What are teacher’s perceptions of using
observations to improve teaching and learning?

Description of the assessment

Assessment will be
production of a dissertation (15000 words +/- 10%)

Module Learning Outcomes

· Outline and critically evaluate the feasibility of a small-scale
educational study in an area of relevance to the student and the education
profession.

· Compile a critical review of pertinent academic literature in
order to situate the educational study, drawing upon a range of sources from
theory, policy and practice.

· Design, implement and evaluate an appropriate and ethical
methodology for the small-scale study, drawing upon pertinent academic
literature to inform the appropriateness.

· Collect, record, analyse and interpret data appropriate to the
educational study in order to highlight the outcomes of the investigation in
relation to existing knowledge.

· Apply effective communication and presentation skills in line
with those expected of a Master of Arts in Education.

Assessment Content

Summative Assessments are the pieces of
coursework that you complete which contribute towards your final grade in this
module.  All Assessment will be both
formative and summative with the opportunity throughout for you to assess
yourself and make sense of new learning. You should take the feedback that you
receive from your supervisor and use it to help you improve your performance. Details
of the summative assessment are shown below.

You
must submit your final dissertation via the Turnitin submission point by the
stated deadline.

Part 1:

Proposal Structure

It is important to stress that the Research
Proposal is an important statement of intention that will be considered by the
examiners to assess your success in implementing it. It also represents an
agreement between the supervisor and yourself as to the viability of the
proposed project and the criteria by which it will be judged. It is suggested
that you adopt the following format in presenting your dissertation.

Title or topic area of proposed
study:

Your working title should reflect the
content of your proposal. The title should be focused and summative.

What
is the aim and objectives of your study?

This section should contain your reasons
for the particular focus of the study and the background literature to which
the project relates.

This is the important part of the proposal.
It should tell the reader why you feel the research that you are planning is
worth the effort. This may be expressed in the form of a problem that needs
solving or something that you find exciting and has aroused your curiosity. The
reader will be looking for evidence here that there is sufficient interest from
you to sustain you over the long months ahead. This is also the section where
you will demonstrate your knowledge of the relevant literature. Moreover, it
will clarify where your proposal fits into the debate in the literature. You
will be expected to show a clear link between the previous work that has been
done in your field of research interest and the content of your proposal.
(Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2003, p.30)

Aims and objectives need to be focused,
manageable, observable. See the section on how to write aims and objectives and
grading criteria (3.1). You are encouraged to consider only one aim. Discuss
with your supervisor if you are not clear about the number of aims and
objectives.

Brief review of relevant
literature and rationale for study

This need only provide references of
approximately 6 key publications. It is not necessary to attach copies of the
publications.

Outline of study design and methods (Research Strategy
and Methodology)

It will detail precisely how you intend to
go about achieving your research objectives. It will also justify your choice
of method in the light of those objectives. These two aims may be met by
dividing your method section into two parts: research design and data
collection. In the part on research design, you will explain where you intend
to carry out the research. You will also need to explain the identity of your
research population. This section should also include an explanation of the
general way in which you intend to carry out the research. Will it be based on
a survey, interviews, examination of secondary data or a combination of
methods? Here again it is essential to explain why you have chosen your approach.
Your explanation should be based on the most effective way of meeting your
research objectives. The research design section gives an overall view of the
method chosen and the reason for that choice. (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
2003, p.30)

Part 2

Dissertation
Structure:

It is suggested that you adopt the
following format in presenting your dissertation:

Title
Page: It should contain details of the title,
student name, programme and year of submission.

Abstract: It should provide a brief summary of the dissertation. It should
state the nature and purpose of the dissertation and outline the approach
adopted.

Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements of outside help (NB not tutorial support)

Table
of Contents: It should list the sequence with page
numbers of all relevant subdivisions of the dissertation; i.e. chapter headings
section and sub-section (if appropriate).

List
of Tables

List
of Figures/Illustrations

Introduction
(or Chapter 1): It should provide a clear statement
of the aim of the dissertation and how it relates to existing work and an
outline of its main findings.

Main
Body of Dissertation (or Section 2…etc): It should
be consistently laid out in terms of chapter and section headings:

·        
Introduction,
Aims and Objectives

·        
Literature
Review

·        
Methodology

·        
Data
Presentation or Findings

·        
Data
Analysis or Analysis

·        
Conclusion
(and recommendations)

Reference
List: The dissertation should include a list of all
relevant texts/journals used.

Bibliography: The bibliography should include a list of references cited in the
main text and any other background reading.

Appendices: The appendices should only include material that is not central to
the arguments in the main text.