EXPERIMENTAL EDUCATION

This course is one of the educational activities called “affini e integrative” of the master's degree program in Language Sciences that allow students to acquire the knowledge and understanding of basic research principles in the educational and pedagogical area. Starting from the epistemological foundations of the main pedagogical research paradigms, the course is oriented to develop knowledge and basic skills of empirical research in the educational / training field and of scientific, ethical and educational / training evaluation in practice and in real contexts. The course will deepen educational research, through dedicated laboratories.

Knowledge and understanding: knowledge of educational research paradigms; knowledge of methods and strategies for investigating and evaluating research and its impact on education; demonstrate understanding of the circular relationship between theory, research, ethics, educational practice and evaluation.

Applied knowledge and understanding: apply the theoretical and methodological knowledge to evaluate a research proposal in the pedagogical field in the real context and verify the effects in the real context.

Judgment autonomy: know how to evaluate and evaluate the processes and the empirical evidence; ability to evaluate the ethical aspects of the research project; ability to evaluate the research phases through hypothesis testing and comparison with other industry research; to be able to reflect, discuss and evaluate in the face of divergent theoretical perspectives in interpreting the same phenomenon. To know how to evaluate the outcome of the results in the educational / training practice.

Communication skills: ability to communicate and discuss research / evaluation results in different contexts (academic, scholastic and extra-scholastic) in a clear and reasoned manner; demonstrate to master the specialized lexicon typical of the discipline in order to communicate clearly and unambiguously the results with specialists and non-specialist interlocutors.

Learning Skills: demonstrate that you have acquired autonomous learning skills and strategies that allow you to update on educational research topics and to operate in a qualified way in school or continuing education.

For this course there are no prerequisites.

1. Fondamentals of pedagogical and educational research
2. Research paradigms and methodological considerations (science and scientific method, scientific method and pedagogy, and the aims of science)
3. Evidence Based Education
4. Ethics and educational research
5. Analysis / evaluation in the selection of scientific resources
6. Research design, research procedures and their evaluation in qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods
7. Design, application and evaluation of data collection tools
8. Evaluation of the outcomes of educational research applied in educational practice

Main references
a) Course lessons available in MOODLE (for all students)

b) D'Odorico, L., & Cassibba, R. (2002). Osservare per educare. Carocci (for non-attending students)

Further reading
Trinchero, R. (2002). Manuale di ricerca educativa (pp. 1-432). Franco Angeli.
Bassey, M. (1999) Case Study Research in Educational Settings, Buckingham, Open University Press.
Bond, T. (2005) ‘Researching Education: A Question of Trust?’ Keynote lecture given on the MEd course, University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, 2 March 2005.
Checkland, P. and Holwell, S. (1998) ‘Action Research: Its Nature and Validity’, Systemic Practice and Action Research, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 9–21.
Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2000) Research Methods in Education, London, RoutledgeFalmer.
Denscombe, M. (2003) The Good Research Guide, Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill.
Gillham, B. (2000) Case Study Research Methods, London, Continuum.
Hargreaves, D. (1999) ‘The Knowledge Creating School’, British Journal of Educational Studies, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 122–144.
Kemmis, S. (1993) ‘Action Research’ in: Hammersley, M. Ed. Educational Research: current issuesLondon, Paul Chapman.
MacGilchrist, B., Myers, K. and Reed, J. (2004) The Intelligent School, London, Sage.
Stake, R. (1995) The Art of Case Study Research, London, Sage.
Stutchbury, K. and Fox, A. (2009) ‘Ethics in Educational Research: introducing a methodological tool for effective ethical analysis’, Cambridge Journal of Education, vol 39, no.4, pp. 489–504.
Wilson, Elaine, ed. School-based research: a guide for education students. Sage, 2017.
Yin, R. (2003) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, London, Sage.

Reference texts
For students attending the course:
a) Presence lessons (handouts and slides)
b) Online lessons (handouts)
c) Final report produced by the working group

For NON-attendants:

a) Presence lessons (handouts and slides)
b) Online lessons (handouts)
c) D'Odorico, L., & Cassibba, R. (2002). Observe to educate. Carocci.

Non-attending students are requested to:
- Inform the teacher (banzato@unive.it) to take the exam as NOT attending AT LEAST ONE MONTH BEFORE the exam day.

- Contact the teacher (banzato@unive.it) to request the access key to Moodle, writing in the subject line: ACCESS CODE.

- Do "not conceive" a non-frequent exam program "by yourself". but the students must agree with the teacher (banzato@unive.it) the exame program ONE MONTH BEFORE and not on the same day of the exam. If these conditions occur (no notice and no agreement with the teachers one month before the exam) the student is informed that the program is that of the institutional syllabus published here.


Assessment methods

Learning assessment will take place through a written exam consisting of multiple-choice questions and questions with short open answers. These questions cover both theoretical knowledge and practical reasoning acquired during the course, and the application of these skills to case studies.
The evaluation criteria of the short-answer questions on theory and reasoning are: (a) the accuracy of the theoretical information reported; (b) the appropriate use of the discipline's own language; (c) the validity of argumentation; (d) the ability to communicate and explain effectively.
These criteria are also used for the search form and oral exam.
Students regularly attending classes are offered the opportunity to take a test before the end of the course.

The lectures will be integrated with collaborative learning activities, supported with video/web materials. In order to prepare students for the final exam, the course offers the opportunity to participate in educational activities through physical presence and online (Moodle) to self-evaluate learning, with the assistance of the teacher and the tutor.

NOTE: In case the measures on containment and management of the epidemiological emergency by COVID-19 continue, the course will be delivered completely online.

Italian

Students not attending class are asked to contact the teacher one month before the exam.

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development