Those stated by the regulations for access to the degree of Social Education at the University of Castilla-La Mancha[1]. Nevertheless, it is recommended, following the proposal of the Verifica Program, to have prior knowledge about the general methods of social research and didactics general concepts and systems (UCLM, 2008, p. 98)[2].
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[1] See more at: https://www.uclm.es/estudios/grados/educacion-social
[2] See more at: https://www.uclm.es/cuenca/educacion-humanidades/titulaciones/gradoeducacionsocial/documentacionoficialtitulo
JUSTIFICATION IN THE SYLLABUS
According to the current regulatory framework, and following the guidelines of the White Paper on Pedagogy and Social Education (Vila, 2004)[1], the subject, "Methods of Educational Research", is a scientific subdiscipline related to the development of methodologies of analysis and socio-educational intervention, introducing the techniques and tools for data collection and analysis in educational research with quantitative and/or qualitative and /or mixed approaches. All this with the intention of establishing the design of research processes to obtain a scientific description, understanding and/or explanation of the object/subject of study, depending on the purpose of the research (Mertens, 1998; Cubo, Martín and Ramos, 2011)[2], for the sake of a quality socio-educational intervention.
The subject provides the main epistemological issues (concepts and theoretical approaches), but especially emphasizes the methodological aspects (procedures and techniques and instruments for data collection and analysis) of the scientific method, oriented to the professional training of the social educator, thanks to the approach of a series of technical-professional skills and methodological criteria based on quality parameters and critical positioning. These didactic and learning pretensions maintain an internal coherence with the curriculum that we have given ourselves for the professional development of the social educator as established in the Verifica Program of the degree in Social Education (UCLM, 2008, p. 98-99)[3].
All this, trying to lay the foundations to get started in the possibilities and limitations of Mixed Methods of Research in Education (Greswell & Plano, 2007; Symonds & Gorard, 2010; Sánchez-Santamaría & Ramos, 2015; Bagur-Pons, Rosselló-Ramon, Paz-Lourido, & Verger, 2021)[4], and aware that what is relevant for the training profile is the object of study and transferability of the research.
RELATION TO OTHER SUBJECTS.
This subject is integrated within the subject of "Methods of research and educational intervention" which, in turn, forms the module II entitled, "Methodological bases, design, programming and evaluation of socio-educational programs and projects" (UCLM, 2008, pp. 98-99)[3]. This module addresses jointly the knowledge of the didactic bases and educational methodologies necessary for the design, development and evaluation of educational action. In this sense, it maintains a direct relationship with the following subjects, namely:
- Didactic Methodology of Social Education (subject).
- e-ICT, and Design and Evaluation of Socio-educational Projects.
- Final Degree Project and Practicum I and II (other subjects).
This requires to pay careful attention to the role that the subject plays in the formative development of the professional profile of the social educator, seeking at all times the appropriate connections to ensure the coherence and non-duplicity of the content under a logic that tends to vertical and horizontal coordination.
RELATION TO THE PROFESSION
The professional practice of the Social Educator is characterised by being provisional, changing, dynamic and with a clear tendency to become unnecessary as it is aimed at overcoming deficiencies, problems and difficulties inherent to social development and for social promotion and prevention. It is also determined by the subject to whom the socio-educational action is directed, and by the model that is adopted based on what research supports through solid empirical evidence, trying to overcome an intervention based on assumptions by a practice informed by research (Martínez-Santamaría, 1995; Sánchez-Santamaría & Morales, 2014; Sánchez-Santamaría, 2015; Sánchez-Santamaría & Herrera, 2020 Arjona-Castilla, 2022)[5]. All this in an interdisciplinary context, having to work with different social professionals. This highlights the fact that all socio-educational intervention must be subject to the logic of permanent enquiry (questioning), and specifically, the social educator must introduce three aspects into his or her professional practice: seeing, judging and acting based on the scientific method. This means that through research they must be able to (Sánchez-Santamaría & Morales, 2014; Sánchez-Santamaría, 2015)[5]:
a) Assume as their own, from a scientific perspective, the exercise of deepening their knowledge of socio-educational and formative phenomena and contexts.
b) Understand, assess and judge social phenomena and facts in order to optimise their projects and actions under criteria of timeliness, suitability, effectiveness, quality, globality and flexibility.
c) Advance in their professional development as an essential element for the improvement of their practice.
