Early Childhood Studies
at the University of Plymouth
Information for students considering
progression to stage 3 of the
BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies
2011-12
The BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies degree
Information for Direct Entrants at stage 3
Early Childhood Studies is a highly complex area of enquiry, underpinned by an extensive
and rigorous body of academic research. Adults exert powerful influences on young
children and the actions of adults are themselves shaped by social attitudes, political
ideologies, available knowledge, economic forces, cultural traditions, and individual
psychologies. Children are by no means passive recipients of these influences, playing an
active role in the transformation of culture from generation to generation. This is a
challenging and stimulating course and you will learn a lot about yourself as you develop
your own understanding of how the disciplines of social psychology, sociology, philosophy
and history contribute to the study of children's worlds and children’s lives. You will explore
the practical application of your understanding in a range of modules, through visits to a
variety of settings and through work-based experience. We encourage you to gain
experience of working with young children alongside your studies, so that you can see how
general ideas, models and theories relate to particular contexts, families and children.
Two main themes run through the Early Childhood Studies degree programme:
a) the interrelated nature of strands in the growth of the child as a whole person
(social, emotional and interpersonal development; physical development; play
and playfulness; intellectual development);
b) the varied nature of the contexts which influence children’s lives (social contexts
including local and distant, political contexts of children and families, historical
contexts and views of children, economic factors).
Stage 3 of the programme focuses on scrutinising and challenging ideas about
young children’s lives and worlds
In stage three, you will be encouraged to make the transition from ‘knowledge consumer’ to
‘knowledge producer’. You will use your developing knowledge and experience to
challenge, extend and critique other people’s ideas. You will learn how to use research to
develop and disseminate understanding of what you have identified as an area of interest.
Stage three core modules will focus on:



critical examination of the implications of adults’ concepts of childhood;
synthesising what has been learned in previous stages to identify an area of personal
interest, develop a research proposal, carry out a literature review, plan approaches to
data collection and analysis and complete an extended report;
developing capacity to act as a strong advocate for young children and families through
critical evaluation of topical issues in early childhood, drawing on a range of disciplines to
construct and defend a well evidenced personal perspective.
Who will support your studies?
The Early Childhood Studies team (Rod Parker-Rees, Dr Caroline Leeson, Dr Verity
Campbell-Barr, Rebecca Carter, Dr Norman Gabriel, Dr Ulrike Hohmann, Valerie Huggins,
Marie Lavelle, Dr Becky McKenzie, Dr Julia Morgan, Phil Selbie, Karen Wickett) comprises
twelve lecturers from a variety of backgrounds with particular strengths in child
development, sociology, social policy, education, child protection, play, psychology, health,
history of childhood and leadership and management. We are involved in teaching on a
wide variety of programmes including the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, a BEd Early
Childhood Studies subject specialist route, an early years PGCE programme, EYPS
training routes, an MA in Early Childhood Studies, European Masters programmes and
doctoral study. In addition to various research articles and other publications, members of
the team have produced an influential textbook, ‘Early Childhood Studies: an introduction
to the study of children’s worlds and children’s lives’, now in its third edition. We also have a
number of international research links which inform our work with students.
Stage 3 of the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies at Plymouth
The learning environment at university may present you with new experiences. As a stage 3
undergraduate you will be expected to be an 'independent learner' and to take personal
responsibility for your own learning. You should also take an active approach to finding out
about the culture of university life. Understanding what is expected of you, what
opportunities are available and who you can go to for advice will help to ensure that you
make the most of your time at university, and that you have a good time while you are here.
The pattern of modules available in stage 3 will be as shown in the table below. The shaded
modules are core modules and are taken by all students (part-time students take EEC356
and EEC307 with one option module in their first year, then EEC315 and a second option
module in their second year)
Y3
A
U
T
U
M
N
EEC356
Adults’ Concepts of
Childhood: Their
Impact on the Past and
Present Treatment of
Children
Y3
EEC315
Research in Early
Childhood Studies
(40 credits, all year)
S
P
R
I
N
G
EEC307
Current Issues in Early
Childhood Studies
EEC316 Enabling
Environments for
Young Children’s
Learning
EDST323
Inclusive
approaches to
provision for
disability
EEC357
Children and Risk
EDST335
Global
Education
EEC312
Understanding
Understanding
EDST337
Eco-Philosophy
EEC306
Leadership and
Management in Early
Childhood Settings
EDST316
Education,
Culture and the
Future
EEC310
Independent
Study Module
EEC311
Work-Based
Learning
PSY385
Contemp
-orary
topics in
develop
-mental
psych
-ology
(All Year)
PSY387
LIfespan,
Psychology
and Health
(All Year)
EDST339
Understanding &
creating inclusive
cultures &
environments
Research in Early Childhood Studies (EEC315)
You will design and carry out a small-scale piece of research. This is an in depth
investigation of a topic chosen by you and you will be expected to read widely and to plan
and carry out your research both thoroughly and sensitively. There will be a considerable
element of independent study associated with this module but you will receive full tutorial
support.
