Name of study subject: Methodology of Educational Research
Subject code: ETM715; Department code: 66
Study mode: part-time studies
Number of credits: 4 (160 hrs.): lectures (32 hrs.), practical classes (0 hrs.), self-study work(128
hrs.)
Semester the subject is learnt: Semester 2
Form of assessment: examination
STUDY SUBJECT DESCRIPTION
Goals:
 to develop students’ competence of educational research, which reveals itself through an ability to independently
plan and conduct researches and to creatively apply acquired methods of analysis, to evaluate research results and to
identify their reliability.
Competencies to be acquired:
 to identify a research problem;
 to design instrument of empiric research (questionnaire, test, research guidelines);
 to formulate generalisations, conclusions and recommendations of research;
 to establish direction and strategy for dissemination of research results;
 to apply methods of descriptive statistics: data filing and their graphic visualisation;
 to apply the statistical package SPSS 15, for analysis and processing of research data;
 to organise and implement project activities.
Abstract:
The content of study module “Methodology of educational research” reflects the topical issues of current social
researches. The range of problems that educational researches have addressed in the last decade has increased, more
comprehensive experience in terms of quality has been accumulated and Lithuanian researchers have been involved in more
and more international researches. The development of educational science (similar to other social sciences) has been
affected by methodological consolidation of qualitative researches, meeting validity and reliability criteria. Striving for
education and development of an educator-researcher, methodological training plays a particular role in the Master study
programme.
The structure of the course is based on the logic of educational research. Initially, the key principles and concepts of
scientific research are discussed: general research objectives and preconditions for their realisation, the object of educational
research and problem of scientific cognition, particularity of empiric research and conception of its results. Methods of
empiric qualitative data collection and their quality analysis. A considerable attention is paid to quantitative research
methodology: gathering of qualitative data and their statistical analysis. Revelation of educational diagnostic functions in the
structure of empiric scientific structure is methodologically relevant. The search for positive propositions of education and
problem of their quality control are discussed; this problem is not characteristic of other ‘behaviour’ sciences such as
sociology and psychology. The pedagogical experiment, educational projects and expertise of education objects are analysed;
the role of generalising education experience and possibilities for its realisation are studied.
Topics
 Conception of social researches: peculiarities of social sciences, conditions that hinder development of social
researches and sciences; conception of social researches, logical-methodological preconditions for scientific
cognition and research methods. Positivism and scientific cognition. Scientific description, interrelation,
prognostication. Fundamental, applied, expert and activity researches. (2 hrs. of theory)

Educational knowledge, its structure and methodology Structure of educational knowledge. Conceptions of
methodology and methods. Conception of scientific research, its purpose and structure. General research objectives.
Scientific research prerequisites. Object of educational research. Conception of research object. Learner and
educators activity as an object of scientific cognition. Variety of educational phenomena. Results of object
cognition. Empiric and theoretical research. Research problem. Scientific fact. Problem of regularities explaining
the object. Peculiarities of theoretical cognition. Qualitative and quantitative researches. (2 hrs. of theory)

Types of educational researches. Conception of educational research, their kinds. Types of educational research.
Conception of qualitative research. Methodology of quantitative and qualitative researches. Methodological
differences combining quantitative and qualitative researches. Methodological prerequisites as differences in spread
of postmodernism ideas. Combination of qualitative and quantitative researches. Traditions of qualitative
researches. Strategies for qualitative researches. (2 hrs. of theory)
 Model for quantitative and qualitative research. Peculiarities of quantitative and qualitative educational research
and its plan. Structurisation of quantitative and qualitative research. Methodology of quantitative and qualitative
research preparation. (2 hrs. of theory)
 Methods of quantitative and qualitative research: Diagnostics in social researches: collection of “T”, “Q”, “. L”
type data. Interview, ethics of research employing interview method, types of interviews, stages. Group interviews:
focus groups, unstructured interview. Practical aspect of interviewing (selection of respondents and aspect of
accessibility, “key” informant, interview structure, process of interview, interviewing, record keeping).
Observation, scientific and daily observation, pedagogical observation. Experiment: independent, dependent and
control variables, peculiarities of experiment, advantages of experiment, disadvantages of experiment, experiment
design (quasi experimental and non-experimental design). Methods of expert assessment, document content
analysis, case study, biographical study, conditions for action research and theory implementation in the context of
educational paradigm change, action research. (16 hrs. of theory)
 Qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Conception of variables and their measurement, types of variables, measurement of
variables, validity and reliability of social characteristics measurement, criteria of methodological quality, analysis of
qualitative data. Preconditions for quantitative analysis of research data. Purpose of quantitative methods in
educational researches. Measurement scales. Statistical sample. Statistical distributions. Distributions of qualitative
variables. Normal distribution. Interval scales. Statistical values and parameter hypotheses. Chi-square criterion.
Statistical correlation. Conception of statistical correlation. Assessment of correlation strength among variables.
Factor analysis. Methods of cluster analysis. Empiric prognostication. Computer data analysis. (4 hrs. of theory)
Content of laboratory and practical classes
 computer data analysis applying SPSS. (4 hrs. of practical classes)
Teaching methods:
Dialogue-based presentation of material, heuristic discussion, demonstration on computer.
Requirements for attendance:
Attendance of theoretical lectures is required, attendance of practical classes is obligatory.
Assessment of knowledge and skills.
 Examination. Assessment coefficient (not more than 0.5). Form of examination: oral.
 Evaluation of individual work. Substantiation of MA paper methodology (80 hrs.). Preparation of research
methodology (40 hrs.). (0.25 + 0.25 of the final mark).
Requirements ( subjects that have to be studied previously) Theory of education, philosophy of education.
Coordinating teacher: Prof.Dr. Palmira Pečiuliauskienė
Recommended literature
N
o.
Year of
publication
1.
2008
2.
2008
3.
2006
4
2006
5.
2005
6.
2000
7.
1998
Author/s and title
Publishing
house
Bitinas, B., Rupšienė, L & Žydžiūnaitė V.
Kokybinių tyrimų metodologija. Part 1.
Bitinas, B., Rupšienė, L & Žydžiūnaitė V.
Kokybinių tyrimų metodologija. Part 2
Bitinas B. Edukologinis tyrimas: sistema ir
procesas
Lichtman, Marilyn. Qualitative Research in
Education: A User’s Guide
Dezin, N.K. & Lincoln I.S. (Ed.). The Sage
Handbook of Qualitative Research.
Pring, R. (2000). Philosophy of Educational
Research.
Klaipėda: S.
Jokužio leidykla
Klaipėda: S.
Jokužio leidykla
Vilnius:Kronta
Bradley, W. J. and Schaefer, K. C. The Uses
Thousand Oaks:
Sage
Publications
London: Sage
Publications
London, New
York
Number of copies
Library of
Study room of
higher education
methodological
institution
literature
4
4
135
Other
libraries
5
5
1
1
1
Online:http://books.google.lt/books?id=FQJwfO
OM5L4C&dq=Pring.+Philosophy+of+Education
al+Research&printsec=frontcover&source
1
and Misuses of Data and Models : the
mathematization of the human sciences.
Sage
Teacher: Palmira Pečiuliauskienė, Prof.Dr.
(full name, position at work, research and pedagogical title)
Approved by the Department on October 29 2009, Order No.1
Head of Department: Marija Barkauskaitė, Prof.Dr. Habil.
(full name, position at work, research and pedagogical title)