Psychology and Education (Conversion)

Core modules:

Social, Historical, Cultural and Institutional Contexts of Psychology

This module explores the scientific underpinnings of psychology as a discipline, its historical origins, development, socio-cultural and institutional contexts and limitations. The module introduces students to the multiple paradigms, theoretical perspectives and methods of analysis in psychology and explores the differences and/or complementarities between them as well as relevant ethical issues. Module content includes:
- Psychology as a science: Conceptual and historical paradigms and models.
- Social and cultural contexts of psychology and indigenous and cross-cultural approaches.
- Ethical issues in psychology and education.
- Institutional contexts, feminism and socio-political issues in psychology and education.

15 credits

Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology and Education

The module explores different paradigms of psychological and educational research, with a focus on qualitative methodologies and research designs, such as interviews, content and discourse analysis, case studies, observation and visual methods. It also considers research ethics.
Module content includes:
- Epistemological paradigms and general methodological principles: Positivism, empiricism, interpretivism.
- Classic approaches, recent trends, case studies, action research, longitudinal research, big data.
- Research proposals, research questions and research designs.
- Ethics.
- Collecting oral data: interviews and focus group discussions
- Coding and analysing interview data: grounded theory, content and discourse analysis
- Observation, visual methods and mixed-methodological designs.

15 credits

Quantitative Research Methods in Psychology and Education

The module explores different paradigms of psychological and educational research, with a focus on quantitative methodologies and research designs, such as statistical analysis; experimental and quasi-experimental designs, psychometric theories and scale construction, and surveys.
Module content includes:
- Quantitative research principles, research variables, survey, questionnaire design and quantitative data collection
- Experimental and quasi-experimental research designs
- General principles of psychometrics, test theory, item response theory, measurement techniques and scale development
- SPSS, inferential and descriptive statistics; parametric and non-parametric tests,
- Correlational design, ANOVA, Two-way ANOVA and factor analysis; Mixed-methodological designs

15 credits

Cognition, Psychology & Education

This module explores major theories and key debates concerning the study of human mind and cognition. It considers psychometric measures of cognitive performance as well as case studies requiring contextual analysis and ethical understanding.
Module content includes:
- Perception, attention, memory
- Thinking and language, problem solving and decision making- Cognitive styles, intelligence and cognitive psychological testing
- Consciousness, social cognition and emotion
- Metacognition, current debates and implications for learning and education

15 credits

Neuroscience, Psychology & Education

This module explores the fundamental biological mechanisms underlying human and animal behaviour. It also considers laboratory research methodologies and critically examines the relevance of bio-psychological and neuroscientific knowledge for education.
Module content includes:
- Introduction: Education and neuroscience
- Behavioural genetics, heredity, comparative and evolutionary psychology
- Psychobiology, biological bases of human and non-human behaviour, hormones and behaviour, socio-biology
- Neuroimaging, cognitive and evolutionary neuroscience

15 credits

Difference, Disability & Diversity in Psychology and Education

This module explores multiple perspectives to psychology and education relating to the study of human difference, personality, disability and gender, race and ethnicity. It also considers practical, theoretical and ethical issues associated with the use of personality tests.
Module content includes:
- Personality theory, measurements and applications
- Individual differences
- Motivation
- Mood disorders/ mental health: biological, cognitive and socio-cultural dimensions
- Disability, impairment and SEN
- Gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity
- Difference and ethics in educational settings

15 credits

Learning & Development in Global Contexts

This module explores major theories and key aspects of human development from infancy to adulthood in a variety of cultural settings. It also considers case studies and key developmental tests and the application of developmental psychological knowledge in contemporary multi-cultural and global educational, upbringing and institutional contexts.
Module content includes:
- Emotional development and parenting cultures
- Cognitive development, learning and language
- Moral development
- Typical and atypical development in multi-cultural societies

15 credits

Social Psychology and Practice

This module explores classic and recent social psychological theory and research. It examines social psychological processes in a variety of educational, psychological, multi-professional and digital contexts as well as the implications of psychological research for social policy and professional practice.

Module content includes:

Attribution and social cognition, the self and social influence, group processes

Play and development

Children and Young people's mental health

Prejudice and aggression. 

15 credits

Research Dissertation

In this module, students are supported in planning and carrying out a piece of original research and in writing a dissertation of 15,000 to 20,000 words in length. The research will be empirical, utilize either qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods and explore psychological topics in relation to education and upbringing. The dissertation offers a space for synthesising knowledge from the different modules, and pursuing in more detail an area of interest for the student.

60 credits