• University of Birmingham logo
  • The logo of the Chartered College of Teaching

Education Research That Matters: Ways of Researching

Discover research methods in education and how they can benefit the way you teach on this course, ideal for CPD.

6,463 enrolled on this course

Person writing notes

Education Research That Matters: Ways of Researching

6,463 enrolled on this course

  • 4 weeks

  • 3 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

Learn about key education research methods and how to use them

Connecting insights from existing research to practice and building on this to design realistic and high-quality research projects can be challenging. Understanding research methods is crucial to making this simpler.

On this course, you’ll get a grounding in the key research methods used in education research and consider the benefits and pitfalls of different methods.

You’ll engage critically with research methods that will help you to be better informed when reading research and better able to select the best methods to use when designing research in your own setting.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 5 seconds Hi I’m Deborah Youdell and I’m a Professor of Education at the University of Birmingham and this is ‘Education Research that Matters. It’s a series of three MOOCs that take you through first thinking about education questions through to doing research in your own classrooms and schools. I myself as a teacher and as a head teacher found that I gained professional courage because I was reading a lot and that meant that in fact I was more driven by the things I was reading, by the literature reviews I was accessing then I was the demands of Ofsted. Engaging with research means that every day it’s really exciting because you’re engaing with up to date research that has ben collated in different ways

Skip to 1 minute and 5 seconds We know that there’s lots of talk about evidence and education based on evidence but how do we know which evidence is any good? Which evidence should we use? And where do we go and find it? In the first MOOC that’s what we’re going to explore. In MOOC 2 we’re going to look at a whole range of ways of doing research, approaches that educators can use in there setting that can inform thier practicenand that can really inspired by the people that I work with and that can benefits thier students.

Skip to 1 minute and 31 seconds And the last MOOC brings teachers together in groups around hot topics, wicked problems to say how can we as a community support each other, work together to do research in our own settings. Engaging in research has help me to become aware of the gaps in my skillsets and given me the confidence to address these gaps. It has also allowed me to develop an intentionally about the way I deliver knowledge to my learners. My future research ambitions is that research informs daily practice in the classroom and beyond.

Skip to 2 minutes and 17 seconds You can do these MOOCs as one or in any combination. If you do all three by the end of the programme you will have gone from from identifying a problem or an issue that you want to explore in your setting through to thinking about how best to research it, what the estate of the evidence is already and actually doing a piece of research in your own setting as part of a community of research practice. To be a professional is to engage in lifelong learning. This is a quest all the time to do the best we can for our children.

What topics will you cover?

  • Week 1. Qualitative and action research - doing education research with teachers and children.
  • Week 2. Quantitative methods and statistical analysis - interrogate school performance.
  • Week 3. Research synthesis and review - using different approaches synthesis and review to support evidence-based practice.
  • Week 4. Mixed methods and interdisciplinary research - engaging with the ‘Science of Learning’.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Understand the range of research methods that might be useful in researching education
  • Understand qualitative approaches and action research with children and teachers inside learning settings
  • Understand quantitative approaches and statistical methods in the context of school performance measures
  • Understand techniques for synthesis and review of research reports with a focus on evidence-based policy and practice
  • Understand mixed methods and interdisciplinary research drawing on new work on the ‘science of learning’

Who is the course for?

This course is for teachers working in early years, primary, secondary and further education settings. It would also be of interest to other education professionals.

Who developed the course?

University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is a public research university, consistently listed as a leading UK university and ranked among the top 100 in the world.

Chartered College of Teaching

The Chartered College of Teaching is the professional body for teaching in England. Since launching in 2017, it has been working to connect, inform and inspire teachers.

Ways to learn

Buy this course

Subscribe & save

Limited access

Choose the best way to learn for you!

$104/one-off payment

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Free

Fulfill your current learning needDevelop skills to further your careerSample the course materials
Access to this courseticktick

Access expires 16 Apr 2024

Access to 1,000+ coursescrosstickcross
Learn at your own paceticktickcross
Discuss your learning in commentstickticktick
Certificate when you're eligiblePrinted and digitalDigital onlycross
Continue & Upgrade

Cancel for free anytime

Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$104/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 16 Apr 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Learner reviews

Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.

Get a taste of this course

Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join:

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...