Logo

Planning, Research and Innovation

Code: 102067
Credits: 3
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Primary Education FB 3

Contact lecturer

Name :
Anna Díaz Vicario
Email :
anna.diaz@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Xoán Carlos Díaz Rodríguez
Rocío Sanchez Ares

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

This subject has continuity in 'Practicum III'. For this reason, we highly recommend registering in both, bearing in mind that Practicum III does not involve going to school placements.
 
The subject is part of the 'Educational processes and contexts' subject. For this reason, it is advisable to have completed and passed the three previous subjects 'Education and educational contexts', 'Theories and Contemporary Practices in Education' and 'Didactics and Curriculum Development'.

Objectives

The subject aims to give an overview of educational research about the processes of planning, research, and innovation in education. In this sense, we propose the following objectives:
  • To reflect on the importance of planning, research and innovation for educational practice.
  • To analyse the characteristics and particularities of educational research and the main research methods applied to education.
  • To link research and innovation in education with educational practice and teaching professional development.

Learning outcomes

  1. Access basic and contextual information on the main theoretical teaching and practical contributions that affect the teaching profession.
  2. Analyse, contextually and pedagogically, educational projects and national and international assessment reports related to nursery and primary education and that help make decisions in the field of education policy.
  3. Understand the historical evolution of the family, different types of families, lifestyles and education in the family context.
  4. Recognising the social value of education and the value of diversity in order to acquire resources that encourage inclusive education and performance in multicultural contexts.
  5. Understand the historical evolution of the main currents of educational thinking in terms of the various changing contexts that affect teaching.
  6. Critically and independently analyse the main current formulations and pedagogical practices, and be able to defend the assumption of criteria.
  7. Observing and describing the main limitations but also the possibilities of current educational projects and practices of different centres and teaching professionals.
  8. Understand the main currents of contemporary thought of educational influence and their impact on nursery and primary education.
  9. Examining the knowledge of the main international, and especially European, pedagogical movements that have influenced contemporary pedagogical theory and practices that affect nursery and primary schooling.
  10. Gaining a deeper knowledge of certain authors and educational movements that have had a special importance in educational thinking and practice in our country.
  11. Identifying the curricular areas in the primary stage.
  12. Understand the evaluative approach, specifically evaluation criteria in primary education.
  13. Analyse the learning processes in the classroom and outside the classroom.
  14. Planning teaching/learning initiatives which address diversity in the classroom.
  15. Design teaching strategies according to the varying needs and characteristics of groups.
  16. Analyse the characteristics of a quality tutorial.
  17. Design tutorial processes in accordance with an analysis of pupils' needs.
  18. Critically analyse school reality, specifically in the classroom to propose specific areas for improvement.
  19. Proposing areas of improvement in primary education classrooms depending on the possibilities of the context and based on scientific principles.
  20. Devising innovation projects, taking into account their technical characteristics.
  21. Linking innovation as an element of professional development.
  22. Analyse individual and social needs of groups.
  23. Design and apply initial assessment devices.
  24. Analyse the contextual constraints that lead to the justification of innovations in school contexts.
  25. Identifying areas and spheres of innovation in the school context.
  26. Proposing specific innovation projects for primary education classes taking into account the possibilities of the context.
  27. Critically analyse, discerning the accessorial fundamentals, innovations in the field of primary education.
  28. Develop innovation projects by applying the appropriate programming sequence in accordance with the paradigm or focus of reference.
  29. Using methodologies and techniques suitable for planning innovative projects.
  30. Relating innovation, research, and professional development.
  31. Identifying the main changes affecting educational practice and the way teachers exercise their profession today.
  32. Know about international experiences and examples of innovative practices in education to analyse the practice of teaching and the institutional conditions that frame it.
  33. Understand the role, possibilities and limits of education in today's society and analyse and assess the impact of historical, cultural, political and environmental situations and proposals for education and training.
  34. Understand the theoretical and legal references of educational institutions and demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of actions involved in their operations.
  35. Understand the historical evolution of the Spanish education system placing it in the European context and the legislation governing it.
  36. Understand the processes that occur in educational activities and their impact on training while accepting that the exercise of the educational function must be refined and adapted lifelong to scientific, educational and social changes.
  37. Evaluate teaching activity in the classroom, integrating self-evaluation processes.
  38. Propose new methods or well-founded alternative solutions.
  39. Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.
  40. Propose projects and actions that are in accordance with the principles of ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and obligations, diversity and democratic values.
  41. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
  42. Weigh up the impact of any long- or short-term difficulty, harm or discrimination that could be caused to certain persons or groups by the actions or projects.

