Master of Philosophy in Early Childhood Education and Child Development (ECD)

Master’s Degree & Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma Programmes – UM GRS

https://grs.um.edu.mo/index.php/prospective-students/master-postgraduate-certificate-diploma-programmes/

Applicants must follow the general admission rules and requirements of the University. Other admission requirements include:

1. Obtained a competitive bachelor’s degree GPA.

2. Obtained a relevant bachelor’s degree (e.g., Early Childhood Education, Pre-primary Education, Developmental Psychology)

3. Applicants that have obtained a bachelor degree from a nationally or internationally recognized (teacher training) university are preferred

4. Applicants that have research experiences, and advanced English language proficiency are preferred

畢業要求： 完成課程所需的學分為30學分。獲得碩士學位還取決於撰寫及提交一篇專為該目的且屬科研性質的原創書面論文，以進行公開答辯且獲通過。

Graduation Requirement: Students must complete 30 credits including the passing of Thesis oral defence.

Master of Philosophy in Early Childhood Education and Child Development

Course description for Intakes in and after Academic Year of 2019/2020

EDUC7301 THEORIES AND STUDIES OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Consolidates knowledge on human development and its ecological contexts by highlighting the developmental stages of human beings at different stages of the life-span. Introduces the recent theories on human development that extend the classic theories on human development, social movements and their effects on human development. Emphasizes special features during the transitional periods from one stage to the next and the critical role that childhood plays in the later developmental stages. Discussions will also examine the ways in which different societies view human development and the issues pertaining to the culture and cognition of human development.
Pre-requisite: None

EDUC7302 COGNITION AND LEARNING IN THE EARLY YEARS
Provides students with an understanding of children’s cognitive development and its implication on learning. Discusses theories on children’s cognition such as those on children’s memory system, what constitutes to children’s conceptual changes, children’s problem solving strategies and their sensory and perceptual system development. Overviews selected contemporary approaches such as topics on neuro-psychology, namely brain anatomy, brain development, the social brain and the effects of gender, culture, disorders, and life experiences on shaping a brain will be covered. Examines parents’ influence and the roles of adult and child interactions on children’s learning. This course will also link theory and practice by examining how young children learn and the role that early education plays in it.
Pre-requisite: None

EDUC7303 CHILD PLAY STUDIES
The benefits of play have been associated with improvements in, for example, exploration and creativity, parent child bonds and healthy child development. This course will cover a range of international perspectives of play including the diverse interpretations of play, philosophical rationales underpinning play, and practices of play. In particular, the contemporary approaches and research methods to understanding children’s play, the arguments for and against play as curriculum and/or approach, the issues concerning play advocacy and policy-making, as well as the possibility of promoting context appropriate play practice cross-culturally will be provided.
Pre-requisite: None

EDUC7304 EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM QUALITY EVALUATION
This course is focused on theories, techniques, trends, and issues related to program quality evaluation in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Students will gain a deep understanding about what constitutes a high quality ECEC program and implications for children’s development and learning. How to examine the effectiveness of instruments and methods used in ECEC program quality rating and or improvement systems will be highlighted. Also, students will practice how to (1) conduct quality assessment in local ECEC programs, (2) report evaluation results, and (3) provide constructive feedback to the classroom teachers for quality improvement.
Pre-requisite: None

EDUC7001 RESEARCH METHODS IN EDUCATION
This course aims at developing in students an understanding of quantitative and qualitative methods of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data in educational research. Quantitative topics include application of statistical concepts / procedures, graphs, numerical summaries; normal distribution, correlation/regression analyses, probability, statistical inferences for one or two samples, hypothesis tests, chi-square tests, and factor analysis. Qualitative topics include data analyses in case studies, observations, and ethnography studies.
Pre-requisite: None

EDUC7051 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION
This is the intermediate master’s level course on qualitative method. Students will learn two central issues in qualitative research: 1) design and implement a scientifically valid qualitative study; 2) Analyzing qualitative data. This course will expose students to different paradigms in qualitative research including but not limited to: ethnography, grounded theory, participatory action research, and case study. The purpose of this course is to provide working knowledge to students to conduct qualitative study using various qualitative methods, as well as helping students to understand their limitation.
Pre-requisite: Research Methods in Education

EDUC7052 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION
This is the intermediate master’s level course on quantitative method. Students will have the opportunity to learn a variety of statistical methods. The primary methods to be introduced will include: multiple regression, factor analysis, principal component analysis, analysis of variance and covariance. Other advanced statistical technic such as multilevel models, structural equation models, and causal inference models will be introduced. The purpose of this course is to lay the foundation for quantitative analysis of education issues. Practical issues such as analyzing quantitate data with statistical tools will be covered to provide hands-on experience to students.
Pre-requisite: Research Method s in Education

EDUC7053 ACTION RESEARCH
This course aims to help learners understand the fundamental concepts and ideas of action research, and the method of constructing action research design. Main topics include the overview of action research, the portraits and methods of action research, and the analysis of examples of action research papers. By studying the evidence-based strategies and methods, learners could cultivate a positive attitude toward doing action research to enhance professional development.
Pre-requisite: None

EDUC7390 THESIS
This course provides an opportunity for students to do research work in relevant fields with the aim of strengthening their abilities of conducting empirical research under supervision. Academic norms should be abided by and creative scholarship and originally are required.

Chinese and English

Tuition Fee Scheme of Postgraduate Programmes

https://grs.um.edu.mo/index.php/current-students/tuition-fee/

Admission Statistics: 

FED MPhil Programmes Admission Statistics