Major dissertation for TESOL.

Scheduled workshops throughout the year.

None

The Dissertation Project is comprised of two assignments. Assignment 1 a live or online presentation and Assignment 2 the written dissertation. The Presentation will constitute 25% of the assessment. It outlines a plan to conduct a small-scale research project on an issue of strategic importance in the field of TESOL. Students will give a presentation detailing and critically examining why the issue is of importance, and how their research project will help address it. The presentation will be a live event or online. Assignment 2: The Dissertation is weighted at 75% of the course grade. Students will conduct small-scale research or systematic review demonstrating an understanding of the choices and processes that contribute to a robust and rigorous, and reflective study. This will be informed by and what was learnt from Assignment 1.

To provide students with an opportunity to plan and conduct a supervised research exercise that involves examining literature, gathering relevant data and analysis of findings in an educational context.

By the end of this course students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of how to undertake a small research project. They will be assessed on their ability to:

■ outline an issue of strategic importance from a critical review of the literature, personal experience, or other relevant context that can be explored in some depth  

■ identify an appropriate research question(s) based on the research problem

■ develop a research strategy, and describe an appropriate methodology, whether empirical, or non-empirical (e.g., extended literature reviews or meta-analyses), which is adequate to the research questions

■ select, justify, and describe an appropriate methodology to answer the research question(s)  

■ gather evidence from appropriate sources  

■ analyse and discuss the evidence in appropriate depth  

■ draw tentative conclusions from the material available and evidence obtained  

■ reflect critically, in light of the conclusions, on the literature, professional experience, or other relevant context, indicating any potential direction for future research  

■ reflect critically on what was learnt from the experience of completing the Dissertation Project.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.