Contents

Research in education

  • Research evidence to inform educational practice
  • The research process in education
  • Research methodologies and techniques in education
  • Action research to improve educational practice
  • Use of digital resources for educational research

The role of the teacher in research and innovation

  • The teacher as a researcher of his/her practice
  • The teacher as a reflective professional

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Seminars 7 0.28
Self-study activities 44 1.76
Individual and group tasks and supervision 7 0.28
Lectures 15 0.6
Assessment 2 0.08

LECTURE

The lecture sessions are carried out with the whole class group and aim to present the contents. Despite the fact that the prominence falls mainly on teachers, it is expected that the student will actively participate in the construction of professional knowledge, giving value to both the teachers' own experience and that of the students.

SEMINARS IN SMALL GROUPS

The seminars in small groups are workspaces (with 1/3 of the large group) where by means of concrete tasks, promoting accessibility and participation.

SELF-STUDY

Students must read, reflect and search for information on the various contents of the syllabus, demonstrating autonomy to build their knowledge and skills on the subject.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Design of a research proposal (in group) 40% 0 0 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 38, 40, 41, 42
Self-assessment and co-assessment of the individual contribution to group work (individual) 10% 0 0 12, 13, 36, 37, 39, 41
Individual writing test 50% 0 0 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 21, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

This subject includes activities for the development of Teaching Digital Competence (A2).

Students must attend at least 80% of the scheduled directed activities. Under no circumstances may absences account for more than 20% of the total time allocated to these activities. Any documentation provided to justify an absence serves only to explain the reason for the absence and does not exempt the student from the attendance requirement.

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

The assessment is carried out throughout the semester and will consist of 3 activities:

  • Design of a group research project based on the review of research evidence (scientific articles) using digital tools (40%). Submission dates: 22/04/2027 (group 21), 21/04/2027 (group 31), and 30/04/2027 (groups 41 and 71).
  • Individual written test linked to the contents of the subject (50%). The individual written test will be held on: 27/05/2027 (group 21), 26/05/2027 (group 31) and 04/06/2027 (group 41 and 71).
  • Self-evaluation and co-evaluation of the contribution to group work using a digital rubric (10%). Individual evidence. It will be delivered on: 29/04/2027 (group 21), 28/04/2027 (group 31), and 30/04/2027 (groups 41 and 71).

To pass the subject, the student must present and pass all the evidence with a minimum rating of 5. In case of not delivering any evidence of evaluation, the overall qualification of the subject will be 'not assessable'. On the other hand, no average will be calculated if any of the evidences are failed; in that case, the final grade will be a maximum of 4.

The teaching staff will return the practices and exercises in continuous assessment within approximately 20 working days (three weeks). The lecturers will make public the grades for each assignment in the Moodle Classroom. Lecturers will establish a date to revise the grades -it will be communicated conveniently.

SYNTHESIS TEST

Students enrolled for the second time or later may opt for a synthesis test, provided that in previous calls they have passed the design of the research project and the self-assessment and peer-assessment of their contribution to group work.

Students wishing to choose this option must request it from the group’s responsible teacher within the first two weeks of the semester via email.

The synthesis test will consist of a written exam related to the subject’s content, and the grade obtained will be the final grade for the course. This test will be held on the same day scheduled for the individual written exam in continuous assessment.

SINGLE ASSESSMENT

The single assessment consists of 3 exercises to be delivered or carried out on 27/05/2027 (group 21), 26/05/2027 (group 31) and 04/06/2027 (group 41 and 71).

  • Delivery of a research project design based on an inquiry process using digital tools (25%).
  • Presentation and defence of the research project using a visual resource (25%).
  • Individual written test linked to the contents of the subject (50%) based on the studymaterial from the bibliography cited in the teaching guide and others that the students consider appropriate.

