Bachelor of Education (Primary) (Honours)

Doing an Honours degree in Primary Education provides you with the tools and strategies to have an indepth understanding of education as a discipline of study. You will develop the skills to conduct educational research and mature in your sense of identity as an educator. You will craft a thesis around a topic you are passionate about, and in so doing learn more about yourself, your students, and the teaching profession.

For initial and administrative enquiries please email the School at education@uq.edu.au

Why do an Honours year?

Honours gives you the opportunity to delve deeply into a topic that interests you. It provides the opportunity to self-manage a research project and foster professional relationships with your supervisor and academic staff.

Honours also:

Gives you an edge when you graduate
Develops your capacity to be classroom ready with better skills to cope with the profession
Provides you with an opportunity to contribute research to your field
Offers you the chance to take a deep dive to find out more about your students, your teaching methodologies or/and your practice.

What will I study in Honours?

The Honours year is undertaken in the fourth year of the Bachelor of Education (Primary) (Honours) program.

The Honours year consists of:

Research Methods (EDUC4705) - students learn how to critically apply resarch methods with the Honours research project through a combination of seminars, workshop activities and reflective conversations in an intensive week long course. This course ensures that you are prepared and able to collect data at a school in Term 2 (during Semester 1).
Research Project (Honours) (EDUC4706) - students have the opportunity to craft a unique thesis that demonstrates their ability to conceptualise, carry out and report on a topic of interest.

Am I eligible for Honours and how do I apply?

The Honours Program is only associated with the Bachelor of Education Primary Program. To be eligible for an Honours degree, you must have a minimum GPA of 5.5 by the end of our third year. Eligible students will be invited to an information session and be advised as to how to proceed to enrol if interested in participating.

For more information, visit the Bachelor of Education (Primary) (Honours) page on Future Students.

How do I choose a topic and supervisor?

What kinds of topics do people write about for their thesis?

Thesis topics can be varied. If you have an idea bring it to the intensive week of the Research Methods (EDUC4705) course and speak to the teaching staff about it. In previous years students have written about the following topics:

Inquiry-based learning in science classrooms: Teachers’ experiences across the primary school setting
Learning to cooperate: Investigating the influence of cooperative learning activities on student engagement in lower primary classrooms
Girls rule (at mathematics): An autoethnographic inquiry
Beginning and experienced teachers' perceptions of integrating physical activity into the classroom
Stories about NAPLAN: What do students have to say about their experiences and perceptions of NAPLAN
Lessons learned co-constructing a dance fitness unit with adolescent girls
The place of physical activity in a holistic education: Learning from students’ perceptions
Teachers’ narratives of the self and ICT usage in an explicit instruction context
Describing students’ experiences with motivational behaviour management strategies through primary school year levels
Affective engagement in mathematics: A comparison of open-ended problems and traditional mathematics tasks
Specialised language learning environments: What academic benefits do they bring for lower primary EAL./D students?

Student testimonials

Eliza Castro

Bachelor of Education (Primary) (Honours)

“The practical workshops complement the lectures and tutorials. Participation in the workshops helped me feel more equipped to meet the teaching demands of the future.”

Vanessa Tierney

Bachelor of Education (Primary) (Honours)

“I believe the most powerful form of learning is when students are having fun. Studying at UQ provided me with the knowledge, skills and values to prepare students to be informed and active citizens and lifelong learners".