Research Methodology Review – Dialogic Teaching in Primary Education

Essay 2 Guidance
Essay two should have a methodological focus, the purpose being to deepen your understanding of methodological issues in preparation for your dissertation. This essay should be well grounded in the literature, including research-based literature in your main field of study as well as general literature on research methods.

In Essay two you are asked to carry out a critique of the methodology used in two robust and substantial educational research studies published in peer-reviewed journals. These studies would preferably be ones that are related to your own research topic and they may use similar or contrasting methodologies to your own proposed study.
General Focus: Critical evaluation of research methods used for investigation in a research study or studies

For this second assignment, you will submit a 4000-6000 word critical evaluation of two empirical papers that illustrate research methods in an area of particular interest to you. Typically the two papers will offer differing methodological approaches to the chosen research topic. The primary objective of your critique will be to address issues of research methodology. Reference to research methods texts to support the critique is expected. Normally, the papers will be on a topic that is close to your proposed research project and dissertation, and may make use of methodological approaches that could be considered appropriate for your research project (although ultimately you may pursue a different methodology). The process of doing the essay should assist the development of your research project and provide you with the opportunity to consider the various possibilities available to you in your research context.

NB: In order to fulfil Faculty guidelines regarding study and training in research methodologies and methods, you will need to demonstrate awareness of quantitative and qualitative elements in research designs. For example, you cannot critique a paper using a particular methodology/method eg case study, without considering its limitations in relation to other methods i.e. what alternative research designs might have provided. This would mean you would have to mention, for example, a large scale quantitative approach (even if you did not specify it in detail) and consider why the researcher rejected this choice in favour of case study. To do all this effectively in your essay you would also be citing alternative papers using different research approaches.

Choosing the articles
o You will make your own selection of articles, which must be approved by your supervisor.
o The chosen articles should be discussed with your essay supervisor before work on the essay begins.
o The articles should be substantial empirical papers from peer-reviewed journals (e.g., British Educational Research Journal (BERJ), Educational Action Research Journal (EARJ),

Research Papers in Education, Teaching and Teacher Education), generally published within the last ten years.
o A copy of the articles should be appended to the essay (see specific submission instructions on the main Masters information moodle site).

Essay 2 should:
• Analyse and evaluate the ways in which the studies you have chosen were conceptualised, including
o relation to other theoretical and empirical work in the field of the study;
o an examination of the research questions or hypotheses, their importance and formulation, together with the operational definitions used or developed of the concepts involved
• Provide an overview of methodological approaches to the particular field of inquiry.
o A summary of the main points of the studies should appear early in the essay so that your essay provides a context for the discussion which follows.

• Discuss the studies’ overall design and methodological approaches, including
o the particular methods adopted for the collection and analysis of evidence,
o sampling,
o their fitness for purpose in answering the research questions, or testing the hypotheses,
o issues of validity and reliability of measures
o consideration of appropriate statistical procedures (if relevant).

• Consider the interpretations of the evidence presented in the articles, including
o attempts to relate the evidence presented to the wider literature;
o discussion of any ethical issues associated with the study/studies.
• Report both the strengths and weaknesses of the studies.

• Suggest ways in which the methodological aspects of the studies could have been strengthened, or perhaps improved upon by the use of different approaches or methods of data collection and analysis, within the scale of the original studies.

• Note briefly any important implications for your personal research project.