To pass the subject, you must present and pass all the activities with a minimum rating of 5. If a student does not submit an exercise, the overall qualification will be 'not assessable'. We apply the same recovery system for continuous assessment.

We remind you that students who choose the single assessment option are required to attend a minimum of 80% of the directed activities. Furthermore, students following this assessment method will neither present nor receive evaluative or grading-related feedback on the continuous assessment activities undertaken during the course.

RECOVERY

For students enrolled in the continuous assessment system, only the individual written exam and the group research design proposal may be retaken. The scheduled dates for re-assessment are: 17/06/2027 (group 21), 16/06/2027 (group 31), and 18/06/2027 (groups 41 and 71). If any of the assessment evidences are not submitted, the overall grade for the course will be marked as ‘not assessable’. For students under the single assessment system, all assessment evidences may be retaken.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

In this subject, it is necessary to show an attitude compatible with the teaching profession: punctuality, participation, respect, cooperation, appropriate use of electronic devices (mobile, computer, etc.), empathy, correctness in communication with others, and respect for the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations. Students must actively participate in the sessions, be responsible and rigorous in their independent work and demonstrate critical thinking and ethical commitment to the ethical principles of the teaching profession.

Likewise, within the framework of this subject, students must demonstrate good general communication skills, both orally and in writing, and a good command of the language or languages listed in the teaching guide. In all activities (individual and group), we will consider linguistic correction, writing, and formal aspects. Students must be able to express themselves fluently and correctly and must show a high degree of understanding of academic texts. An activity may be returned (not evaluated) or suspended if the teacher considers that do not meet these requirements. Before handing in an assignment, students mustverify that these criteria are respected and that the sources, notes, textual citations and bibliographical references follow the APA regulations (7th edition), according to the documentation that is summarized in the following sources https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/guibib/113512/modelapa_a2021a.pdf and https://normas-apa.org/

The copying or plagiarism of material constitutes a crime that entails not passing the subject, and losing the possibility of recovering it, whether it is an individual or group exercise (in this case, all the group will have a 0). We consider that a work, activity or written test is \"copied\" when it fully or partially reproduces the work of a colleague and that it is \"plagiarized\" when a part of an author's text is presented as one's own without citing it the source If any of the two bad practices are detected, the teaching staff will study whether it is appropriate to request the opening of an academic file. You can consult more informationabout plagiarism at https://webs.uab.cat/cal/wp-content/uploads/sites/211/2025/11/Evitar-el-plagi_2.pdf

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted as an integral part of the development of the work, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution from the student in terms of analysis and personal reflection. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools have influenced the process and the final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency in the use of AI will be considered academic dishonesty and will result in a total penalty in the activity’s grade, receiving a score of 0 (in the case of group activities, all group members will have a 0).

Bibliography

Arnau, L., & Sala, J. (2020). La revisión de la literatura científica: pautas, procedimientos y criterios de calidad. https://ddd.uab.cat/record/222109

Bisquerra, R. (Coord.) (2004). Metodología de la investigación educativa. La Muralla.

Cabrera-Rodríguez, F. (2011). Técnicas e instrumentos de evaluación: una propuesta de clasificación. REIRE Revista d'Innovació i Recerca en Educació, 4(2), 112–124. http://doi.org/10.1344/reire2011.4.2428

Creswell, J. W., & Guetterman, T. C. (2024). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Pearson.

Elliott, J. (1990). La investigación-acción en educación. Morata.

Feldman, A., Altrichter, H., Posch, P., & Somekh, B. (2008). Teachers investigate their work: an introduction to action research across the professions (2a ed.). Routledge.

Fernández Núñez, L. (2005). Com es porta a terme una investigació? Butlletí LaRecerca, 2, 1–6. https://www.ub.edu/idp/web/sites/default/files/fitxes/ficha2-cat.pdf

Firth, J. (2020). The Teacher's Guide to Research: Engaging with, Applying and Conducting Research in the Classroom. Routledge.

