18 ECTS credits
500 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4021592FNR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.
General
The master’s thesis needs to make a contribution to educational sciences, no matter how modest. A master’s thesis must prove that the student:
• sufficiently masters the field of study, and especially the specialization (subject) chosen
• can independently establish and perform scientific research, and is able to report on the research
In other words, our scientific knowledge must have increased after the completion of the master’s thesis, irrespective of how modest this increase is. The student should be the primary contributor, assisted by the supervisor who is responsible for the global supervision, and a person (this can also be the supervisor) who guides the elaboration of the master’s thesis from nearby.
Some examples to clarify the notion of what comprises a contribution:
• The compilation of existing literature in an orderly manner (more or less as is done in an encyclopedia of a field of study), cannot be considered as a contribution; a critical analysis thereof and a new and original manner of compiling and associating these data, resulting in new insight(s), can be considered a contribution (such as is done in a systematic review).
• Research on a novel topic carried out such that the conclusions are strongly affected by researcher biases and the method chosen will not be considered a contribution. On the other hand, an accurate replication or a slight variation of research done by others, critical testing of half-certainties, the correction of errors from previous research, etc. can be considered as significant contributions.
• If a student studies an association but fails to find one, this is an important contribution if the student can show that (s)he made use of proper methods and relevant analysis techniques, even though the result is not statistically significant.
• The application of a method of research or processing as such (more or less as is done in practical training) is not a contribution; research on the validity of a method or an attempt to improve it can be a contribution.
The master’s thesis can – if requested by the student and approved by the supervisor – be written in another language than Dutch. Master theses written in English are automatically approved upon request. The Faculty Board (faculteitsbestuur) deals with such requests when discussing and approving the subjects and promotors of the master’s theses.
Subject:
There is a large variety of potential subjects for a thesis. Each student is free to choose their subject, if it relates to the domain of educational sciences and if the supervisor agrees to supervise the thesis.
A wide variety of research methods can be used as long as it is applied appropriately and when there is a contribution to educational sciences (examples are experimental laboratory work, research of persons in everyday life circumstances, analyses of diaries and files). Quantitative research on large samples, or in-depth studies of individual cases can be valuable.
The systematic description and organization of (previously unordered) research finding, attempts to formulate theories/explanations, the design of new methods of research or processing, research of the efficacy of these methods can lead to a valuable thesis.
Sections:
A master’s thesis must contain the following elements:
1. An introduction containing a clear research problem/research question developed by building on scientific literature (either a fundamental one or an applied one). The introduction contains 1.1) the research question and goal of the study, 1.2) the literature overview, and 1.3) the research questions/hypotheses
The relevance of the research must be demonstrated. This can be done by referring to theoretical implications, practical applications, its social relevance or any other reason leading to progress and expansion of our knowledge and understanding in the domain of educational sciences.
The literature study must be based on a logically constructed reasoning on the basis of high-quality, relevant and recent scientific literature related to one’s research.
It is a fundamental requirement of intellectual honesty that the student always indicates where one develops one's own ideas and where one copies the ideas of others (through correct references).
2. A description of the method followed
The chosen research design and research methods are justified in a clear manner based on the conceptual framework and theoretical assumptions and in function of the research questions / hypotheses. Each step taken in the course of the investigation must be clearly described (if necessary with reference to annexes).
The method typically comprises the following elements:
a) description of the sample
b) method of data collection/procedure
c) Description of the materials used (e.g., questionnaires, interview structure etc.)
d) Description of the data analysis
The text should allow the reader to follow the entire procedure of the research closely and to replicate it.
3. A well-structured description of the research results:
The research results or findings must be presented in a structured and evidence-based manner (based on the analyzed research data) in function of the research questions / hypotheses.
4. Discussion and conclusion
The discussion of the results should provide a clear answer to the research questions / hypotheses (4.1 Discussion). The discussion and conclusions are situated in and related to the existing scientific literature. Following the conclusions, the student reflects critically on (4.2) the limitations of the research and the methods used, with suggestions for further research and (4.3) recommendations for policy and / or practice (4.4). It is concluded with a general conclusion (4.5).
Formal requirements
Preferably, the master’s thesis is written in the form of a scientific article. The master’s thesis has to meet the formal publication guidelines as formulated by the American Psychological Association (APA). References and citations should follow a consistent style.
1° Length
Regarding length one should preferably aim at approximately 10.000 words, with 15.000 words being an absolute maximum (title page, index, summary, brief content, acknowledgements, list of references and attachments not included). The number of words should be mentioned on the title page. Moreover, an electronic version of the master’s thesis has to be submitted to the faculty secretariat (facpe@vub.be) in order for the number of words to be verified. Exceptions to this maximum can be made if (a) one reports on more than two studies or (b) the promotor explicitly argues in favor of it.
2° Text
The text should explain the research question/problem, the existing knowledge on which it is based, the thinking / theoretical framework on which the research methodology and design are based, the implementation and course of the research, the research results / findings, and the reasoned decisions of the investigation in a clear and well-structured way. The size of each of these parts must correspond to their relative importance.
Relevant results / findings should be in the text and / or can be shown as figures or tables. These tables and figures serve to clarify the text and are provided with a number, a meaningful and self-explanatory title and legend (see APA guidelines).
