A review of relevant theory and practice in relation to:

- Rationale for use of qualitative or quantitative data in researching educational management. Underlying methodological assumptions underpinning choice of method: positivism, ethnography, post-modernism and critical realism. Review of debate regarding school effectiveness and school improvement - complementary or conflicting perspectives?
- Integrity in educational management research: making assumptions explicit, acknowledging sources of bias, caution in interpretation of data, triangulation;
- Quantitative methods including questionnaire design; descriptive statistics, sample size and composition; regression, residuals, statistical significance, confidence intervals and effect sizes. Application of these methods in the study of school effectiveness, target setting and management practice;
- Qualitative methods including interview format, document analysis, participant observation, systematic analysis of qualitative data. Application of these methods in the context of subject leadership, organisational structure and leadership style;
- Ethical issues in the context of educational leadership: preserving anonymity, obtaining permission, checking authenticity of data

Study pack for the module
Access to the library and web resources
As a student of Staffordshire University access is available to other universities through UK Libraries Plus.

COHEN, L.; MANION, L. & MORRISON, K.(2000) Research methods in education,
(London: Routledge) (370.78)
COLEMAN, M. AND BRIGGS, A. (2002) (Eds.) Research Methods in Educational Leadership and Management, (London: Paul Chapman Publishing).
GILLHAM, B. (2000) Case Study methods, (London: Continuum Books).
GILLHAM, B. (2000) Developing a Questionnaire, (London: Continuum Books).
HOPKINS, D. (1993) A Teacher's Guide to Classroom Research, (Buckingham:
Open University Press).
MIDDLEWOOD, D., COLEMAN, M. and LUMBY, J. (1999) Practitioner research in education: Making a difference, (London: Paul Chapman Publishing).
SAMMONS, P., THOMAS, S. AND MORTIMORE, P. (1997) Forging Links: Effective Schools and Effective Departments, (London: Paul Chapman Publishing).
SILVERMAN, D. (1993) Interpreting qualitative data, (London: Sage).
SILVERMAN, D. (1997) Qualitative Research, (London: Sage).
SILVERMAN, D. (2000) Doing Qualitative Research, (London: Sage).

Assignment, which assesses all learning outcomes and critically reviews relevant research:
4,000 words maximum

The learning strategy for the part-time module requires students to commit to 150 learning hours (including assessment). Of this there will be 15 hours of class or workshop support and 135 hours of independent and self-directed study. The independent and self-directed study will be supported through a study pack, which includes guidance on the indicative content, text extracts and set tasks.

The class and workshop support will include group and individual support. The tutor led-workshop sessions will introduce key ideas in educational management and will encourage critical discussion of these ideas. The sessions will include set tasks, which will review the application of general ideas to the professional contexts in which students are working. In addition, you will receive mentor support within your school and receive detailed critical comment on draft assignments.