MA Childhood Studies(Part-Time)

Year 1

Learning outcomes

On completion of the programme students should have shown evidence of being able:
- Understand and critique different approaches, paradigms and frameworks in the international study of children and young people's everyday lives and education;
- Understand and devise appropriate research strategies; develop study design and the use of innovative methods and techniques in academic research, professional practice and consultations with children and young people.

Transferable (key) skills

- Written communication: skills developed in preparing assignments requiring an analytical argument, critical evaluation and mobilization of evidence and use the standard conventions (such as referencing) consistently and correctly.
- Oral communication skills: developed through group work and giving presentations
- Information technology: through the use of literature search databases and the internet as a learning and research resource in the preparation of assignments;
- Numeracy: through the critical appreciation of statistics within a research context;
- Research skills: in critically understanding research design and data production methods, and their application to a research question.

Assessment

Achievement for the Postgraduate Certificate will be assessed by written assignments in accordance with the learning outcomes of the programme: an essay of 6,000 words and a research methods report of 6,000 words. This will involve the achievement of the students in:
- drawing on a range of perspectives in the study of children,
- constructing and formulating of an analytical argument;
- drawing on and understanding a range of complex research and sources;
- critically evaluating and interpreting evidence;
- applying understanding of a research design and method to a specific problem and evaluating its strengths and weaknesses in practice;
- using the conventions of academic/research report writing in a consistent and correct way.