The above implies banishing certain academic conceptions of research, which are far removed from reality and do not provide know-how applied to the context of educational intervention (Úcar, 2016)[6]. For these purposes, research is considered as an instrument at the service of understanding and, as far as possible, transforming educational phenomena, with the intention of adjusting intervention to the real demands and needs of citizens (Del Pozo, 2020)[7], but also to improve the professional practice of Social Educators in interdisciplinary, complex and changing work contexts, and under ethical criteria (Sánchez-Santamaría & Herrera, 2020)[5].
To sum up, it is assumed that the Social Educator is a professional working to generate processes, conditions and educational experiences to empower people in the exercise of their social rights, based on autonomy and freedom.
Vila, A. (coord.) (2004). Libro Blanco. Título de grado de Pedagogía y Educación Social. Vol 1. ANECA. http://www.aneca.es/var/media/150392/libroblanco_pedagogia1_0305.pdf
Mertens, D. M. (1998). Research methods in education and psychology. Sage Publications.
Cubo, S., Martin, B., y Ramos, J.L. (coords.) (2011). Métodos de investigación y análisis de datos en ciencias sociales y de la salud. Pirámide.
UCLM (2008). Programa Verifica del grado en Educación Social. https://www.uclm.es/-/media/Files/A01-Asistencia-Direccion/A01-124-Vicerrectorado-Docencia/grados/educacion-social/documentos-oficiales/Educacin-Social-171218.ashx
Creswell, J., & Plano, V. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage Publications.
Symonds, J., & Gorard, S. (2010). Death of mixed methods? Pr tje rebirth of research as a craft? Evaluation and Research in Education, 23(2). 121-136. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500790.2010.483514
Sánchez-Santamaría, J. (2015). Mixed methods approach: posibilidades y limitaciones para la investigación educativa. IV CIMIE. 2 de julio. Universitat de València-Estudi General. València, España.
Bagur-Pons, S., Rosselló-Ramon, M.R., Paz-Lourido, B., & Verger, S. (2021). Integrative approach of mixed methodology in educational research. RELIEVE. e-Journal of Educational Research,Assessment and Evaluation, 27(1), 1-19. http://doi.org/10.30827/relieve.v27i1.2105
Martínez-Sánchez, A. (1995). La investigación como fundamento de la intervención social. En P. González, Y. Medina y S. De la Torre (coords.), Didáctica general: modelos y estrategias para la intervención social (pp. 37-82). Universitas.
Sánchez-Santamaría, J. y Morales, S. (2014). Desarrollando competencias de investigación a través de metodologías activas. Contextos Educativos. Revista de Educación, 17(1) 23-44. https://publicaciones.unirioja.es/ojs/index.php/contextos/article/viewFile/2591/2410
Sánchez-Santamaría, J.& Ramo, F.J. (coords.) (2015). La educación social como acción transformadora: reflexiones y experiencias desde distintos ámbitos de intervención profesional. Servicio de Publicaciones - G9.
Sánchez-Santamaría, J., & Herrera, D. (2020). Investigación cualitativa: Investigación-acción e investigación biográfico-narrativa en Pedagogía Social. En Del Pozo, F.J. (comp.), Intervención educativa en contextos sociales: fundamentos e investigación, estrategias y educación social en el ciclo vital (pp. 103-119). Editorial UniNorte.
Arjona-Castilla, V. (2022). The Professional Identity of Social Educators: A Review of the Literature.International Journal of Adult, Community and Professional Learning, 29(2), 31-42. 10.18848/23286318/CGP/v29i02/31-42
Úcar, X. (2016). Los profesionales de lo socioeducativo como investigadores: la creación de conocimiento. Educació Social. Revista d’intervenció socioeducativa. 62, 11-23. https://raco.cat/index.php/EducacioSocial/article/view/308220
Del Pozo, F.J. (comp.) (2020). Intervención educativa en contextos sociales: fundamentos e investigación, estrategias y educación social en el ciclo vital. Editorial UniNorte.
