Credit is give for an awareness of relevant literature from generic management and from phases of education other than that or those under study, but the balance of the review must be with literature specific to educational management. The section should achieve a critical overview of the major literature relevant to the area of study. This section allows the student to demonstrate their ability to set their work in the wider context of theory and practice including the identification and synthesis of appropriate concepts and frameworks which may be applicable to their own study. Credit is given for the way in which the literature review is used to identify the research questions and relevant theoretical frameworks. The review should include evidence of the student's skills of classification, comparison and interpretation.
Credit is given for the relevance of the reading and the clarity of the review.
The investigation should relate to the purpose of the study and should involve research in the student's own school or college, or in the local area. Where appropriate, and following agreement with the tutor, a regional or national study may be undertaken. It is likely to be linked to school or college improvement. Both the research approach and the research tools must be explained in detail. More than one research tool should be used.