The FLECS route Early Childhood Studies at stage 3
Flexible Learning in Early Childhood Studies (FLECS) offers third year BA (Hons) Early
Childhood Studies students the opportunity to blend face-to-face methods of learning and
teaching with on-line materials and exchanges. FLECS may be particularly appropriate for
some students who live a long way from Plymouth. Traditional entrants to this programme
are students who have completed a relevant Foundation Degree at one of the University of
Plymouth Partner Colleges – though graduates from other FdAs (or with 240 Credits in
Early Childhood Studies including 120 at level 2) are also welcome to apply. FLECS is
offered full-time or part-time (over two years).
Full-time
Autumn Term
FLECS 301
Adults’ Concepts (20
Credits)
Spring Term
Summer Term
FLECS 303: Current
Issues (20 Credits
Tutorials, self-study
time, writing up
FLECS 305
FLECS 302
Research in Early
Childhood Studies (40
Credits)
WBL (20 Credits)
requires 50 hrs work
experience
FLECS 304: ISM
(20 Credits)
Tutorials, self-study,
writing. Presentations
Tutorials, self-study time,
writing up
Part-time
Year 1
Year 2
Autumn Term
FLECS 301
Spring Term
FLECS 303
Summer Term
Self-study, tutorials, writing up
Autumn Term
FLECS 302
Spring Term
FLECS 302
Summer Term
Self-study, writing up, presentations
FLECS 304
FLECS 305
Students will complete a small scale research project and dissertation (40 Credits), and
take part in two core modules, Adults’ Concepts of Childhood and Current Issues, each 20
Credits. Optional modules offered are Work Based Learning and the Independent Study
Module. Alternatively, it is possible to choose up to two option modules offered at Plymouth.
Students have access to extensive on-line material and the university’s Information and
Learning Services.
If you would like to find out more about FLECS you can contact Rebecca Carter,
rebecca.carter@plymouth.ac.uk or the university’s BA Admissions administrators (see final
page).
Early Years Professional Status (EYPS)
Long Extended Professional Development (LEPD) Pathway
For those who have completed a Foundation Degree, and who have significant experience
in working with children 0-7, this course enables you to achieve an ordinary degree as well
as the professional status accorded by the DfES and the Children’s Workforce
Development Council (CWDC).
Modules studied:

Work Based Learning

Early Childhood and Social Policy

Enabling environments for young children’s learning

Leadership and Management in Early Childhood Settings.
The modules for the Long EPD Pathway will require attendance at the university for at least
one day per week.
Participants will be expected to be in paid employment throughout the course and to
use their working experience to inform their study.
‘Top up’ to honours degree
If you wish to obtain an honours degree, you will be able to enrol on the research double
module (40 credits), either EEC315 or FLECS302, in the year after you complete the Long
Extended Professional Development programme. There will be an additional fee for this.
EYPS Validation
Integral to the Long EPD will be the steps that need to be taken towards achieving
validation of the status of Early Years Professional. Full support and guidance will be
offered through a pastoral tutor and a mentor.
Alternatively, if you graduate with an Early Childhood Studies degree and already
have experience of working with children across the 0-5 age range you may be able
to achieve EYPS through the validation route, which usually takes about three
months, or the ‘Short Extended Professional Development’ route (which takes about
six months and includes some additional placement experience and/or training)
For more information about EYPS, contact Chris Warry: eyps@somerset.gov.uk
Or visit the SWIfT EYPS website: http://www.eyps-swift.org.uk/
Some questions students often ask
Do you have to attend all sessions?
We believe that attendance at timetabled sessions is an important part of the programme,
since many sessions include practical activities and discussions which cannot be entirely
replaced by private study. Participation in group interaction is an important part of the
process of developing your personal voice and your ability to make and defend an
argument and it allows students to share their experiences. It is expected that you will
attend all timetabled sessions.
How much time should you allow for independent study?
Independent study is an important aspect of university life. As a rule of thumb, each module
should be supported by about six hours of independent study per week in addition to any
timetabled lectures, seminars and on-line activities, meaning that you will need about nine
hours per week per module. This is about a day and a half per week for each module,
though you may wish to find the time in evenings or at weekends (you must leave yourself
time for family, friends and relaxation too!). You will need to allow more time for completing
coursework towards the end of each module.