Nota: https://normas-apa.org/referencias
| Course competences | |
|---|---|
| Code | Description |
| E18 | Ability to design, implement and evaluate socio-educational strategies, plans, programmes, projects and actions in different contexts |
| E26 | Ability to prepare and interpret documents and reports inherent to professional performance |
| G07 | Ability to select information, manage knowledge and use the ICTs from a critical and reflective perspective |
| G08 | Oral and written language skills at a professional level and ability to use and to speak other languages |
| Course learning outcomes | |
|---|---|
| Description | |
| Additional outcomes | |
| Description | |
| To be able to apply basic research and intervention techniques to socio-educational work. To acquire the fundamental theoretical bases related to research and intervention in social education. Learn to deploy and apply a wide range of educational techniques and resources depending on the demand or the context in which the educational action takes place. |
|
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Unit 1: The Scientific Method
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Unit 2: Research designs. Quantitative and qualitative research
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Unit 3: Research techniques and data collection
In topic 1 we will work on the concept of scientific method and scientific research (How is knowledge built in Social Education?), the historical evolution of educational research, the main paradigms, focusing on qualitative, quantitative and mixed paradigms and the ethics linked to the educational research proposal. And the parts of a research proposal will be introduced.
Within topic 2, the issue of designs will be addressed. Methodological perspectives will be studied from the manipulative strategy (experimental, quasi-experimental and pre-experimental designs), associative strategy (comparative designs: retrospective or ex post facto, longitudinal and cross-sectional; correlational designs; explanatory designs; SEM), descriptive strategy (experimental, quasi-experimental and pre-experimental designs), associative strategy (comparative designs: retrospective or ex post facto, longitudinal and cross-sectional; correlational designs; explanatory designs: SEM), descriptive strategy (Observational designs and Survey designs), as well as their quality criteria; the qualitative methodological perspectives: narrative inquiry, case study research, phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory and historical research, and their quality criteria; the decision making and change perspective. Evaluative research and action research, and their quality criteria, and also the mixed methodological perspective: mixed designs, and their quality criteria. And the topic will end with a section on sampling in educational research (probability, non-probability and mixed sampling). Strategies to guarantee the sample representation. Sample size calculation for finite populations and unknown populations.
Topic 3 will deal with the techniques and instruments for data and information collection. Observation. Survey techniques. Tests and criterion tests. Group discussion techniques (focus groups, sociometric techniques, life histories and Delphi technique). Constructed and secondary data. SWOT. Technical characteristics of the instruments: validity, reliability, credibility and confirmability of the data. And a first approach to quantitative data analysis linked to descriptive statistics and its graphic representation will be offered, and to qualitative data analysis linked to the collection, reduction, arrangement and verification of information, with links to grounded theory. The subject closes with the Educational Research reports. Types of reports: Empirical, Interpretative, Critical, Mixed, SR and Meta-analysis. Evaluation of research reports (CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, SRQR, MMAT).
| Training Activity | Methodology | Related Competences (only degrees before RD 822/2021) | ECTS | Hours | As | Com | Description | |
| Class Attendance (theory) [ON-SITE] | Lectures | E26 G07 | 0.6 | 15 | Y | N | Theoretical exposition with debates. Work sessions oriented to the introduction of the basic content of each of the topics, with the support of bibliographic reference material and resources developed by the teacher that will be part of the content of the final exam of the course and that will support the realization of activities of the course. | |
| Class Attendance (practical) [ON-SITE] | Debates | E18 E26 G07 | 0.6 | 15 | Y | N | Practical exposition with discussions. Work sessions oriented to the introduction of the basic content of each of the topics with applied orientation through professional learning situations. | |
| Workshops or seminars [ON-SITE] | Case Studies | E18 E26 G07 | 1.1 | 27.5 | Y | Y | Case studies for the application of different educational research methods. | |
| Writing of reports or projects [OFF-SITE] | Problem solving and exercises | E18 E26 G07 G08 | 1.5 | 37.5 | Y | N | Study and workshop work oriented to the design of an original educational research project using infog | |
| Other off-site activity [OFF-SITE] | Self-study | E26 | 2.1 | 52.5 | Y | N | Documentation of the work performed. Preparation of evaluations | |
| Other on-site activities [ON-SITE] | Assessment tests | E26 G07 G08 | 0.1 | 2.5 | Y | N | Theoretical-practical test | |
| Total: | 6 | 150 | ||||||
| Total credits of in-class work: 2.4 | Total class time hours: 60 | |||||||
| Total credits of out of class work: 3.6 | Total hours of out of class work: 90 | |||||||
As: Assessable training activity Com: Training activity of compulsory overcoming (It will be essential to overcome both continuous and non-continuous assessment).