If necessary, the appendix can be used to show how the research was actually implemented, to elaborate on research details (such as informed consent, the method used for certain calculations, etc.). The appendices should not contain raw or partially processed data, unprocessed results (computer printout of statistical programs), or other results that are not referred to in the text.
Quotes or verbatim quotations from other authors (with the correct reference and / or pagination) should be used only: 1) if an idea cannot be formulated better than these authors did, 2) if the verbatim quotation is to show how third parties have interpreted an idea.
It goes without saying that one should always distinguish between one's own thinking and ideas from others.
When formulas are used, the symbols should be defined in the text or in a footnote.
3° Bibliography or list of references
The bibliography only contains literature one refers to in the thesis. The bibliography follows APA rules.
4° Permission to disclosure the thesis
The master's thesis is preceded by the permission form for the publication of the master's thesis, in which the student indicates whether the master's thesis may be included in the library (after the title page).
5° Summary
The master’s thesis is preceded by a concise summary (in the same language in which the master’s thesis is written) of maximum 300 words (after the permission form).
Students have to submit the form with the subject and supervisor of the master’s thesis the latest on October 31st of the 2nd master year.
A thesis supervisor must be an independent academic staff member (“ZAP”), a postdoctoral research assistant or a teaching professor or another member of the academic staff with a PhD. As a general rule, assessors are members of the academic staff of the VUB. The faculty may decide to appoint an external expert as assessor.
The assessors must have obtained their academic master’s degree for at least 2 years.
Next to the supervisor, one or more co-supervisors can be appointed. The supervisor and co-supervisor submit only one (joint) evaluation report.
Changes of subject, a change of supervisor at the student’s initiative or renunciation by the supervisor of the promotership must be reported to the Dean in writing. The changes should be motivated.
Any changes of subject and/or supervisor have to submitted to the Dean’s office at least three months before the submission date of the master’s thesis (decaanpe@vub.be). This request must also contain the agreement of the supervisor(s). In case these conditions are not met, the master thesis cannot be submitted.
Changes in the title have to be requested by the student by emailing facpe@vub.be, copying the supervisor. Both the old and the new title should be mentioned, in Dutch and English. The title change can be requested until the submission date.
The master’s thesis is submitted electronically via the digital learning platform.
The student is able to:
• independently set up and conduct scientific research and report on it in writing.
• apply the most common qualitative and quantitative research methods within the educational sciences.
• autonomously identify problems, formulate research questions and study and report on them in a critical, scientific way
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Master Thesis determines 80% of the final mark.
Other determines 20% of the final mark.
Within the Master Thesis category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Other category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The final assessment will be decided upon during the pre-deliberation (committee master’s theses) where only master’s theses will be discussed. The date of this pre-deliberation is set each year at the beginning of the academic year by the Faculty Council (faculteitsraad). The following elements are taken into account in the assessment:
1. Introduction (incl. research problem, literature, hypothesis/ research questions)
2. Method
3. Results (processing and reporting)
4. General discussion and conclusions
5. Structure and language
6. Number of words
7. Process evaluation, on the basis of a standardized questionnaire, which has to be completed by the AP-member who actually guided the process.
If one or more co-supervisors supervised the student, they do not give a separate grade, but hand their assessment to the supervisor who integrates them in his/ her final assessment.
The final grade is calculated on the basis of all the separate grades in the following manner:
20% = process evaluation done by the person who guided the thesis
80% = master thesis (two reports: one by the supervisor and the other by the second assessor). This 80% consists of: 80% evaluation by the jury of the written work and 20% evaluation by the jury of the oral presentation and defense.
The evaluation criteria for the oral presentation are:
The student is able to:
• provide a structured and coherent presentation of the research;
• answer adequately to content-related or methodological questions, and be reflective upon critical remarks;
• justify the choices that were made in the research to a critical reviewer;
• get to the core of the conducted research within the provided time-frame
The evaluation forms can be found on the website of the faculty.
The student receives the motivated report from the supervisor and the assessors. Using this feedback, the student can decide to proceed with an oral public defense of the master's thesis with the supervisor and the commissioners.
The grade will be announced via the student's VUB e-mail address. The student has 3 calendar days to request the oral defense. The date foreseen for an (possible) oral defense is included in the faculty examination calendar at the start of the academic year and published on the website.
The Committee Master’s Theses decides in favor of an oral defense in the following cases:
1° if requested by the student;
2° if requested by a committee member;
3° if the difference between the highest and the lowest grade is, even after discussion, more than 4/20 (20% of the assessment scale).
In all of the abovementioned cases a 3rd assessor will be appointed by the Committee Master’s Theses. After the oral defense the committee makes a decision concerning the grade. This can be a confirmation of the former grade, a lower or a higher grade. The promoter (or another member of the committee) informs – after deliberation – the student about the grade. A concise report of this assessment – including a motivation for the decision – is submitted to the faculty secretary, by the latest 2 calendar days after the decision. If the committee deliberates that fundamental changes need to be made to the thesis, the decision might be taken that the student must submit a revised version of the master thesis, before the deliberation. If no revised version is submitted, the student will automatically be referred to the next exam session.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Educational Sciences: Standaard traject