Psychology and Education

This module introduces students to key issues in education and educational research that will underpin their studies, regardless of which pathway they take through the full-time masters programme. It outlines current and historical and theoretical approaches to education and introduces the key paradigms of educational research. The module also considers critical issues in education and educational research, drawing on the research strengths of the module team focusing on a range of areas including educational psychology, globalisation, disability and inequalities, enabling the module to provide a foundation for other modules on the programme. The module thus offers students an opportunity to develop a critical stance towards some of the most pressing issues in educational research in contemporary societies.

This module examines the core concepts of Developmental Psychology, including cognition (intelligence, language, learning) and emotional development, behaviour and well-being, social development (including family and attachment, peer relations and trauma) as well as the study of individual differences (with reference to developmental differences such as autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and mental health conditions). The increasing digitisation of learning and online media is explored across a range of educational contexts and childcare professions. The ways in which psychological research and theory has affected a range of governmental policies, services and professional practices and wider societal attitudes to young people will be considered within transnational contexts.

This module introduces different approaches to conceptualising learners and learning which fall within the broad field of critical psychology. The module begins with an introduction to the development of mainstream psychology in Europe and America, and an exploration of the subsequent development of alternative and critical psychological perspectives. Within the broader critical psychology landscape are a number of different threads (such as discursive psychology, indigenous psychology and feminist psychology). This module will examine the key principles of these various critical psychological perspectives with particular attention to their concepts of learning, learners, and learning communities. It will offer a challenge to some of the dominant ideas around learning which have emerged from mainstream fields of psychology since the 19th Century.

This module introduces students to the processes involved in designing an educational research project, conducting the study and completing the research report. The module focuses on research design, identifying and refining a research topic, reflecting on a researcher's philosophical perspective and positionality, formulating research questions and choosing appropriate methods to use in particular instances and settings. It explores the principles of data analysis and outlines issues to be considered in the presentation of findings from a research process. It aims to provide students with the skills and knowledge required to complete a dissertation in an education-related field.

The dissertation is a major part of the MA in Education and associated programmes. The dissertation topic can develop a theme raised during the taught part of the course, or an issue which relates to the specialised research areas covered by the students' own interests. The Course Team provides guidance on the choice of a suitable topic for investigation and advice and support throughout the study period (December to August). A wide variety of study is possible, including empirical studies, theoretical reviews, historical or philosophical investigations. The dissertation is 12,000-15,000 words in length. Each student is allocated a supervisor - a specialist in the research area. Students and supervisors work together over the four months of the dissertation period before submission of the thesis.