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Doctorate in Education

PhD

In Sheffield ()

£ 2,485 + VAT

Description

  • Type

    PhD

Course description
About this course
The Doctorate in Education (EdD) is an advanced programme of study and research at doctoral level. The course is designed for professionals in education, training and allied fields, in sectors including • early years • childcare • schools • community, further, higher and adult education. It allows students to enquire into and develop their professional practice through advanced-level study and research.
The course gives you the opportunity to
• deepen your knowledge base in research and scholarship on professional policy and practice in education
• address in-depth issues derived from your own experience and practice
• develop and apply your expertise in methods of research
• produce work which makes an original contribution to knowledge and understanding in your area of professional practice.
The course draws on the expertise of the Sheffield Institute of Education and actively seeks students whose research interests are related to our own. Current research groups include • equality, diversity and social justice • higher education • professional learning • mathematics education • language and literacy education. We also have two research centres, the Centre for Education and Inclusion Research and the Centre for Science Education. For further information visit http://www.shu.ac.uk/sioe/research/
EdD award
You begin your research by studying the following modules:
• developing your research focus
• developing the literature review
• research methodologies and research design
• data analysis, interpretation and presentation
Following the successful completion of these modules you continue to develop your research in the final thesis module, submitting a thesis of 50-60,000 words.
This degree is hosted by the Faculty of Development and Society’s Graduate School. The Graduate School website is a communication hub for students and staff engaged in research, providing information about...

About this course

The next intake for this course is January 2018
This course is designed for professionals who want to further develop their knowledge and practice. We support you to conduct advanced-level research in education, making an original contribution to knowledge in your chosen area. You deepen your understanding of education policy and practice, and produce a thesis which can help advance both your career and the field of education itself.

Entry requirements
2017 entry requirements
The next intake for this course is January 2018
We normally expect you to have a relevant masters degree and significant appropriate professional experience. A key consideration is motivation and the ability to sustain in-depth study at a high level. You also need intellectual curiosity, analytical skills, and an interest in contributing to educational knowledge and improving practice.
The application process includes the submission of a research proposal of a maximum of 1500 words. This initial proposal should set out the intended area of...

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Subjects

  • Early Years
  • Interpretation
  • Data analysis
  • Design
  • School

Course programme

Course structure

Part-time – four years minimum, with six Saturdays attendance in each of the first two years, and three Saturdays a year during the thesis phase.

You are also allocated tutorial support throughout your studies.

Please contact us for information regarding recruitment. Recruiting for January 2018 only.

Typical modules may include

Doctorate modules

There are four modules in phases one and two, each designed to support you to develop your knowledge and understanding of research in the context of your own professional practice. These include:

Developing your research focus
This module provides an introduction to doctoral research, giving you an understanding of the award requirements and support provided throughout the course. You review your research proposal, deepening your knowledge of your chosen area and refining your research questions. You reflect on your own positionality and the ways this impacts on your research. You engage in critical analysis of education policy in a relevant professional practice context, such as • higher education • further education • compulsory education • post compulsory education • lifelong learning • tertiary education • early years. You develop a critical perspective on relevant policy to help you frame your enquiry, drawing on your existing knowledge and interests in your professional context.

Developing the literature review
This module enables you to explore the theoretical and empirical literature relating to the research problem you intend to explore in your thesis. The focus is on research themes of policy and practice relating to educational contexts. It builds on the first module by supporting the appropriate review of the literature in your chosen area.

Research methodologies and research design
This module develops your theoretical understanding of research methodologies and methods, and enables you to put this into practice by designing, conducting and evaluating a small empirical pilot study. The module has three aims. First, it introduces you to a range of methodological paradigms, approaches and perspectives in the social sciences; second, it develops your critical understanding of the opportunities and dilemmas in the selection of research methodologies and methods in relation to research design and the production of knowledge; and third, it develops your analytical capacity for making ethical judgements about research processes.

Data analysis, interpretation and presentation
This module provides an introduction to, and practical engagement with, approaches, processes, issues and problems in collecting, using, analysing, interpreting and presenting data in educational research. You develop your skills in preparation for the thesis component of the award. The focus is on qualitative data analysis, but you also consider quantitative analysis and ways of approaching and combining qualitative and qualitative methods. You have opportunities to try out different methods of data analysis before identifying the approach you will use for your thesis. You also examine and discuss the analytical approaches used in a range of EdD theses. For the module assignment you write an essay comprising a critical evaluation of an approach to data analysis.

Thesis component

In phase three you are supported to build on your work in earlier phases, completing a 50-60,000 word thesis on a significant topic that relates to your role and interests as a professional practitioner and makes a contribution to knowledge in the chosen field of study.

The module enables you to identify, formulate and refine a research question, problem or issue, select appropriate methods for its investigation, conduct a piece of empirical research and interpret the findings against a wider context that includes reference to previous writing and research in the field. A successful thesis should demonstrate the capacity for sustained independent work and represent a significant contribution which shows evidence of originality. It is expected, in content and standard, to contain material worthy of publication. The standards and requirements for the thesis are consistent with those for a PhD. All four cohort phase modules must be successfully completed before taking this module.

Doctorate in Education

£ 2,485 + VAT