If you intend to work while you study you will need to consider whether part-time study may
be more appropriate. Our experience suggests that students who work more than two days
per week while studying full time miss out on opportunities to make the most of their time at
university and may not achieve to their full potential.
What is the pattern of attendance over a week?
You should expect to attend for a total of about three hours per module per week. This
normally means that you will not need to be on campus for more than three days per week
and, depending on your choice of option modules, you may be able to fit attendance into
two days. You will, however, still be expected to commit to the equivalent of four and a half
days per week of study time. On days when you come in for a lecture or seminar you
should aim to allow time to make full use of the library and/or to meet with friends to study
together. The final version of the timetable is usually available at the beginning of
September and option module choices can be changed up to the end of the first week of
teaching. FLECS students are required to attend three induction days at the beginning of
term 1 and five seminar days spread across the academic year.
How much coursework will you be expected to do?
The amount and nature of assessed coursework will vary between modules but details will
be set out in the module handbook which you will be given in the first session. Tutors may
be able to show you extracts from previous students' work and this can help you to gauge
what is expected of you and how work is graded. For most modules you will be expected to
write an assignment of about 4000 words
How do seminars work?
Seminars are group sessions where students are encouraged to debate or discuss issues
and ideas or selected readings. Seminars are more interactive than lectures and they are
therefore good opportunities to get to know your peers and your tutors. You will find that
trying to explain what you think can be a very effective way of clarifying your own
understanding. FLECS students are expected to debate and discuss ideas and insights
from readings on-line. These tasks are to be undertaken weekly.
How can you make the most of tutorials?
Tutorial support systems differ from module to module. On some modules the
emphasis is on group discussion whilst on others there are fewer group sessions but more
opportunity for tutorial support. Make sure you know what support is available to you and
who to contact to arrange tutorials. You can expect a warm response from your tutor who
will want to support you in your studies, not just to check up on what you have been doing.
Where can you get help with study skills?
You will be supported in gaining and using appropriate study skills through tutorial support
alongside formal lecture/ seminar sessions and through the support mechanisms of the
University of Plymouth. Additional advice on developing study skills is available from
Learning Development Advisers who can be contacted online
(http://intranet.plymouth.ac.uk/learndev/intranet.htm) or through the library.
Who can help you to manage Specific Learning Difficulties?
You can contact Disability Assist Services via email das@plymouth.ac.uk or visit their web
pages (http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=332) to learn about possible
support with any difficulties you may have with your studies - we also encourage you to let
tutors know if there are specific ways in which they can support your access to learning.
The University also has a specialist unit, the South West Regional Access Centre (SWRAC)
which is responsible for assessment, guidance and co-ordination of support for students
with dyslexia and /or dyspraxia.
How can you access learning resources?
The University of Plymouth library is an excellent resource for a wide range of relevant
books, journals and other learning resources. You will also have access to electronic
resources such as e-journals and e-books through the library’s Metalib service. Each
module is also supported by a SharePoint website which enables you to access lecture
notes, articles, relevant web-links and discussion sites where you can share ideas with
other students.
How do you register for the BA Early Childhood Studies (without honours)?
On entering stage 3 you may choose to register for the ordinary BA Early Childhood
Studies degree route (without honours) – in which case you will not take the research
double module (EEC315 or FLECS302), allowing you more time to focus on the other stage
3 modules. If you choose this option you can later decide to ‘top up’ to an honours degree
by taking the research module in the following year, though you will have to pay an
additional fee for this.
What bibliographical referencing system will you be expected to use?
The Harvard system of referencing is required for all Early Childhood Studies
modules. Detailed advice on referencing is provided on the programme SharePoint site and
in the student handbook or you can ask for information in the university library. You should
also get into the habit of noticing how referencing is used in the books and articles you
read.
Assessment
Assessment allows you to demonstrate the wide range of skills and understanding outlined
in the aims of the programme. Assessment tasks are chosen to enable you to demonstrate
your ability to conceptualise, to analyse critically and to draw on a range of information to
inform discussion and argument. Creative and innovative thinking is encouraged,
underpinned by evidence and observation. You will develop a full range of generic skills
through the work you do for assessment tasks, including communication skills, both oral
and written, higher level reading skills and researching, using the full range of available
technologies.
Because we want to see the best that you can achieve, assessment for all modules is
through coursework, usually a single assignment for each module. This may include one or
more of: written essay, report, research dissertation, oral presentation, etc. You will be
given full details of assessment tasks in the programme/handbook for each module.
You will be expected to use the Harvard Referencing system. Advice on referencing is
available from the library and from the university website.
What happens if you fail a module (with a mark below 40%)?
Failure of up to 20 credits in any stage can be compensated, if you achieved a mark of 3039%. You will obtain credit for the module and will not have to resubmit.