| Evaluation System | Continuous assessment | Non-continuous evaluation * | Description |
| Test | 20.00% | 20.00% | Overall evaluation of the learning process and the acquisition of competencies and contents. |
| Projects | 40.00% | 40.00% | Evidence of learning and classroom work activities (individual work and tests): elaboration of an infographic on the general process of educational research. This is a recoverable activity, both in ordinary and extraordinary exams. |
| Assessment of problem solving and/or case studies | 40.00% | 40.00% | Elaboration of practical cases that will involve the application of knowledge worked by the student. |
| Total: | 100.00% | 100.00% |
-
Continuous assessment:Evaluation Criteria:
1. For the test with closed questions:
- Correct answers.
2. Work: infographics
- Structure and systematization of the content.
- Clarity and expository coherence.
- Ability to analyze, synthesize and critique information.
- Adequate use of oral and written expression.
- Incorporation and appropriate use of ICT.
- Creativity, originality and adequacy of the proposals to the problem/case object of work.
3. For the Resolution of Cases and the work:
- Structure and systematization of the content.
- Clarity and expository coherence.
- Ability to analyze, synthesize and critique information.
- Adequate use of oral and written expression.
- Incorporation and appropriate use of ICT.
- Creativity, originality and adequacy of the proposals to the problem/case object of work.
General comments:
1. To make average between the three evaluation systems it is not necessary to pass all the activities and associated tests.
2. Failure to pass a test does not imply failure in the subject, it will result in a 0 that will be added to the rest of the scores obtained.
3. Following the provisions of Article 15.2 of the UCLM Student Evaluation Regulations of May 28, 2014, 5% of the student body may obtain the honorable registration in the subject according to the number of students enrolled in the same. Although the regulation establishes that honorary registration can be assigned from 9 or more, the professor will also value the excellent academic performance throughout the course, without this entails submitting additional activities by students who want to qualify for this recognition. In case of obtaining a 10, the assignment will be automatic. -
Non-continuous evaluation:The same learning activities are established with the same criteria as in the continuous evaluation. The student must hand in all the activities at the latest on the day of the official exam of the course.
For those students with non-continuous evaluation, the test will be of the same characteristics as in the ordinary term, not having to retake the test in all its parts.
