, including their writing of research?
• How is context relevant to the doing and the reception of research

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Online Tasks

Assessment item 2: Review

Required texts

Textbook Somekh, Bridget and Lewin, Cathy (2006) Research methods in the social sciences, London; Thousand Oaks, Calif, SAGE Publications. Required readings (posted on E-Readings) Dimensions of Research Literacies Lee, A 2007, Research Literacies for doctoral research, Powerpoint presentation, UTS February 2006 (posted in course materials folder on UTSOnline) Green, B and Lee, A (2007) Research Literacies: a dialogue (posted in course materials on UTSOnline) Lankshear, C and Snyder, I, with Green B (2000) Understanding the changing World of Literacy, Technology and Learning,, Ch 2 in Teachers and Technoliteracy: Managing literacy, technology and learning. Sydney, Allen and Unwin UTS Information Literacy Policy (2006) http://www.lib.uts.edu.au/information/information_literacy_at_uts Participating in a Research Culture Comber, B 1999, 'Shifting gears: learning to work the discourses of academic research', in A Holbrook, and S Johnston (eds), Postgraduate education in education, published by the Australian Association of Research in Education, pp 131 – 139. Simon, R 1992, 'The fear of theory', in Teaching against the grain: texts for a pedagogy of possibility, Bergin and Garvey, New York. Wisker, G, Robinson, G, Trafford, V, Creighton, E & Warnes, M 2003, 'Recognising and overcoming dissonance in postgraduate student research', Studies in Higher Education, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 91-105. Critical Reading and Writing Practices Cusack, B 1995, 'Doctoral research: identifying theoretical problems while reading', in R Cotter & SJ Marshall (eds), Research and practice in educational administration, Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorn, Victoria. Bruce, CS 1994, 'Research students' early experiences of the dissertation literature review', Studies in Higher Education, vol. 19, no. 2, pp 217-229. Delamont, A, Atkinson, P and Parry, O 1997, 'Old Manuscripts: the literature review', in Supervising the PhD: a guide to success, Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press, Buckingham. Richardson, L 2000, 'Writing: a method of inquiry', in NK Denzin, and YS Lincoln (eds), Handbook of qualitative research, 2nd edn, Sage, Thousand Oaks, London, New Delhi, pp 516-529. Lee, A 1998, 'Doctoral research as writing', in J Higgs (ed), Writing qualitative research, Hampden Press, Sydney, pp 121-133. Caffarella, RS, and Barnett, BG 2000, 'Teaching doctoral students to become scholarly writers: the importance of giving and receiving critiques', Studies in Higher Education, vol. 25, no. 1, pp 39-53. 4. Orienting to methodology Gay, LR & Airasian, P 2000, 'Introduction to educational research', Educational research: competencies for analysis and application, 6th edn, Merrill, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Smith, JK & Heshusius, L 1986, 'Closing down the conversation: the end of the quantitativequalitative debate among educational researchers', Educational Researcher, January, vol. 15, pp. 4-12. UTS Coursework Assessment Policy and Procedures Manual that may be downloaded at: http://www.gsu.uts.edu.au/policies/coursewkassess.html

References

Bulmer, M. (1985). The uses of social research: Social investigation in public policymaking. London: Falmer. Carr, W., & Kemmis, S. (1986). Becoming critical: Knowing through action research. (2nd ed.). Geelong: Deakin University Press. Cherryholmes, C. H. (1993). Reading research. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 25 (1), 1-32. Crotty M. (1998) The Foundations of Social Research Sydney, Allen & Unwin Denscombe M. (1998) The Good Research Guide. Buckingham, Open University Press. Eisner, E. (1997). The promise and perils of alternative forms of data representation. Educational Researcher, 26(6), 4-10. Frost, P., & Stablein, R (Eds.), (1992). Doing exemplary research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Keeves, J. P. (Ed.) (1988). Educational research, methodology and measurement: An international handbook. Oxford: Pergamon. Lather, P. (1991). Getting smart: Feminist research and pedagogy within/in the postmodern. New York: Routledge. McKenzie, G., Powell, J., & Usher, R. (Eds.), (1997). Understanding social research: perspectives on method and practice. London: Falmer. Mertons, D. (1998) Research Methods in Education and Psychology. Thousand Oaks, Sage. Nixon, H (2003a) New Research Literacies for Contemporary Research into Literacy and New Media, Reading Research Quarterly Vol 38, No 3, pp 407-413 Nixon, H (2003b) Digital Technologies: a new era in literacy education? Review Essay in Discourse: Studies in the cultural politics of education Vol 24, No 2, pp 263-271 Reid, J., Kamler, K, Simpson, A., & Maclean, R (1996). Do you see what I see? Reading a different classroom scene. Qualitative Studies in Education, 9 (1), 87-108. Robinson, V. M. J. (1993). Problem-based methodology: Research for the improvement of practice. Oxford: Pergamon. Robinson, V. M J. (1994). The practical promise of critical research in educational administration. Educational Administration Quarterly, 30 (1), 56-76. Rosen, M (1991). Coming to terms with the field: understanding and doing organisational ethnography. Journal of Management Studies 28 (1), 1-24. Scott, D., & Usher, R. (1996). Understanding educational research. London: Routledge. Silverman D. (2000) Doing Qualitative Research: A Practical Handbook.. London, Sage. Stronach, I., & Maclure, M. (1997). Educational research undone: The postmodern embrace. Buckingham and Philadelphia: Open University Press. Weisma W. (2000) Research Methods in Education (7th ed)Boston, Allyn & Bacon.