Educational Research Resources

However much experience you have in researching in your own discipline, you may well find that educational research projects demand the development of new skills. Existing approaches to collecting and analysing data may need to be adapted, and new methods developed.

Most educational research draws on qualitative social research methods, so we have included links to some useful introductory sources for those whose disciplinary research draws on different methodological traditions.

At the same time, some pedagogic enquiries may seem to be  just a more systematic form of course evaluation. Nevertheless, if you are carrying them out as part of a funded project, or might wish to disseminate the results more publicly at some time in the future, then it is best to treat this as a research project, and ensure that you follow standard ethical procedures for gaining informed consent from your research participants.

Research Ethics and Governance

Projects carried out by UoB staff must conform to the University Research Ethics and Governance procedures. (Partner College staff will need to observe their own internal College ethics procedures).

However familiar you are with research ethics procedures in your own discipline, you may encounter some unexpected conflicts between your role as a teacher and that of an educational researcher. Many of these issues can be resolved by involving your students directly as co-researchers in the research process and subsequent dissemination. Such participation will enable them to gain valuable insights into their own learning, and may help to develop their own research skills.  

In all cases, you will need to ensure that  there is no explicit or implicit pressure on students to take part in activities or interviews just for the sake of your project. Carefully worded information sheets and consent forms will help your students and colleagues to be clear about what you are doing and which aspects are part of the regular curriculum and which are not. You should also think carefully in advance about how to document your project responsibly.  See Guidance on recording and disseminating projects and a sample consent form for use if you want to document a teaching session through photography or video.

If you have any questions about ethical approval, please contact the CLT for further guidance on ethics and pedagogical research. Glynis Cousin's book Researching Learning in Higher Education (Routledge, 2008) is also a valuable source of advice on research methods and ethical issues.