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Audio
files
This page links to various audio teaching materials by me (sorry about
the Portsmouth accent) and others. Download/play and save in your own
libraries and formats.The files are recorded in what I like to think of
as an informal, homely and lo-tech manner. Others might use the
term 'amateur'.
So, for example, download and transfer to your MP3 player and listen to
us as you travel to work, do the washing up, walk the dog, clean the
house etc
If you just doubleclick the file, the MP3 will start playing in your
default player. To save the file eg to your desktop, right click and
choose 'Save Link Target As..' or equivalent.
Research
Methods
Introductory
Taking a research methods course.
This refers to the course we do at UCP Marjon, but there are some
general issues -like what the academic
issues are as well as the practical
ones. NB the volume is set pretty high on this file -- locate your
volume control first or you'll blow your eardrums-- sorry
Why research.
Focuse on academic agendas again, so you know. Research is supposed to
help us find something out so we can make progress towards better
theories or better policies. One particular approach says we should
try to 'falsify' earlier work -- find evidence that challenges or
criticises it. There are files on this 'critical rationalist' approach here
Add value to your questionnaire (or any quantitiative approach --
systematic observation, structured interview etc). Mentions some common
problems -- not asking enough questions, asking the wrong sort of
questions.Rehearses the main point -- that you use questionnaires to
find something out. In the podcast I mention the excellent Question
Bank found here. It
is a treasure trove of official research with details of questions
asked and actual questionniares used so you can see the layout. find
those by clicking'questionnaires'. Get general advice by clicking 'data
collection'.
Research paradigms
Dr Paul Sutton (mostly) and I (a bit) discuss the view that there are
separate research paradigms in social science and that a knowledge of
background philosophical about how humans get to know the world
leads to deeper understanding. The talk focuses on the 'critical
realist' paradigm especially. Books and authors mentioned include:
Bryman,
A
(2004)
Social
Research
Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Foucault,
M. (1980) Power/Knowledge: selected interviews and other writings,
Brighton: Harvester Press.
Seale
C. (ed)
(2004) Social Research Methods A Reader, London: Routledge ( I
didn't mention this but it is a good source of 'philosophical' material)
On critical realism especially:
Benton, T.
(1977) Philosophical Foundations
of the Three Sociologies
Benton, T
& Craib, I (2001) Philosophy
of
Social
Science
Bhaskar, R.
(1989) Reclaiming
Reality, Ch 1 & 5
Collier, A.
(1994) Critical
Realism: An Introduction to the Work of Roy Bhasker's
Philosophy
Dean, K. et
al (2006) Realism,
Philosophy
and
Social
Science, Ch.1
Keat, R.
& Urry, J (1982) Social
Theory as Science
The Website for Critical Realism: http://www.raggedclaws.com/criticalrealism/index.php?sitesig=WSCR
How I did my PhD/DPhil/DEd
This collection of files has people discussing the conduct of their own
doctoral level research. Real actual research often does not actually
compare to the models in the textbooks, since there is a 'craft' level
as well as a formal theoretical level involved in real reasearch, and a
lot of practical, sometimes even political, issues to resolve as well
as just methodological ones.
Dave
Harris:
A Critique of the UK Open University
Discusses some of the problems in doing critical analysis, and some
techniques for gathering data. The resulting PhD is available from
London University (submitted 1985). Substantial extracts from the book
based on the thesis are available on this website -- here
Education
Studies
Some simple MP3s just to
try them out really
Assessment
--playing
the
game
Teaching styles
Teaching styles 2 (briefer
than the one above)
Aims, objectives & course design
(NB not very good quality -- I lost my best mic) The handouts to which
I refer are found here
Objectives and course design
Schooling, professionalism and
micropolitics (accompanying handout here)
shorter version of above
Shorter versionVocationalism
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