HBEDTRD/101/0/2016
Tutorial letter 101/0/2016
THEORY AND RESEARCH IN EDUCATION
HBEDTRD
Year Module
Department of Educational Foundations
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
This tutorial letter contains important information
about your module.
, CONTENTS
Page
1 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME .............................................................................................. 3
2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE ................................................................ 3
2.1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Outcomes ............................................................................................................................ 3
3 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS ................................................................................... 4
3.1 Lecturer(s) ........................................................................................................................... 4
4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 5
4.1 Prescribed books ................................................................................................................. 5
4.2 Recommended books .......................................................................................................... 5
4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves) ........................................................................................ 5
5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE ............................................................... 5
6 MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................. 5
7 MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTERGRATED LEARNING ................................. 6
8 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................ 6
8.1 Assessment plan.................................................................................................................. 6
8.2 General assignment numbers .............................................................................................. 6
8.2.1 Unique assignment numbers .................................................................................... 6
8.2.2 Due dates for assignments ....................................................................................... 6
8.3 Submission of assignments ................................................................................................. 7
8.4 Assignments ........................................................................................................................ 8
Assignment 1 ..................................................................................................................... 8
Assignment 2 ................................................................................................................... 12
Assignment 3 ................................................................................................................... 26
9 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS ........................................................................................... 32
10 EXAMINATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 32
11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 32
12 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................ 32
2
, HBEDTRD/101
1. INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME
Dear Student
Welcome to the module ‘Theory and Research in Education’. We hope that you will find it
interesting, useful and inspiring!
This module explores different ways of thinking about educational research and the different
approaches to undertake research in education. This tutorial letter serves as an introduction to
the module and also contains your assignments.
This module can be considered as a fundamental component of the Honours B. Ed programme.
This means that it forms the foundation on which the rest of the programme is built. In this
module you will be introduced to key concepts and methods that you will apply in increasingly
sophisticated ways as you progress through the programme. It is not a module that you will
simply pass and write off. After you have completed the programme you might find yourself in a
situation where you need to undertake research as part of your work or for study purposes. In
such an instance you will have to refer back to this module.
Information regarding this module will be given in the current tutorial letter (101). Other tutorial
letters will follow during the academic year. Some of this tutorial matter may not necessarily be
available when you register. Tutorial matter that is not available when you register will be
available on myUnisa during the course of the year.
Study material at honours level will be partially online. It means that material which you
receive as a hard copy will also be available online. If you do not receive a hard copy in
time or lose it during the course of the year, you can obtain it online.
If you need information regarding your studies, consult Studies on the UNISA website
and pay specific attention to the brochure: my Studies @ UNISA. You can also send an
e-mail to
2. PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE
2.1 Purpose
The purpose of the module is to develop postgraduate-level knowledge, skills and
competencies which will enable you to be competent researchers in an educational context.
2.2 Outcomes
The module seeks to prepare you to meet the overall exit level outcomes of the programme.
The specific learning outcomes for this module are as follows:
LO 1: Understand the terminology and procedures of quantitative and qualitative
research in an educational context;
LO 2: Apply different practical skills involved in conducting qualitative and quantitative
research in education.
3
, How is the module structured?
You will have to purchase the prescribed textbook mentioned in (4).
In support of the prescribed text we have compiled a workbook, which you should receive as
tutorial letter 102. The workbook comprises structured activities that will guide you through
your engagement with the prescribed text. It will help you to understand the concepts better.
Section A: Introduction to research in education
This section comprises structured activities that will guide you through Part I of the prescribed
textbook. By the end of this section you should be able to answer questions such as the
following:
What is research and why do we undertake it?
What is meant by evidence-based inquiry?
What do research designs and reports look like?
How are research problems, statements, questions and hypotheses formulated?
What is entailed in a literature review?
Section B: Introduction to quantitative research
This section comprises structured activities that will guide you through Part II of the prescribed
textbook. By the end of this section you should be able to answer questions such as the
following:
What is quantitative research?
How can we use statistical information?
How do we collect quantitative data?
How do we design quantitative research proposals?
How do we infer probabilities from statistical information?
Section C: Introduction to qualitative research
This section comprises structured activities that will guide you through Part III of the prescribed
textbook. By the end of this section you should be able to answer questions such as the
following:
What is qualitative research?
What strategies are used in qualitative research?
How do we analyze qualitative data?
3. LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS
3.1 Lecturer(s)
The names and contact details of the lecturers will be provided in tutorial letter 102/2016.
