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This module is an introduction to historical research in education, focusing mainly on archival research and oral history. It aims to introduce students to the processes and conventions of research and writing in the history of education, to key genres of documents and other source material, to the ethics of historical research in education, and to the wide range of archival resources at the ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûand elsewhere. Students will examine the ways in which historians of education have used different kinds of material, and will produce their own research study using primary and secondary sources. The module considers how research questions are devised, refined and answered. A key feature of the module is that students will gain hands-on experience of working with documents, oral history recordings and other sources such as photographs and film. The module focuses on one or more specific areas of the history of education, including ‘progressive’ education in twentieth-century England.Ìý

Teaching delivery:ÌýThis module is normally taught in ten weekly two-hour seminars and ten weekly one-hour lectures.ÌýÌý

Indicative Topics:Ìýsubject to possible changes, based on content from 2023/24.

• official documentsÌý
• oral historyÌý
• biography and autobiographyÌý
• photographs and film as historical sourcesÌý
• curriculum documentsÌý
• student-produced material, e.g. school workÌý
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Module Aims:ÌýÌý

•  to introduce students to the processes and conventions of historical research in education;Ìý
• to explore the range of archival and other materials available for the study of the educational past;Ìý
• to examine the uses of oral history in educational settings;Ìý
• to familiarise students with archival and oral history resources at ÐÂÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûand in and other relevant archival repositories;Ìý
• to consider the ethics of historical research in education;Ìý
• to foster a culture of collaborative learning and group work.Ìý

Recommended readings:ÌýÌý

• Gunn, Simon, and Lucy Faire (eds). Research Methods for History. 2nd ed., Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2016.Ìý
• McCulloch, Gary. Documentary Research in Education, History and the Social Sciences. London: Routledge, 2004.