Suggested Scope and Depth of Research

Below are expectations for research for the PhD (Edu) Dissertation, the Masters Dissertation (Option 1) and the Masters Project (Option 2) Area PhD (Edu) Dissertation M Ed Option 1 Dissertation (18 credits) A dissertation is expected to cover a particular area of study in depth and to contribute to research in the field. Mere description or a study of perceptions of people in the field is not encouraged unless it is supported by some qualitative data. M Ed Option 2 Research Report (6 credits) A research report is expected to cover a particular area of study and to contribute to research in the field. A study undertaken for Option 2 may be a smallscale study of a phenomenon or it may be a study of perceptions.

Overview

A dissertation is expected to cover a particular area of study in depth and to contribute to research in the discipline.

A dissertation should demonstrate evidence of reading seminal work and recent contributions to body of research. The intended study should explore and address the existing gap in the area of research. The emphasis here is on a learners detailed and in-depth understanding of the phenomenon investigated.

A dissertation should examine contemporary issues in the field by presenting evidence of reading seminal work as well as recent contributions to research in an area.

The emphasis here is more on a learners understanding of the research process as well as the awareness of the limitations of his/her study rather than the in-depth understanding of the phenomenon investigated or the generalisability of his/her findings.

The emphasis here is on a learners understanding of the research process as well as the awareness of the limitations of his /her study with some in-depth understanding of the phenomenon investigated or the possible generalisability of his/her findings.

Research

Learners may use various research

Learners may use various research

Learners may use various research

Area

PhD (Edu) Dissertation

M Ed Option 1 Dissertation (18 credits) methods: qualitative, quantitative or mixed method Learners should demonstrate a high degree of rigour (e.g. justifying use of appropriate research design) in their work by applying all elements of relevant and appropriate methodology Learners are required to demonstrate a high level of originality their research work. If the study employs a quantitative approach, it should rest on a sound theoretical framework and supported by past research. For a dissertation using an experiment or survey, the analysis should include use of inferential statistics, e.g. ANOVA, t-tests or chi-square statistics at the very least. Learners should explain the appropriateness of the statistical tests used and they are encouraged to provide evidence for the assumptions underlying each statistical procedure.

M Ed Option 2 Research Report (6 credits) methods: qualitative or quantitative Learners should demonstrate the application of appropriate methodology. Learners may adopt or adapt readymade or established instruments. However, some form of pilot tests to establish their validity and reliability is expected.

Methodology

methods: qualitative, quantitative or mixed method Learners should demonstrate a high degree of rigour (e.g. justifying use of appropriate research design) in their work by applying all elements of relevant and appropriate methodology Learners are required to demonstrate a high level of originality their research work.

Quantitative Research

If the study employs a quantitative approach, it should rest on a sound theoretical framework and supported by past research. For a dissertation using an experiments or survey, the analysis should include use of inferential statistics, e.g. ANOVA, t-tests or chi-square statistics at the very least. Learners must explain the appropriateness of the statistical tests used and they must only use these tests after providing sufficient evidence for the assumptions underlying each statistical procedure. In situations where these assumptions are not met, appropriate non-parametric tests should be used and the limitations of these tests must be discussed. Apart from reporting the significance of the findings, learners are also required to discuss the practical importance by means of effect size and confidence intervals whenever appropriate.

If the study employs a quantitative approach, it should be supported by past research. For a research report using an experiment or a survey, the analysis may just focus on detailed explanations of descriptive statistics (means, standard deviation, frequency, percentages, etc). However, the use of inferential statistics such as t-test and chi-square analysis is highly encouraged. Learners should show some awareness of their understanding of the statistical assumptions when inferential statistics is used.

Area

PhD (Edu) Dissertation

M Ed Option 1 Dissertation (18 credits) If the study uses the qualitative approach, the theory building must be directed by a well developed conceptual framework.

M Ed Option 2 Research Report (6 credits) Qualitative studies should include rich thick description so that understandings of phenomena in the field are based on in-depth analyses of data.

Qualitative Research

If the study uses the qualitative approach, the theory building must be directed by a well developed conceptual framework.

Qualitative studies should include rich thick description so that understandings of phenomena in the field are based on in-depth analyses of data. The use of appropriate qualitative data analysis approaches and techniques should be clearly explained and justified with sound theories and/or past research. No. of Pages Proposal: 75 150 pages Dissertation: 250 - 300 pages (Excluding tables, figures, references and appendices)

Qualitative studies should include rich thick description so that understandings of phenomena in the field are based on in-depth analyses of data. The use of appropriate qualitative data analysis approaches and techniques should be clearly explained.

Proposal: 60-75 pages Dissertation: 120-150 pages (Excluding tables, figures, references and appendices)

Research Report: 80-100 pages (Excluding tables, figures, references and appendices)