Being 'research minded' is a crucial skill that is vital for every child protection practitioner. You will embark on a mission that equips you with the much-needed skills and knowledge to become a critical consumer of research. Through understanding how research is crafted and conducted to produce knowledge, you will develop a profound understanding of the multi-faceted landscape of social research. You will take a deep dive into philosophical perspectives that shape research methodologies, scrutinising the value of varied methods and ethical quandaries that confront researchers. From crafting a good research question to critically evaluating the implications of research findings, we will contemplate the strengths and limitations of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches through the critical lenses of validity, reliability, generalisability, and transferability. When this mission is accomplished, you will have skills that can be deployed not just in your postgraduate studies, but in professional practice. As an ethically-minded critical researcher, you will be able to draw from decolonial, anti-oppressive and inclusive approaches to producing knowledge.
Online Lectures, Audios, Readings, Video clips and other resources 80
1-1 Academic support -10
Live teaching at induction/study day 10
Advanced Child Protection (Distance learning) MA
Written- Short writing piece -Critique of a research article- 2,000 words-50%-This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Practical Skill Individual oral Presentation Research Proposal 15 minute presentation- 50%- This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Reassessment methods- Like-for-like
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
See the library reading list for this module (Medway)
On successfully completing the module, students will:
1) Systematically evaluate the core precepts of social research in knowledge production and reflect on the contradictions and complementarities among diverse research approaches.
2) Formulate research questions, construct hypotheses and design research enquiries that are systematic, inclusive, and ethically robust.
3) Critically assess the philosophical and methodological choices made in published research and appraise their application, relevance, and implications for child protection practice and policy.
4) Debate and critique the strengths and limitations of creative methods in promoting children's participation as co-designers in the research process and as co-producers of knowledge production.
5) Develop creative solutions to complex child protection problems and dilemmas by engaging with relevant literature, theoretical concepts, and research tools
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