Undergraduate - UnitEDF5151 - Honours thesis part 1

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Education
Offered	Clayton First semester 2015 (Day) Clayton Second semester 2015 (Day)

Synopsis

This is a unit of research study, focusing on a particular theory or issue in the field of education, undertaken with guidance and support from the supervisor. Students are expected to demonstrate initiative and independence during their research study. All honours students are required to present their research proposal at a research seminar. The honours thesis is designed for students who are intending to undertake further higher degree studies. Graduates who have successfully completed the honours thesis (both part 1 and part 2) are able to use this 16,000-word study as evidence of independent research experience in an application for entry into the doctorate program.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit (and EDF5152) students should be able to:

produce a thesis that displays competence at understanding and carrying out research in the field of education, but with less emphasis on comprehensive knowledge and originality as required in a PhD or EdD
devise a research topic to investigate that is feasible within the two-unit time frame
identify key research questions that are not too general and ambitious
select and review relevant theory and literature
design a study and choose appropriate methods to investigate research questions
select appropriate modes of analysis
consider ethical issues involved in research
implement, critically appraise or apply research in a particular field
prepare a comprehensive written report that is professionally presented and contains all the required components including a bibliography at the end.

Assessment

A 16,000-word dissertation is the formal assessment task for this unit (together with EDF5152).

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload comprises:
(a.) Overall requirements:
+ 24 hours per week

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Scott Bulfin

Prerequisites

Enrolment in EDF5151 will usually occur when students have successfully completed the compulsory research unit. However, students may, with the written agreement of the course adviser, undertake a thesis before completing all the coursework requirements.