Course - Master thesis in English and foreign language education - DID3930
Master thesis in English and foreign language education
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About the course
Course content
The course comprises work with the master's thesis in English and foreign language education. The course has no regular teaching.
The master's thesis is an independent, academic research project which students complete as the final part of a master's degree. The work is supervised by an academic supervisor, and must be original, explicitly articulated and founded in the research field of English and foreign language education. The thesis' topic and research questions are chosen by the student, but in agreement with the supervisor. The thesis is written in the language corresponding to the student's admission requirements, i.e. English, French, German or Spanish.
The student's work with the thesis corresponds to 1,5 semesters full-time effort.
All students are entitled to write an independent thesis. In specific cases, it can be practical to write the thesis as a joint effort between two students. This must, however, be decided in agreement with supervisor and academic coordinator, and should be justified in the thesis' project description.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
The candidate has
- advanced knowledge in methodological and systematic work with an independent research question within English or foreign language education
- thorough knowledge on academic writing and communication
- in-depth knowledge about relevant research within a limited area related to English or foreign language education
- in-depth knowledge about academic writing and communication
Skills
The candidate can
- plan and carry out an independent research project in line with academic and ethical research principles
General competence
The candidate can
- discuss and present knowledge about own field of research by using terminology and ways of expression relevant for the field of research
- make use of the supervision and follow up agreements in the MA-agreement
- contribute to innovation and in innovative processes related to English or foreign language education
Learning methods and activities
Seminars, individual work and supervision.
Supervision is obligatory and is carried out in agreement with the appointed academic supervisor.
Participation in seminars and oral presentation of master project is obligatory.
In cases of co-writing of the thesis, students must in advance sign a written agreement about the nature of their cooperation (see a specific form). The two parts in the agreement are the two students and the supervisor. A process document describing the cooperative process must be attached to the MA-thesis, and must include an overview of how the responsibility and work has been distributed between the two students. The process document constitutes one part of the basis of assessment of the thesis.
Compulsory assignments
- Participation on seminar
- Oral presentation of master project
- Supervision
Further on evaluation
The MA thesis is a written piece of work assessed individually by an A-F assessment scale, where the grades A-E are pass grades and F is a fail grade.
The MA thesis is assessed both by an internal and an external examiner.
In a co-written MA thesis, the process document constitutes one part of the basis of the assessment. In principle, there is a joint assessment of the written work for both students, but the grade is individual and students therefore have individual rights to submit a claim.
The scope of the thesis should be between 25,000 and 35,000 words. When co-writing, the scope should be between 35,000 and 45,000 words. The front page, preface, summary, table of contents, bibliography, tables and appendices are in addition to the word counts noted.
All courses in the study programme must be approved before the MA-thesis can be submitted for assessment.
Specific conditions
Admission to a programme of study is required:
Education (MDID) - some programmes
Recommended previous knowledge
It is recommended that all courses from the first year of the study programme Master in education, specialization in English and foreign language education, have been passed before the student starts working on the MA-thesis.
Required previous knowledge
The course requires admission to the study programme MA in education, specialization in English- and foreign language education.
Course materials
Individual reading material. Some suggested articles and books. An overview of these will be shared in the course room on NTNU's learning platform.
Subject areas
- Pedagogical knowledge