The Methodological Consistency of Master’s of Education Dissertations at Eduardo Mondlane University (2013 - 2018)

Abstract

This study examined the methodological consistency of Master of Educationdissertations defended at Eduardo Mondlane University (EMU) from 2013 to2018 using the typology of educational research proposed by Postlethwaite(2005), Norman et al. (2002), and Creswell (2012). The qualitative, comparativestudy employed a grounded theory design. Data were gathered from apurposive sample of 33 dissertations, available on the university’s OpenInstitutional Repository. Coding and anonymous analysis were performedof the dissertations’ title, research methodology, and findings. The findingsreveal that a large number of these dissertations are not methodologicallyconsistent and thus do not lay the foundation for further research and otherinterventions for school improvement. They thus point to the need to improve the quality of supervision and research in postgraduate studies in Education at EMU.Key words: EMU, Master’s dissertations, educational research, methodologicalconsistency, supervision