Advanced Issues on Methodologies of Research in Education (with Laboratory)

Code:

MED307

Acronym:

QAMIE(CL)

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Research and Intervention Methodologies in Education / Educational Sciences

Instance: 2025/2026 - A

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Education Sciences
Course/CS Responsible:	Master Degree in Educational Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MCED	29	Official Curricular Structure	2	-	8	64	216

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

The Curricular Unit (UC) of In-Depth Questions in Research Methodology (with laboratory) seeks, through diversified teaching and learning modalities, to provide students with the conceptual and procedural tools that allow them to develop relevant, rigorous, innovative and criticism in the field of education, responding to the training objectives of the study cycle and contributing to the construction of the competences foreseen in its scope.

Learning outcomes and competences

1. Identify, distinguish and relate paradigms and research strategies in education
2. Carry out and support research choices with regard to paradigms, general research strategies and means of collecting and analyzing data, taking into account the problem, the subjects and the research context/s
3. Design research according to the problems, subjects and/or contexts to be studied and the ethical principles of research
4. Manage the general research procedure in a coherent, valid and ethically framed manner
5. Choose and use software and other electronic means of operationalizing research as a process and product
6. Produce means of collecting research data individually and as a team
7. Use ethically, technically and relationally informed means of data collection
8. Analyze research data individually and as a team

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Be successful in the 1st year of the MCED with the UC of MInvE

Program

1. Epistemological foundations of educational research


2. Research methodology, design and ethics: educational research in the making; i) the ethical challenges of research; ii) educational research methodologies (ethnographic studies, historical and documentary research, case studies, longitudinal, cross-sectional or sequential surveys, internet studies, action research, meta-analyses and systematic reviews, etc.); iii) research design (research questions, design and planning; population and participants; choice of methods; validity and reliability); iv) methods, fieldwork and data collection: interviews, focus groups, observation, questionnaires.


3. Analysing and reporting: interpreting, constructing meaning, returning to theory and drawing implications. i) the use of research support software (bibliographic databases, Endnote, NVivo, SPSS); ii) data analysis (coding and content analysis, conversation analysis, visual analyses, descriptive and inferential statistical analysis); iii) reporting: presenting and writing in an academic context.

Mandatory literature

João Amado; Manual de investigação qualitativa em educação. ISBN: 978-989-26-0655-2
Creswell , Jonh W.; Educational research : planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. ISBN: 978-1-292-33780-7
Cohen , Louis; Research methods in education. ISBN: 978-1-138-20988-6
Lessard-Hébert , Michelle; Investigação qualitativa : fundamentos e práticas. ISBN: 972-9295-75-1
Mertens , Donna M.; Research methods in education and psychology : integrating diversity with quantitative & qualitative approaches. ISBN: 0-8039-5827-5

Teaching methods and learning activities

Contact hours:
They include theoretical-practical and laboratory sessions, collective or by optional domain and individual or small group tutorial sessions.
- dialogic and structured exposition of contents
- debates
- seminars with invited researchers
- simulations
- analysis of investigation cases collectively and in a small group
- review and feedback on texts (from 3 to 10 p) on research written by students in 2 moments of the school year
- review and feedback on activities carried out by students

Contact hours and autonomous work:
- search in databases
- analysis of research articles and reports
- construction of small research designs
- construction of means of collecting data collectively and in small groups
- analysis of research data collectively and in small groups with and without specific software support

Autonomous working hours:
Recommended readings.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	40,00
Trabalho escrito	60,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	60,00
Estudo autónomo	100,00
Frequência das aulas	70,00
Trabalho escrito	50,00
Total:	280,00

Eligibility for exams

The evaluation model adopted presupposes compliance with attendance in accordance with the law for the remaining courses of the faculty and without prejudice to the provisions of point 4 of article 9 of the evaluation regulation.

Calculation formula of final grade

Participation (measured by the presentation of works and intervention in the dynamics of the classes) and attendance (40%) Completion of 2 individual written works on key aspects of the research methodology (from 5-10 pages each), to be delivered on dates to be agreed (30% +30%).

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

To be analysed with students

Classification improvement

The classification improvement can only be done right after the end of the school year through a work on the two semesters.