Prospectus

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Education and Child Studies: Educational Science

Master

Welcome to the specialisation Educational Science, which is part of the Master’s Degree Programme in Education and Child Studies. Language of instruction in this specialisation is English.

The Master’s specialisation in Educational Science offers students cutting-edge insights into the learning and developing child in education. Furthermore, students practice translating the implications of this knowledge to educational practices including instruction, social interaction, and assessment. Because learning and education are not ‘one-size-fits-all’ phenomena, individual differences between children receive ample attention.

This specialization offers a unique multidisciplinary approach: you will study children’s learning processes from a cognitive-psychological, social-emotional, and neurodevelopmental perspective. In addition to this multidisciplinary focus on the learning and developing child, the programme addresses the impact that the social and educational environment have. At the core of the programme as a whole is the idea that the Master’s student develops a critical attitude towards research and practices in the field of learning and education, as well as the skills needed to bridge the gap between theory, research, and educational practice.

Educational Science addresses questions such as:

  • What is the relation between brain development, cognitive development, and learning?

  • How do children learn to understand what they read?

  • How does contemporary mathematics education impact children’s arithmetic strategies?

  • How can teachers foster children’s motivation for school by supporting their needs?

  • How can teachers adapt their teaching to the needs of children with different sociocultural backgrounds?

  • How can teachers build effective individualized programs based on ongoing progress monitoring data?

  • What are the promises and challenges of digital educational applications?

  • What are the backgrounds, meanings, and consequences of current educational innovations?

The programme includes a master’s project in which students carry out their own research and prepare a written report of their research project: their master’s thesis. Furthermore, students have to conduct an internship in which they learn to apply their knowledge and skills in the work field of educational professionals. For instance, students develop educational materials (textbooks, web applications), refine and evaluate interventions implemented at schools, or give advice on how to implement formative assessment in the classroom or on how to improve the school quality control system.

By the end of the programme students have become experts in the field of learning and education and are empowered to work in a broad range of settings in which educational expertise is required, such as schools, museums, governance, organizations that develop educational materials, and educational advice services.
Language of instruction in this specialisation is English. If preferred, students can answer exam questions and write assignments, papers, and their master’s thesis in Dutch.

Please refer to our website for the timetable.

For more information you can contact our study advisers.

For Dutch students

De Leidse Masterspecialisatie Educational Science voldoet, in combinatie met de Leidse Bacheloropleiding Pedagogische Wetenschappen, aan alle eisen die gesteld worden door de Nederlandse Vereniging van Pedagogen en Onderwijskundigen (NVO) voor de registratie Basis-Pedagoog. Studenten die elders een universitaire Bacheloropleiding Pedagogische Wetenschappen hebben behaald kunnen, soms na het behalen van één of enkele extra vakken, ook in aanmerking komen voor de NVO-registratie Basis-Pedagoog. Lees de Brochure Beroepsregistraties voor alle informatie.

NB Voor personen die via het Pre-master programma Pedagogische Wetenschappen in de Master instromen geldt een aparte regeling waarmee men zich kan kwalificeren voor de registratie Basis-Pedagoog.