ACIT5930 Master's Thesis, Phase 3 Course description

The master's thesis is a specialized individual research project. Phase 3 (MT-3) is dedicated to final analysis and/or prototype development and writing the Master's thesis. Prototypes and/or other products that are developed as part of the project can also be part of the final thesis.;

In addition, there will be a series of workshops on the academic writing and effective communication of the thesis project, building on the workshops in Phase 1 and 2. Students will develop an awareness of the conventions of academic writing and the writing process and use a range of analytical tools and methods to develop their writing and writing practices as part of writing their thesis.

Master's Thesis - MT1 (Phase 1) and Master's Thesis - MT2 (Phase 2) must be passed before starting on MT3 (Phase 3).

All courses must be passed before the written Master's thesis can be assessed and the oral presentation conducted.;

A student who has completed this course should have the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student:

• has specialized knowledge on the specific areas of their Master thesis
• has a deep understanding of scientific writing as a process of both constructing and communicating meaning.
• is familiar with the structures and conventions of methods and results chapters.

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student:

• can clearly define and limit problem areas
• can connect his/her own project to relevant research literature
• can plan and carry out limited research or development projects
• can identify types and scopes of results which are required to ensure the claims and conclusions are scientifically valid
• can reflect on the decisions made and their consequences for the project
• can effectively draft, revise and develop the written communication of their research

General competence

On successful completion of this course the student:

• can apply knowledge and skills in new areas and carry out advanced projects
• can analyse and deal critically with developed products or collected data
• can carry out comprehensive independent study
• can contribute to the innovation of their field
• can apply effective writing strategies to diverse academic writing situations, including the writing of academic research articles.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence

Knowledge

The student

• has awareness and knowledge of the factors that constitute a person's identity
• has knowledge of the concept of ‘Culture’, and an awareness of the individual student’s culture in particular
• has knowledge of childhood and identity construction;

Skills

The student

• has skills in observing and analysing a new educational and;cultural setting
• has skills in communicating across cultural and linguistic borders
• has the ability to facilitate inclusive practices in groups characterised by diversity
• has the ability to observe and compare different educational settings;

General competence

The student

• is able to reflect on experiences of other international students’ languages and cultures
• has an awareness of the implications of living in a globalised world
• is able to develop an awareness of challenges and possibilities within multicultural perspectives in education
• is able to reflect on experiences of the multiple cultural settings in kindergartens / schools in Oslo

Successful completion of MT-1 (Phase 1) and MT-2 (Phase 2) forms the basis for MT-3. The work is carried out under the guidance of the supervisor appointed at the start of MT-1.

In addition to the project work, there will be a series of working during which students will be provided with a range of analytical tools and methods to help develop their writing skills. Students will also receive formative feedback on draft versions of their texts from the course instructor and their peers, with a focus on the final master's thesis and draft research article.;

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

1. A draft text of the masters thesis or draft research paper;
2. A peer review of another students draft text of the masters thesis
3. A Process Memo (reflection on the feedback received);

The final assessment will be based on the following four deliveries:

• A written Master thesis (Length: 20,000-30,000 words, using one of the available document templates).
• A draft research paper (Length: 3,000-6,000 words)
• Individual oral presentation (30 minutes).
• Any physical or digital artefact that has been developed by the student as part of the research project. The mode of submission must be approved by the supervisor beforehand and the artefact must be made available in such a way to be inspected by the examiners. In the case of a physical artefact, video and images may be used to document the properties of it, eliminating the need for a physical inspection.

The master's thesis is assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• The originality and / or relevance of the issues or research questions to the field of study.
• Clarity in the development of issues or research questions being addressed.
• Documentation and use of relevant theory and research, as well as systematic;use of sources.
• Clarity in the relationship between issues / research questions being addressed, the method choices / methodologies employed and the resulting discussions / conclusions.
• Ability to collect, systematize, interpret / deconstruct and present knowledge in a clear way.
• Reflection on ethical issues in the research process.
• Written presentation (clear table of contents, accurate literature references, bibliography and appendices).

Theses are written in Norwegian or English. The oral exam can be taken in Norwegian or English, regardless of which language the thesis was written in.

All exams must be passed in order to pass the course.;

Students can appeal against the grade set for the written part of the exam. If the grade is changed after an appeal against the grade, and the oral exam has already been held, the oral exam must be retaken.

New/postponed exam

In case of failed exam or legal absence, the student may apply for a new or postponed exam. New or postponed exams are offered within a reasonable time span following the regular exam. The student is responsible for applying for a new/postponed exam within the time limits set by OsloMet. The Regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet.

All aids are permitted.

Grade scale A-F.

The written thesis must be awarded a grade of A-E (preliminary grade) in order for a student to take the oral exam. The final grade is set after the oral exam. The grade can be adjusted up or down by one grade based on the oral exam.

Two external examiners will be used for the assessment.

Culture and Identity is one of the courses under;Nordic Childhoods. Joint events with the other Nordic Childhoods courses are integrated into the course. The student`s cultural background is a resource during lectures and class room discussions, through experience-based learning and critical reflection. The course includes fieldwork observations in kindergartens and schools, in addition to visits to relevant sites.

Important components in the pedagogical work with children in a Nordic context are play, learning related to play, nature and community surroundings. In this course, the focus is on the Norwegian educational system in both a broader and more specific Norwegian context.

Culture and identity adress;the question of who we are, and is related to definitions of the other, as well as by the other: Who are 'we';and who are 'the others'. These are not static concepts, but are rather subject due to sociocultural change both nationally as well as globally.

One of the defining forces of culture and identity is religion. Religious diversity is part of; cultural diversity and the changes that have developed globally, hence it also affects culture and identity in the Norwegian context. How does this affect Norwegian childhoods?

The power-relations and political forces around the child and childhoods are important drivers of these changes, producing various kinds of school systems, and preschool and kindergarten systems. Culture and identity is therefore not only about who we are, but also very much about childhood perspectives and construcs and how they affect us. The question becomes not only who we are, but also 'Who do they want us to be'?

Norway, like most other societies today, is a 'multicultural';society. The Sami indigenous people living in the Nordic countries have long been a part of this cultural diversity. Related to this, it is also important to focus on power relations between minorities and majorities. Culture and identity, involving definitions of 'us';and 'them', also enables;racism and discrimination towards ethnic and linguistic;minorities, as well as the politics of assimilation of the Sami. In this and many other regards, Norway and Nordic societies are no different from other countries, showing;attributies similar;to those of he rest of the larger global system, which Norway is a part of.