Students will be introduced to key, contemporary issues and debates in education at both a national, international and global level. It is expected that the topics/issues will vary from year to year, however a consideration will be given to:

• Globalisation in education
• International and Comparative education as an area of scholarship and research
• The role of organisations like the World Bank, OECD, the UN and UNICEF in Education
• International Assessment - PIAAC, PIRLS, PISA, and TIMSS
• Comparisons of early years, primary, secondary and higher education systems, philosophies and practice and how these are influenced by cultural background, values and attitudes
• Education for sustainable futures - Peace Education and Global Citizenship

On successful completion of this unit students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the role of education in selected social, national and cultural contexts through a comparison of national education systems
• Explore and discuss cultural variation in educational practice
• Locate, interpret and critically analyse data and information from a range of sources relating to the study of education and educational issues in a comparative context

This unit will introduce students to the complex process of research in education. This will be achieved through a consideration of:

• The contested nature of social inquiry: examining competing paradigms of social research
• Differing conceptions of education
• The principles of educational research and the educative nature of educational research
• Ethical issues in educational research
• Generic research skills, such as library and IT use
• Literature Reviews
• The process of generating research questions
• The processes of inquiry and methodological frameworks
• Methods of data collection and analysis

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

• Critically analyse key methodological and theoretical issues in educational research
• Reflect critically on their own theoretical assumptions underpinning their individual research
• Position their own research and study in its academic context, with respect to both its disciplinary and theoretical approaches
• Produce a detailed Dissertation Proposal including an initial literature review and a completed ethical checklist

The unit covers the following areas

• The policy context for inclusive education
• Exploring inclusive pedagogies
• Developing inclusive curricula
• Understanding the development of inclusive schools
• Developing more inclusive classroom practices
• Collaboration for inclusive learning
• Inclusive education as social justice
• Including diverse learners

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

• Critically analyse the current policy context for inclusive education
• Understand the significance of inclusive pedagogy and curricula in developing more inclusive practices
• Identify the processes underlying the development of more inclusive schools
• Reflect critically on the development of more inclusive practices in their own professional setting
• Demonstrate an understanding of issues of equality, diversity and social justice in inclusive education

This Unit deepens student understanding of Leadership and Management concepts and issues within education.

The following themes will be examined within this unit:

• Effective models of leadership
• Leadership in practice
• Change Management
• Effectiveness and Improvement within Educational Leadership
• Managing People and Resources within Educational Institutions

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

• Identify and critique different models of leadership within an educational setting
• Explain theories on leading change in learning organisations
• Critically evaluate current research in the area of Leadership & Management
• Apply theoretical perspectives to practice

This unit explores the relationship between identity, social justice and education. It provides theoretical frameworks to enable students to develop critical understanding of educational inequalities in relation to marginalised social groups and individuals.

In the first part of the unit students will consider key themes and debates on the role of education in producing individual, group identities and social positioning. Students will be engaged in critical thought and discussion about issues of identity, difference and diversity, inclusion and exclusion in education. Students will also explore language and other forms of representation that contribute to stereotypical perceptions of themselves and others.

In the second part of the unit students will progress onto applying appropriate theoretical perspectives to case studies of particular marginalised groups.

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

• Critically evaluate key theories related to conceptions of social justice, prejudice and discrimination as well as the social, political, and economic mechanisms that perpetuate them
• Select and evaluate an appropriate range of sources from a variety of different media in order to explore issues of inequality
• Critically analyse how these issues impact upon the individual’s socialisation, beliefs and values
• Explain the impact of difference and diversity on a variety of marginalised social groups and their education
• Construct an evidence based critical account of the barriers such groups face and the role of the education system and the state in reproducing or challenging inequalities