Teaching Research Methods in Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Curriculum and Instruction".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 9283

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Education, University of Lisbon, 1648-013 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: technology-enhanced learning; computer science initial teacher training; computer science k-12 education; educational robotics; tangible objects programming; computational thinking; computer science didactics; active learning approaches
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Institute of Education, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: learning in educational environments with technologies (mobile technologies and augmented reality); e-learning and distance learning; educational robotics; learning and professional development of teachers with ICT; learning and digital manuals; 21st century skills; learning in communities of practice; activity theory; critical mathematics education; research methods in education

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A shift across most OECD countries toward decentralizing decision making in education and giving more responsibility and mandating powers to local authorities has recently become apparent. Therefore, the role of research in evidence-informed policy in education has increased in importance. However, research in education is mainly carried out by academics in higher education institutions where research methods courses are included in the study plans in a variety of Master and Doctoral programs.

In parallel, it is not a controversial fact that solid preparation on research methods provides students with important knowledge and skills to undertake better research and thus significantly contribute to the educational community. Quality teaching in research methods requires developing a clear understanding of the complex relationships between the explicit syllabus guidelines of the courses, the previous competences of students, and the pedagogical options.

The teaching of research methods in education is becoming a critical issue also because of the changing nature of data and the ways they can be used in research, e.g., machine data generated, data analysis software, net e-research, therefore increasing the complexity of addressing educational research settings. A clear sign of the current development is the recent appointment of a task force by APA's Board of Scientific Affairs to report on online research ethics. The ability to understand and judiciously and ethically use data to make appropriate decisions in research is becoming an essential skill within the data-intensive society in which we live.

This Special Issue is focused on the teaching of research methods in education. It aims to bring together contributions from scholars with a variety of backgrounds and pedagogical cultures as well as different traditions in research. It invites contributions that stress the pedagogical and methodological dimension of teaching research methods. The literature on teaching research methods in education sciences points to the need for a review of topics addressed, pedagogies used, and assessment strategies of new forms of education in research methods.

Dr. João Piedade
Dr. João Filipe Matos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • teaching research methods in education
  • new trends in research methods in education
  • research methods in education
  • research methods in initial teacher education
  • e-research
  • technology-enhanced learning in research methods

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

23 pages, 1321 KiB  
Article
Teaching and Learning Research Methodologies in Education: A Systematic Literature Review
by João Filipe Matos, João Piedade, André Freitas, Neuza Pedro, Nuno Dorotea, Ana Pedro and Carla Galego
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020173 - 07 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5263
Abstract
This study aims to contribute to understanding of the state of the art regarding the pedagogical cultures associated with teaching and learning research methods in advanced studies education through the identification of trends and pitfalls. The rationale behind this objective is the recognition [...] Read more.
This study aims to contribute to understanding of the state of the art regarding the pedagogical cultures associated with teaching and learning research methods in advanced studies education through the identification of trends and pitfalls. The rationale behind this objective is the recognition that most of the research in education comes from academic programmes, in particular master’s and doctoral programmes, which generally include research methods as components. A systematic literature review was adopted as the research methodology, following the PRISMA model. Three stages of article selection were implemented, resulting in the selection of 68 studies out of an initial set of 3631 articles found in the main journal databases. Three specific dimensions were addressed: (i) methodological knowledge, (ii) research competencies, and (iii) pedagogical practices in teaching research methods in education programmes. The results illustrate the complexity of the subject. Learners are constantly reported to hold negative attitudes towards research methods courses, apparently due to instructors’ pedagogical difficulties, which translate into restricted understandings of methodological knowledge. Several misunderstandings between learners and teachers are identified which call for action towards the construction of a research-based scientific culture that will lead to inclusive pedagogical practices in which teachers and learners act as researchers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Research Methods in Education)
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 803 KiB  
Article
Project-Based Learning for Teacher Training in Primary Education
by María-Pilar Molina-Torres
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 647; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100647 - 26 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2803
Abstract
Teaching at the university is subject to continuous methodological change, which poses a significant challenge when assessing teaching methodologies. The main objective of this research was to analyze the impact that project-based learning (PBL) has on knowledge acquisition concerning the Didactics of Social [...] Read more.
Teaching at the university is subject to continuous methodological change, which poses a significant challenge when assessing teaching methodologies. The main objective of this research was to analyze the impact that project-based learning (PBL) has on knowledge acquisition concerning the Didactics of Social Sciences. The study involved 290 students of the Primary Education Degree at the University of Cordoba, Spain. In order to collect information, a survey with a Likert scale (1–5) consisting of fifteen items was used. The results of the study show the need to make changes in traditional teaching—so deeply rooted in Social Sciences learning—and the methodological deficiencies that future teachers have in relation to active learning. In sum, the research provides an insight into good teaching practices implemented at the university for initial teacher training and the development of their professional skills. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Research Methods in Education)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop