- An undergraduate course
in
Childhood and Youth.
Early years focus on research with children and young people
- On this page
Are you interested in researching the experiences of children and young people, and learning more about their worlds? This course examines the research process through studies with children and young people carried out in the fields of education, social sciences, health and social care. This is a practical project-based course using audio, video and interactive materials with no examination. The project will help you to develop your own research skills. This course uses the same study materials as Research with children and young people (EK310) but your project is focused on an early years research topic.
Modules at Level 3 assume that you are suitably prepared for study at this level. If you want to take a single module to satisfy your career development needs or pursue particular interests, you don’t need to start at Level 1 but you do need to have adequately prepared yourself for OU study in some other way. Check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service to make sure that you are sufficiently prepared.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | EK311 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 6 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
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What you will study
Why do children and young people behave in certain ways and what do they understand about their worlds? Are you concerned with the ethics of research, with participation and power issues, and the responsibilities of researchers? Are you interested in the dissemination of research findings?
These and other questions are considered in this course, which focuses on research with participants aged from birth to early adulthood in the fields of education, social science, health and social care. It will prepare you for carrying out research with children and young people. This is achieved by introducing you to a range of research methods and analytical techniques; alerting you to a number of important issues arising in research with children and young people; and providing you with the opportunity to practise a number of specific research skills.
This is a practical project-based course using audio, video and interactive materials with no exam. The project will help you develop your own research skills and is focused on an early years research topic. The course covers all aspects of the research process, including searching for and reviewing existing literature; identifying research questions and hypotheses; selecting an appropriate research method; collecting and analysing data; interpreting and discussing results; and presenting and writing up findings. The teaching is based around a set text and two readers, together with associated audio, video and interactive materials.
The set text provides an introduction to both qualitative and quantitative approaches to research in the social sciences, education, health, and social care. These different approaches are illustrated in one reader through research papers selected to demonstrate the breadth of research with children and young people in these fields. Examples of these research papers range from an ethnographic study of young people in rural Bolivia to an examination of how deaf Japanese infants acquire their first signs; from short-term fostering to the relationship between children’s social skills and bullying behaviour. In addition to the research papers – all of which have been published or specially commissioned – and to elucidate the research process, the lead authors have provided written commentaries about their research. These address questions such as: What led to the research? What was it like doing the research? How were the research methods selected? What ethical issues arose? Has the reported research led to further studies?
The other reader is a collection of chapters addressing a number of key issues arising in research with children and young people. Some of these include legal and ethical issues; power relations; race and ethnicity; participation levels of children and young people; and implications for policy and practice.
The audio and video materials support the print materials in a number of ways. For example, they illustrate different approaches to research with children and young people and the issues that arise; the processes of identifying research questions; collecting and analysing data; and the use of research by professionals. Interactive media materials include tools to aid the coding and analysis of data.
Entry
This is a Level 3 course. Level 3 courses build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from study at Levels 1 and 2. You do not need any prior experience of carrying out research, although we would expect you to have studied courses that draw on research studies involving children and/or young people. As you will be assessed on a proposal for a piece of research but will not actually carry it out, you do not need to have access to children or young people. Statistics are used in the course, but they are fully explained.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
Please note that this course makes use of audio and visual materials. This will involve use of CD-ROMs, where you will be expected to view and/or listen to sequences and record particular features for future reference. You will also need to access literature via the internet. The printed study materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. Other alternative formats of the study material may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.
You can also find information about accessible study materials, the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
Two course readers, other printed materials, three CD-ROMS containing audio, video and interactive materials, and website.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course. It includes online activities – you can only access using a web browser with Flash and Java – and some course software provided on disk.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer running Windows since 2006 you should have no problems completing the computer-based activities.
- If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
- If you have an Apple Mac or Linux computer – please note that you can only use it for this course by running Windows on it using Boot Camp or a similar dual-boot system.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Materials to buy
Set books
- Punch, Keith F Introduction to Social Research (2nd edn), Sage £27.99 - ISBN 9780761944171
This module uses the same set book as EK310
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
The end-of-module assessment (EMA) is a project report that takes the place of an examination. It consists of a short introduction, linking back to a previous TMA, design of a study and a critical evaluation. Assessment is an essential part of the teaching, so you are expected to complete it all.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2013 when it will be available for the last time.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
Student Reviews
“This course was made for me. I enjoyed every aspect, even the TMA writing! It really opened my eyes to ...”
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“If you want to gain a detailed insight into the world of children and young people and understand what is ...”
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Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | EK311 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 6 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
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