Autumn semester 
Social, Historical, Cultural & Institutional Contexts of Psychology
This module explores the scientific underpinnings of psychology as a discipline, its historical origins, development, socio-cultural & 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 & models
Social and cultural contexts of psychology & indigenous and cross-cultural approaches
Ethical issues in psychology and education
Institutional contexts, feminism & socio-political issues in psychology and education
Research Methods in Psychology and Education I
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 & research designs.
Ethics.
Collecting oral data: interviews and focus group discussions.
Coding & analysing interview data: grounded theory, content & discourse analysis.
Observation, visual methods and mixed-methodological designs.
Research Methods in Psychology and Education II
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 & quantitative data collection
Experimental and quasi-experimental research designs
General principles of psychometrics, test theory, item response theory, measurement techniques & scale development
SPSS, inferential and descriptive statistics; parametric and non-parametric tests,
Correlational design, ANOVA, Two-way ANOVA and factor analysis; Mixed-methodological designs
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 & language, problem solving and decision making
Cognitive styles, intelligence & cognitive psychological testing
Consciousness, social cognition & emotion
Metacognition, current debates & implications for learning & education


Spring semester
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 & neuroscience
Behavioural genetics, heredity, comparative and evolutionary psychology
Psychobiology, biological bases of human & non-human behaviour, hormones and behaviour, socio-biology
Neuroimaging, cognitive & evolutionary neuroscience
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 & applications
Individual differences
Motivation
Mood disorders/ mental health: biological, cognitive & socio-cultural dimensions
Disability, impairment and SEN
Gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity
Difference & ethics in educational settings
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 & 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 & parenting cultures
Cognitive development, learning & language
Moral development
Typical and atypical development in multi-cultural societies
Social Psychology & 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:

Attitudes, perception of the self, social perception, attribution
Group processes and intergroup relations
Identities, social cognition, social constructionism and professional services in on/offline spaces
Leadership & multi-professional teamwork for integrated children’s services & ethical issues
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.