| Not related to the syllabus/contents | |
|---|---|
| Hours | hours |
| Unit 1 (de 3): The Scientific Method | |
|---|---|
| Activities | Hours |
| Class Attendance (theory) [PRESENCIAL][Lectures] | 7 |
| Class Attendance (practical) [PRESENCIAL][Debates] | 7 |
| Writing of reports or projects [AUTÓNOMA][Problem solving and exercises] | 5 |
| Other off-site activity [AUTÓNOMA][Self-study] | 5 |
| Teaching period: January-February 2024 | |
| Unit 2 (de 3): Research designs. Quantitative and qualitative research | |
|---|---|
| Activities | Hours |
| Class Attendance (theory) [PRESENCIAL][Lectures] | 5 |
| Class Attendance (practical) [PRESENCIAL][Debates] | 5 |
| Workshops or seminars [PRESENCIAL][Case Studies] | 17.5 |
| Writing of reports or projects [AUTÓNOMA][Problem solving and exercises] | 30 |
| Other off-site activity [AUTÓNOMA][Self-study] | 40 |
| Teaching period: February-March-April 2024 | |
| Comment: Easter vacations from March 25 to April 1, 2024 | |
| Unit 3 (de 3): Research techniques and data collection | |
|---|---|
| Activities | Hours |
| Class Attendance (theory) [PRESENCIAL][Lectures] | 3 |
| Class Attendance (practical) [PRESENCIAL][Debates] | 3 |
| Workshops or seminars [PRESENCIAL][Case Studies] | 10 |
| Writing of reports or projects [AUTÓNOMA][Problem solving and exercises] | 2.5 |
| Other off-site activity [AUTÓNOMA][Self-study] | 7.5 |
| Other on-site activities [PRESENCIAL][Assessment tests] | 2.5 |
| Teaching period: May 2024 | |
| Global activity | |
|---|---|
| Activities | hours |
| General comments about the planning: | The sequence of work and timetable of the subject will be determined according to the nature of the class group taking this course The timing of the subjects will be adjusted to the academic calendar |
| Author(s) | Title | Book/Journal | Citv | Publishing house | ISBN | Year | Description | Link | Catálogo biblioteca |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cubo, Sixto; Martin, Beatriz; Ramos, J.L | Métodos de investigación y análisis de datos en ciencias sociales | Pirámide | 978-84-368-2462-9 | 2011 | En esta obra se presenta una perspectiva extensa e integradora de las técnicas y de los procedimientos que se desarrollan en la investigación científica aplicada al ámbito educativo, social y de la salud. Desde el punto de vista didáctico y pedagógico desarrolla una metodología muy innovadora. Así, cuando se presentan y desarrollan algunos de los diseños más importantes, se explica no sólo el procedimiento metodológico, sino también el modelo estadístico necesario para resolverlos. Dichos modelos se describen considerando la validez de conclusión estadística y desarrollan los procedimientos y técnicas necesarias para determinar si procede aplicar pruebas paramétricas o no paramétricas. A lo largo del contenido del libro, el lector encontrará respuestas a cuestiones como las siguientes: cuáles son las características del método hipotético-deductivo; cómo debo formular una hipótesis de trabajo; cómo debo hacer un contrabalanceo para compensar el error progresivo de una investigación; cómo resolver un diseño factorial y aplicar una ANOVA con SPSS; cómo aplicar con SPSS las pruebas necesarias para determinar si en un diseño de dos grupos aleatorios con pretest y postest debo aplicar pruebas paramétricas o no paramétricas; como desarrollar con SPSS un análisis factorial para hallar la validez de constructo de una prueba; cómo hacer un análisis de contenido de un grupo de debate; cuáles son las etapas para el desarrollo de una investigación histórico-educativa | https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/libro?codigo=680311 | |||
| Johnson, B. & Christensen, L. | Research Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches (7ed.) | Research Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches | SAGE | 978-1544337838 | 2017 | Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches by R. Burke Johnson and Larry Christensen offers a comprehensive, easily digestible introduction to research methods for undergraduate and graduate students. Readers will develop an understanding of the multiple research methods and strategies used in education and related fields, including how to read and critically evaluate published research and how to write a proposal, construct a questionnaire, and conduct an empirical research study on their own. The Seventh Edition maintains the features that made this book a best-seller, including attention-grabbing chapter-opening vignettes, lively examples that engage student interest, a conversational and friendly writing style, and more. With the support of this highly readable text, readers will transform into critical consumers and users of research. | https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/educational-research/book259335 | ||