4
Tutorial letter 101/0/2016
THEORY AND RESEARCH IN EDUCATION
HBEDTRD
Year Module
Department of Educational Foundations
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
This tutorial letter contains important information
about your module.
, CONTENTS
Page
1 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME .............................................................................................. 3
2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE ................................................................ 3
2.1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Outcomes ............................................................................................................................ 3
3 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS ................................................................................... 4
3.1 Lecturer(s) ........................................................................................................................... 4
4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 5
4.1 Prescribed books ................................................................................................................. 5
4.2 Recommended books .......................................................................................................... 5
4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves) ........................................................................................ 5
5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE ............................................................... 5
6 MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................. 5
7 MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTERGRATED LEARNING ................................. 6
8 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................ 6
8.1 Assessment plan.................................................................................................................. 6
8.2 General assignment numbers .............................................................................................. 6
8.2.1 Unique assignment numbers .................................................................................... 6
8.2.2 Due dates for assignments ....................................................................................... 6
8.3 Submission of assignments ................................................................................................. 7
8.4 Assignments ........................................................................................................................ 8
Assignment 1 ..................................................................................................................... 8
Assignment 2 ................................................................................................................... 12
Assignment 3 ................................................................................................................... 26
9 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS ........................................................................................... 32
10 EXAMINATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 32
11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 32
12 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................ 32
2
, HBEDTRD/101
1. INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME
Dear Student
Welcome to the module ‘Theory and Research in Education’. We hope that you will find it
interesting, useful and inspiring!
This module explores different ways of thinking about educational research and the different
approaches to undertake research in education. This tutorial letter serves as an introduction to
the module and also contains your assignments.
This module can be considered as a fundamental component of the Honours B. Ed programme.
This means that it forms the foundation on which the rest of the programme is built. In this
module you will be introduced to key concepts and methods that you will apply in increasingly
sophisticated ways as you progress through the programme. It is not a module that you will
simply pass and write off. After you have completed the programme you might find yourself in a
situation where you need to undertake research as part of your work or for study purposes. In
such an instance you will have to refer back to this module.
Information regarding this module will be given in the current tutorial letter (101). Other tutorial
letters will follow during the academic year. Some of this tutorial matter may not necessarily be
available when you register. Tutorial matter that is not available when you register will be
available on myUnisa during the course of the year.
Study material at honours level will be partially online. It means that material which you
receive as a hard copy will also be available online. If you do not receive a hard copy in
time or lose it during the course of the year, you can obtain it online.
If you need information regarding your studies, consult Studies on the UNISA website
and pay specific attention to the brochure: my Studies @ UNISA. You can also send an
e-mail to
2. PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE
2.1 Purpose
The purpose of the module is to develop postgraduate-level knowledge, skills and
competencies which will enable you to be competent researchers in an educational context.
2.2 Outcomes
The module seeks to prepare you to meet the overall exit level outcomes of the programme.
The specific learning outcomes for this module are as follows:
LO 1: Understand the terminology and procedures of quantitative and qualitative
research in an educational context;
LO 2: Apply different practical skills involved in conducting qualitative and quantitative
research in education.
3
, How is the module structured?
You will have to purchase the prescribed textbook mentioned in (4).
In support of the prescribed text we have compiled a workbook, which you should receive as
tutorial letter 102. The workbook comprises structured activities that will guide you through
your engagement with the prescribed text. It will help you to understand the concepts better.
Section A: Introduction to research in education
This section comprises structured activities that will guide you through Part I of the prescribed
textbook. By the end of this section you should be able to answer questions such as the
following:
What is research and why do we undertake it?
What is meant by evidence-based inquiry?
What do research designs and reports look like?
How are research problems, statements, questions and hypotheses formulated?
What is entailed in a literature review?
Section B: Introduction to quantitative research
This section comprises structured activities that will guide you through Part II of the prescribed
textbook. By the end of this section you should be able to answer questions such as the
following:
What is quantitative research?
How can we use statistical information?
How do we collect quantitative data?
How do we design quantitative research proposals?
How do we infer probabilities from statistical information?
Section C: Introduction to qualitative research
This section comprises structured activities that will guide you through Part III of the prescribed
textbook. By the end of this section you should be able to answer questions such as the
following:
What is qualitative research?
What strategies are used in qualitative research?
How do we analyze qualitative data?
3. LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS
3.1 Lecturer(s)
The names and contact details of the lecturers will be provided in tutorial letter 102/2016.
4
