Presentation at ECER Conference Sept 2015

1. Developing a Research Methods
Pedagogy for International Masters
Students
Phil Wood & Joan Smith
pbw2@le.ac.uk jms32@le.ac.uk
School of Education

2. Exploring research methods pedagogy
Our context:
• Masters in International Education
• 20-25 students per year international cohort
• Diverse linguistic ability
• Diverse undergraduate experience (none to explicit coverage)
• Diverse professional experience

3. Some starting points
What are we trying to achieve?
Research methods or research literacy?

4. Conceptual Foundations
Kiley, M & Wisker, G (2010) 'Learning to be a researcher: the concepts and crossings.'
in Jan H.F Meyer, Ray Land & Caroline Baillie (ed.), Threshold concepts and
transformational learning, Sense Publishers, Netherlands, 399-414.

5. Exploring Application

6. Issues and Emerging Themes
o Language
• Conceptual and linguistic richness – language is less of an
issue than concepts
• Developing use of a conceptual language, an issue for ALL
students
• But for some still a major issue at the end of the module
(assignments)
• Pre-reading/online videos (and focused tasks)
opportunity to bring ‘knowledge’ to the session
opportunity to learn vocabulary – less WM used
• Use of ‘opening up’ papers
frameworked
modelling/exemplars of methodological approaches
• Discursive and varied approaches
conversational/exploratory dialogue
‘slow’ approach
explicit discussion of the ‘scientific method’ and
alternatives

7. o Pedagogies
• Varied level of prior learning
• Expectations concerning learning
• Role of questioning and reflection
• Flexible/responsive approach.
changed and amended approaches/content as the
module unfolded, ‘emergent curriculum’
• Group work – focused and meaningful (non-assessed)
students value opportunity to discuss and share
• Team teaching
developing ideas together
debate/model uncertainty and multiple approaches
• Concept mapping
opportunity to synthesise and ‘understand’

8. o Writing and assignments
• Narrative and coherence
• Conceptual understanding
• Research ‘management’/independence
• Assignments
formative assessment – ‘mini conference’ with
presentations and posters
final assignment – piloting and initial thinking towards
dissertation (diagnostic & formative)
move towards independence
• Critical writing
three days over the course of the year
(one input, two voluntary)
writing as social and peer supported practice
moving from reading to writing

9. Future Changes/Foci for Exploration
• The role of reading and writing
how does criticality emerge?
social writing approaches
scaffolding reading and writing for understanding
closer collaboration with English Language Teaching Unit
• Greater use of structured follow-up tasks
for deepening/extending understanding – possible starting
point for personalisation
• Quantitative methods
demystifying
understanding and using others’ data
developing application

10. • Extending the blended learning environment
• Wider, more inclusive dialogue and debate
• Data analysis and INTERPRETATION
• Development of ‘micro-lesson study’ for task design and
understanding
• Podcasts for terminology and concepts
• Academic Paper ‘Anatomies’
more in-depth consideration of language, writing approaches,
structures and academic arguments
• Research methods modules are needed – but by themselves they
are not enough. This is a whole course issue

11. Links
http://rmped.weebly.com
http://hereflections.wordpress.com