| Sánchez-Santamaría, J. | Paradigmas de Investigación Educativa de las leyes subyacentes a la modernidad reflexiva | Entelequia: Revista Interdisciplinar, 16 (Otoño), 91-102 | ISSN-e 1885-6985 | 2013 | Este artículo realiza una síntesis de los principales paradigmas de la investigación educativa del siglo XX, en concreto, presenta y analiza los postulados, aportaciones a la educación y críticas, recorriendo los principios reduccionistas basados en la observación de la conducta (positivista), pasando por la comprensión de la realidad educativa a partir de los actores (hermenéutica), para llegar a la influencia de la dimensión ideológica en la configuración de la realidad de las prácticas educativas (crítica). Este trabajo sirve como punto de referencia para otro artículo que aborda la emergencia de nuevos paradigmas debido a un contexto educativo caracterizado por la complejidad, en el que se plantean nuevos paradigmas y los antiguos se reformulan. | https://revistaentelequia.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/1320/ | |||
| Sánchez-Santamaría, J. | La competencia investigadora en Educación Social | No publicado | 2023 | ||||||
| Sánchez-Santamaría, J., & Herrera, D. | Investigación-acción e investigación biográfico-narrativa en Pedagogía Social | Del Pozo, F.J. (comp.), Intervención educativa en contextos sociales: fundamentos e investigación, estrategias y educación social en el ciclo vital (pp. 103-119 | UniNorte | 9789587892239 | 2020 | Dentro de las modalidades de investigación cualitativa, dos son las que centran nuestra atención: la investigación-acción y la investigación biográfico-narrativa. Ambas, aportan miradas con entidad propia y complementarias, que desde la Pedagogía social nos permiten captar la riqueza y diversidad de tonalidades de la práctica educativa con la intención de comprenderla y mejorarla como aspiración profesional legítima. Cuatro son las cuestiones planteadas en este capítulo, a modo de orientaciones para el desempeño profesional del y la Educadora Social en la investigación cualitativa: a) ¿Cuál es el sentido y función de las modalidades de investigación cualitativa: investigación-acción e investigación biográfico-narrativa?; b) ¿Qué criterios y procesos se deben tener en cuenta para su uso en la práctica educativa?; c) ¿Qué estrategias, técnicas y/o instrumentos se pueden emplear en la práctica educativa?; y, d) ¿Qué materiales y recursos son expresivos de estas modalidades de investigación? | https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334002367_Investigacion_Cualitativa_Investigacion-Accion_e_Investigacion_Biografico-Narrativa_en_Pedagogia_Social | ||
| Úcar, X. | Conocimiento, acción e investigación en educación social. | Educació Social. Revista d¿Intervenció Socioeducativa, 80, 131-153. | 2022 | En este trabajo se tratan problemáticas clásicas en el campo de la pedagogía y la educación social. Una de ellas es la contraposición entre la teoría y la práctica, que ha contribuido a generar una brecha entre los académicos y los profesionales de la educación social. Un desencuentro basado en la premisa de que los primeros se ocupan en exclusiva de la teoría y los segundos, de la práctica. Esto es lo que se analiza en el primer apartado de este trabajo. Para ilustrar esta interpenetración entre la teoría y la práctica se estudia, a continuación, el tipo de conocimiento que se aplica en el ámbito de la educación social. Eso implica relacionar las características del contexto social y cultural con las acciones que desarrollan los y las profesionales de la educación social. En el último apartado se busca conocer cómo se relaciona este conocimiento con las acciones de los educadores sociales. Del análisis se derivan tres perfiles posibles de educadores sociales: el investigador, el convencional y el innovador. En este texto se apuesta por un perfil de educador social que es, al mismo tiempo, interventor e investigador. | https://www.raco.cat/index.php/EducacioSocial/article/download/394428/492969 | ||||
| Úcar, X. | Los profesionales de lo socioeducativo como investigadores: la creación de conocimiento. | Educació Social 62 | 2016 | El presente artículo pretende reflexionar sobre cómo se genera la investigación y la creación de conocimiento por parte de los profesionales del ámbito socioeducativo. Parte de la idea de que hacer frente a cualquier problema, primero, nos obliga a repensar lo que ya sabemos. Segundo, nos lleva a formularnos preguntas nuevas. Tercero, nos invita a buscar información y recursos para encontrar nuevos enfoques. Y, finalmente, nos conduce a construir nuestras propias respuestas. El texto se organiza en torno a tres preguntas, a las que trata de dar respuesta: ¿Qué hacen los profesionales de lo social? ¿Cómo se construye el conocimiento en el ámbito socioeducativo? ¿Qué quiere decir que los profesionales de lo social son investigadores? | https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/artpub/2016/150796/308220-434671-1-PB.pdf |