PHUV9370 Classroom Research Course description

Approved by the Doctoral Committee 28.03.2019. Minor changes approved 27.04.2020.

This PhD-course is open for candidates at the PhD Programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education, PhD candidates from other relevant programmes, and academic employees.

Language: English (or Norwegian, dependent on the language of participants and course holders).

The classroom is the most important arena for research on learning and teaching. This includes the implementation of curricula, the teacher-student relationships, the students’ different learning conditions, the use of different teaching methods, classroom and group organization, students with special needs, teacher collaboration and more.

The course will focus on central research methods used in classroom research: Observation, including video observation, various forms of interviews, re-use of data and analysis of data. The main aim is to introduce the participants to observation and interview as research methods in the context of classroom research, to provide an insight into research designs and analytical approaches, and to build participants` capacity to create and implement adequate research designs on their own.

The course is organized by the research community "Classroom research" (Klasseromsforskning) and the Faculty of Education and International Studies, Department of Primary and Secondary Teacher Education.

On completion of the course, the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The candidate

• is in the forefront of qualitative classroom research
• has in-depth knowledge of observation and interview as central research methods
• can evaluate the expediency and application of different methods and processes in classroom research (different traditions in observational methodology, interview methodology, observation design, interview design and approaches to analysing data)
• has in-depth knowledge about ethical challenges concerning classroom research
• has in-depth knowledge of validity, reliability and generalizability in qualitative classroom research
• can assess the appropriateness and application of various observation and interview methods in qualitative classroom research
• can contribute to the development of different approaches to analysing observation and interview data in the filed of classroom research
• can contribute to the development of new knowledge, new theories, methods, interpretations and forms of documentation in the field of classroom research

Skills

The candidate:

• can professionally carry out classroom observation and interviews
• can design and carry out research and academic development related to classroom observation and interviews
• can develop, create and implement different observation and interview designs at a high international level in the context of classroom research
• can challenge established knowledge and practice within classroom research

General competence

The candidate:

• can identify and establish constructive connections between theories, research methods, empirical data, analysis and findings
• can identify relevant ethical issues regarding the use of classroom observation and interviews
• can present their research with high academic integrity
• can participate in discussions around methodological benefits and challenges related to the use of observation and interviews in qualitative classroom research

Lectures, seminars and workshops:

• in lectures, the focus is on theoretical and practical perspectives on observation, interviews and analysis of data in the context of classroom research
• in seminars, the candidates must be prepared to present and discuss their own research project and use of methods, and to provide feedback on other participants’ contributions
• in workshops, the candidates will receive comments on their paper from course leaders and fellow students. The paper should be linked to the candidate’s PhD-project, and focus on methodology and/or analysis of data relevant to classroom research

Preparations for the course

Students are expected to read the syllabus before the first part of the course to be able to participate actively in discussions.

Coursework requirement are:

1. 80 % attendance on the course.

2. Each participant presents orally his/her research project in a plenary seminar with focus on research methods and analysis, 10 minutes each.

The candidate writes an individual paper of 2000 - 4000 words plus reference liste. The paper must be written in English. Norwegian may be used if all participants are proficient in a scandinavian language.

In case of failed exam/legal absence, the candidate may have a new exam under the same conditions when a new/postponed exam is arranged. If the paper is not graded with "pass", the candidate must submit a revised version within a given time limit.

The grades are "pass" or "fail". The requirement for "pass" is that the paper builds on insights from the syllabus and outlines ideas on topics related to classroom research.

The paper will be assessed by the course coordinator and a member of the academic staff with relevant genre competence.