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M Ed on Educational Leadership and School Improvement (ELSI): ELSI 7: Research methods in educational leadership for school improvement

Course Description

 

The research course aims at supporting in-service middle leaders and aspirant and in-service senior leaders (The students) to design an ethically sound research proposal in contexts related to educational leadership for school improvement in the UAE. The course serves as a foundation for thesis writing, the final project in M.ED. ELSI. Program. In this course, students will develop advanced skills in formulating good research questions related to educational leadership challenges or areas of leadership practice for school improvement that they wish to focus on. Students will also critically evaluate a range of leadership inquiry and research methods and processes to analyze innovative leadership practices in schools in the UAE. Students will develop a flexible repertoire of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods and approaches that foster educational leadership practice for school improvement. Utilizing practice-oriented methods such as leaders’ interviews, observations, questionnaires and surveys, and shadowing in leadership context, the course will provide the students with opportunities to link research methods to practice by seeking solutions to school leadership problems within the educational field in the UAE. Sampling strategies and research ethics will also be part of the course focus. In addition, students will engage in critical evaluation of literature and will develop specialized knowledge and skills of research principles and procedures, and educational leadership theory and practice to develop their research and prepare them to produce their thesis.  

Books

Course Resources

 

Week 1

 

Required Readings:

(Chapter 4: How to critically review the literature and develop good research questions)

(The purpose of literature reviewing).

  Recommended Reading:

(Chapter 2: The nature of research in education/ Chapter 3: Reviewing the Literature)

 

Week 2

 

Required Readings:

(Chapter 4: How to critically review the literature and develop good research questions) (Chapters 5-How to Write a research Proposal &Chapter 6- Research Ethics)

(The purpose of literature reviewing).

  Recommended Reading:

 (Chapter 3- Reviewing the Literature)

 (Chapter 4-Writing Strategies and Ethical Considerations)

 

Week 3

 

Required Reading:

(Chapter 16-Type of Qualitative Research/ Chapter 21-Mixed Methods approach)

Recommended Readings:

(Chapters 4 and 5).

(Chapter 15,16,17-Qualitative and Mixed Methods Types).

 

Week 4

 

Required Reading:

(Chapters 12 and 13 experimental designs, Chapter 14).

Recommended Reading:

 (Chapter 10/Experimental designs, Chapter 11/Non experimental designs)

 

Week 5

 

Required Reading:

(Chapter 17- Data Collection Tools in Qualitative Research)

  Recommended Reading:

(Chapter 8-Methods of Data Collection in Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Research).

 

Week 6

 

Required Reading:

(Chapter 19- Analysing and Reporting Qualitative data)

Recommended Reading:

(Chapter 20-Data Analysis in Qualitative and Mixed Research).

 

Week 7

 

Required Reading:

(Chapters 8, 9 & 11)

Recommended Reading:

              (Chapters 5,6 & 17)

 

Week 8

 

Required Reading:

(Chapters 18 and 19)

Recommended Readings:

(Chapter 7)

 

Week 9

 

Required Reading:

(Chapter 20)

  Recommended Readings:

 

Week 10

 

Required Reading:

  Recommended reading:

 (Chapter 4-Writing Strategies and Ethical Considerations)

 

Week 11

 

Required Reading:

  Recommended reading:

 (Chapter 4-Writing Strategies and Ethical Considerations)