Folgueiras Bertomeu, P., & Ramirez, C. (2017). Elaboración de técnicas de recogida de información en diseños mixtos. Un ejemplo de estudio en aprendizaje-servicio. REIRE Revista d'Innovació i Recerca en Educació, 10(2), 64–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1344/reire2017.10.218069

Folgueiras-Bertomeu, P., & Sabariego-Puig, M. (2018). Investigació-acció participativa. El disseny d'un diagnòstic participatiu. REIRE Revista d'Innovació i Recerca en Educació, 11(1), 16–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1344/reire2018.11.119047

Gairín, J. & Ion, G. (Coord.) (2021). Prácticas educativas basadas en evidencias. Reflexiones, estrategias y buenas prácticas. Narcea.

Hatch, J. A. (2023). Doing qualitative research in education settings (2a ed). Bloomsbury.

Hernández Sampieri, R., Fernández Collado, C., & Baptista Lucio, P. (2014). Metodología de la investigación (6a ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Hess, R.T., & Robbins, P. (2012). The data toolkit: Ten tools for supporting school improvement. Corwin.

Imbernón, F. (2002). La investigación educativa como herramienta de formación del profesorado: reflexión y experiencias de investigación educativa. Graó.

Jariot, M., Rodríguez Parrón, M., & Tello, J. (2024). Introducció al disseny metodològic de la investigació. Guia bàsica pel desenvolupament d'una recerca. https://ddd.uab.cat/record/291886

Jones, G. (2017). Evidence-based School Leadership and Management: A practical guide. Sage.

Kirschner, P.A., & Hendrick, C. (2020). How Learning Happens: Seminal Works in Educational Psychology and What They Mean in Practice. Routledge.

Latorre, A. (2008). La investigación-acción. Conocer y cambiar la práctica educativa. Graó.

Lizasoain, L. (2026). Las pruebas en educación. Políticas y prácticas educativas informadas por evidencias. Narcea.

McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2010). Research in education: evidence-based inquiry (7a ed.). Pearson.

Meneses, J. (Coord.), Rodríguez-Gómez, D. & Valero, S. (2019). Investigación educativa. Una competencia profesional para la intervención. Editorial UOC.

Mertler, C. A. (2024). Introduction to educational research. Sage.

Navarro, E., Jiménez, E., Rappoport, S. & Thoilliez, B. (2017). Fundamentos de la investigación y la innovación educativa. UNIR Editorial.

Neelen, M., & Kirschner, P.A. (2020). Evidence-Informed Learning Design: Creating Training to Improve Performance.Koganpage.

Nelson, J., & Campbell, C. (2017). Evidence-informed practice in education: Meanings and applications. Educational Research, 59(2), 127-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2017.1314115

Peel, K. L. (2020). A beginner's guide to applied educational research using thematic analysis. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 25(1), 1-15. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1390&context=pare

Reguant Álvarez, M., & Martínez-Olmo, F. (2014). Operacionalización de conceptos/variables. Dipòsit Digital de la Universitat de Barcelona. https://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/handle/2445/57883

Sala, J., & Arnau, L. (2014). El planteamiento del problema, las preguntas y los objetivos de la investigación: criterios de redacción y check list para formular correctamente. https://ddd.uab.cat/record/126350

Salter, D. E., & Tett, D. L. (2022). Sustaining teacher engagement in practitioner research. Journal of Education for Teaching, 48(3), 287-299. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2021.1959267

Sánchez Martín, M., Navarro Mateu, F., & Sánchez-Meca, J. (2022). Las Revisiones Sistemáticas y la Educación Basada en Evidencias. Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado, 15(30), 108-120. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=8339815

Sandin, M. P. (2000). Criterios de validez en la investigación cualitativa: De la objetividad a la solidaridad. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 18(1), 223-242. https://revistas.um.es/rie/article/view/121561

Smith, J., & Smith, J. (2017). Investigar en educación: conceptos básicos y metodología para desarrollar proyectos de investigación. Narcea.

Revistes d'educació

Software

For this subject, no specific program or resource is required.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 21 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 31 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 41 Catalan second semester afternoon
(TE) Theory 71 English second semester afternoon
(SEM) Seminars 211 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 212 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 213 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 311 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 312 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 313 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 411 Catalan second semester afternoon
(SEM) Seminars 412 Catalan second semester afternoon
(SEM) Seminars 413 Catalan second semester afternoon
(SEM) Seminars 711 English second semester afternoon
(SEM) Seminars 712 English second semester afternoon
(SEM) Seminars 713 English second semester afternoon