If you should fail the 40 credit module EEC315 or FLECS302: Research in Early Childhood,
you will normally be given the option to resubmit, to retake the module over the next year
or, if you have achieved 80 level 3 credits, to graduate with a BA degree (not Hons).
If you should fail more than 60 credits in any stage you will normally be required to withdraw
from the programme.
Resubmission
If you fail more than one module in any stage, or if you fail a module with a mark below
30%, you will normally be given an opportunity to resubmit. Details of any resubmission
tasks will be sent to you after the meeting of the award board in June.
The maximum mark that can be awarded for resubmitted work is 40%.
Classification of your degree award
Stage 2 marks are normally given a 0.3 weighting and Stage 3 marks are given a weighting
of 0.7 so that work in your final year/stage counts more towards your classification than
work in earlier years/stages. For stage 3 direct entry students who are not progressing from
a Foundation Degree which has a progression accord with this programme, your final
degree classification will be based on your stage 3 marks only.
Criteria for grading work at Stage 3
General Criteria:
All work will be assessed in a manner appropriate to the particular task, but with reference to the
following qualities:








ability to articulate lucidly and relevantly, using generalisation appropriately;
ability to discriminate between descriptive and analytic statements;
ability to evaluate and discriminate between primary and secondary sources;
ability to select and present appropriate material in an ambitious, coherent argument;
ability to interpret material imaginatively and speculatively;
ability to develop understanding of underlying principles or issues;
ability to propose and generate innovative and speculative material;
ability to make appropriate links between theory and practice.
Criteria for specific grading
Although all work should demonstrate a high level of literacy and be presented well, work assessed
in the 70+ mark band must do so. With due regard to the above criteria, marking will be based on
evidence of the following:
Work assessed at 85%+ should make a significant contribution to debate in the subject.
Work assessed at 76-84% should show a particularly wide scope, successful resolution of risk and
ambition and maturity of response.
Work assessed at 70-75% is excellent, characterised by most of the following: profundity; insight;
ambition; individuality; imaginative response; personal engagement with material; evidential use of
personal experience; breadth and depth of reference incorporated effectively into the work; clarity of
argument and expression; ability to handle complex critical and/or theoretical ideas; direct focus on
the task/title; cross disciplinary insights.
60%-69% Marks in this band will reflect work of very good quality, but work in which thoroughness
and detail is more evident than personal insight and imagination. Characteristic qualities will be:
coherence and soundness of argument based on a good understanding of material; clear focus on
the task/title set; critical use of a wide range of references; experience used to make personal sense
of reading.
50%-59% Work given marks towards the top of this band will be thorough and detailed but show
greater reliance on a narrower range of reference. Work given marks in the lower half of the band
will: reflect a greater use of unsupported assertion; demonstrate a still more limited range of
reference; be more descriptive than critical; be less well focused on the task/title; illustrate some
points with relevant personal experience.
40%-49% Marks in this band will reflect work that demonstrates: competence and an adequate
response, but one based on a very narrow range of reference; over reliance on the ideas of other
people; little insight; imprecise expression; poor organisation of material; unsupported assertions;
superficial response to task/title; a tendency to use personal experience anecdotally.
Fail 39% or below
If you fail only one 20 credit module, achieving a mark of 30-39%, the module can be compensated;
you will still obtain credit for that module and will not be required to resubmit. Modules for which you
achieve a mark below 30% cannot be compensated.
If you have any other questions please ask other students, check the university
website or contact the Faculty of Education’s admissions team:
Faculty of Education Admissions
University of Plymouth
Faculty of Education
Rolle Building
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA
+44 (0) 1752 585401
education.enq@plymouth.ac.uk
Or, to find out what it is REALLY like ...
The following students joined the third year of the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies from
partner colleges and they are willing to answer any questions you may have about what it is
like to make the transition from a particular college to our Plymouth campus:
Bridgwater College
tbc
City of Bristol College
tbc
Exeter College
Sharron Sandford (FLECS EYPS)
Michelle Wood
Katie Sercombe (FLECS)
sharron_metford1@btinternet.com
michelle.l.wood@students.plymouth.ac.uk
katie.sercombe@students.plymouth.ac.uk
Open University
tbc
Penwith College
Rebecca Curnow
rebecca.curnow@students.plymouth.ac.uk
Petroc college
Laura Burnham (N. Devon)
laura.burnhamre@students.plymouth.ac.uk
South Devon College
Claire Fleming
Jennie Judge
claire.fleming@students.plymouth.ac.uk
jennifer.judge@students.plymouth.ac.uk
Truro College
Kate Douglass
Natisha Williams
Kathryn.douglass@students.plymouth.ac.uk
natisha.williams@students.plymouth.ac.uk