UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Education Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
RCE2601: Research and Critical Reasoning
Examination Revision Pack May/June 2024 & May/June 2025
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
RCE2601
Module Code:
Research and Critical Reasoning
Module Name:
Exam Revision Question & Answer For-
Document Type:
mat
May/June 2024 and May/June 2025
Papers Covered:
Dr MX Majola; Prof MD Tshelane
Examiners:
100 per paper
Total Marks:
Four (4) hours
Duration:
Harvard Style
Referencing:
Compiled for exam preparation purposes UNISA College of Education 2025
,UNISA | RCE2601 Exam Revision Research & Critical Reasoning
Contents
1 How to Use This Revision Pack 3
2 May/June 2024 Examination 4
2.1 Section A: Compulsory Questions (40 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2 Section B: Answer ANY TWO Questions (40 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Section C: Essay Question (20 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3 May/June 2025 Examination 15
3.1 Section A: Compulsory Questions (40 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2 Section B: Answer ANY TWO Questions (40 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3 Section C: Essay Question (20 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4 Quick Reference: High-Frequency Exam Concepts 28
4.1 Key De
nitions to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Reference List 31
Page 2 of 31
,UNISA | RCE2601 Exam Revision Research & Critical Reasoning
How to Use This Revision Pack
This document covers the two most recent May/June sittings of RCE2601: Research and Crit-
ical Reasoning. Each question is presented in a shaded blue box, followed immediately by a
model answer in a green box. Read the question
rst, attempt it mentally, then check your re-
sponse against the model. That pattern of active recall is what actually builds exam readiness
(Roediger and Butler, 2011).
The exam paper is divided into three sections:
Section A (40 marks) Compulsory. Short and medium questions drawing on all
three learning units.
Section B (40 marks) Answer any TWO of four questions. Each question is
worth 20 marks and targets a speci
c learning unit in depth.
Section C (20 marks) Answer ONE essay question. Requires an integrated, dis-
cursive response.
Exam Insight
The three learning units tested are: (1) Educational Research from idea to prob-
lem; (2) Critical Reasoning logic and argument construction; (3) Research Skills
paradigms, literature study, data collection, and ethics. Knowing which unit each
question targets helps you structure your answer correctly.
Page 3 of 31
, UNISA | RCE2601 Exam Revision Research & Critical Reasoning
May/June 2024 Examination
Section A: Compulsory Questions (40 Marks)
Examination Question
Question 1.1 De
ne action research and explain how it diers from con-
ventional educational research. (5 marks)
Model Answer
Action research is a practitioner-led, cyclical form of inquiry in which teachers inves-
tigate their own classrooms with the goal of improving their practice. Unlike conven-
tional research, where an outside expert designs and controls the study, action research
puts the practitioner at the centre: the teacher both asks the question and acts on the
ndings.
The key dierences can be summarised as follows. Conventional research aims to pro-
duce generalisable knowledge for a wide audience; action research produces contextually
speci
c knowledge for immediate use in one school or classroom. Conventional research
is normally conducted by trained researchers following a
xed, pre-determined design;
action research is
uid, iterative, and responsive to what emerges in the
eld. In terms
of purpose, conventional research builds theory; action research solves a speci
c, real-
world problem (McMillan and Schumacher, 2014).
The cyclical nature of action research is its de
ning feature. The researcher plans an
intervention, acts on it, observes the outcomes, re
ects on what happened, then revises
the plan before beginning the cycle again. This spiral continues until the problem is
resolved or understanding is reached (Kemmis and McTaggart, 1988).
Examination Question
Question 1.2 Dierentiate between a research problem and a research
question. Provide one example of each related to South African education.
(5 marks)
Model Answer
A research problem is the broad educational issue or concern that motivates a study. It
identi
es what is wrong, missing, or not yet understood. A research question, by con-
trast, is a focused, answerable query derived from that problem. It narrows the problem
Page 4 of 31
College of Education Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
RCE2601: Research and Critical Reasoning
Examination Revision Pack May/June 2024 & May/June 2025
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
RCE2601
Module Code:
Research and Critical Reasoning
Module Name:
Exam Revision Question & Answer For-
Document Type:
mat
May/June 2024 and May/June 2025
Papers Covered:
Dr MX Majola; Prof MD Tshelane
Examiners:
100 per paper
Total Marks:
Four (4) hours
Duration:
Harvard Style
Referencing:
Compiled for exam preparation purposes UNISA College of Education 2025
,UNISA | RCE2601 Exam Revision Research & Critical Reasoning
Contents
1 How to Use This Revision Pack 3
2 May/June 2024 Examination 4
2.1 Section A: Compulsory Questions (40 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2 Section B: Answer ANY TWO Questions (40 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Section C: Essay Question (20 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3 May/June 2025 Examination 15
3.1 Section A: Compulsory Questions (40 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2 Section B: Answer ANY TWO Questions (40 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3 Section C: Essay Question (20 Marks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4 Quick Reference: High-Frequency Exam Concepts 28
4.1 Key De
nitions to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Reference List 31
Page 2 of 31
,UNISA | RCE2601 Exam Revision Research & Critical Reasoning
How to Use This Revision Pack
This document covers the two most recent May/June sittings of RCE2601: Research and Crit-
ical Reasoning. Each question is presented in a shaded blue box, followed immediately by a
model answer in a green box. Read the question
rst, attempt it mentally, then check your re-
sponse against the model. That pattern of active recall is what actually builds exam readiness
(Roediger and Butler, 2011).
The exam paper is divided into three sections:
Section A (40 marks) Compulsory. Short and medium questions drawing on all
three learning units.
Section B (40 marks) Answer any TWO of four questions. Each question is
worth 20 marks and targets a speci
c learning unit in depth.
Section C (20 marks) Answer ONE essay question. Requires an integrated, dis-
cursive response.
Exam Insight
The three learning units tested are: (1) Educational Research from idea to prob-
lem; (2) Critical Reasoning logic and argument construction; (3) Research Skills
paradigms, literature study, data collection, and ethics. Knowing which unit each
question targets helps you structure your answer correctly.
Page 3 of 31
, UNISA | RCE2601 Exam Revision Research & Critical Reasoning
May/June 2024 Examination
Section A: Compulsory Questions (40 Marks)
Examination Question
Question 1.1 De
ne action research and explain how it diers from con-
ventional educational research. (5 marks)
Model Answer
Action research is a practitioner-led, cyclical form of inquiry in which teachers inves-
tigate their own classrooms with the goal of improving their practice. Unlike conven-
tional research, where an outside expert designs and controls the study, action research
puts the practitioner at the centre: the teacher both asks the question and acts on the
ndings.
The key dierences can be summarised as follows. Conventional research aims to pro-
duce generalisable knowledge for a wide audience; action research produces contextually
speci
c knowledge for immediate use in one school or classroom. Conventional research
is normally conducted by trained researchers following a
xed, pre-determined design;
action research is
uid, iterative, and responsive to what emerges in the
eld. In terms
of purpose, conventional research builds theory; action research solves a speci
c, real-
world problem (McMillan and Schumacher, 2014).
The cyclical nature of action research is its de
ning feature. The researcher plans an
intervention, acts on it, observes the outcomes, re
ects on what happened, then revises
the plan before beginning the cycle again. This spiral continues until the problem is
resolved or understanding is reached (Kemmis and McTaggart, 1988).
Examination Question
Question 1.2 Dierentiate between a research problem and a research
question. Provide one example of each related to South African education.
(5 marks)
Model Answer
A research problem is the broad educational issue or concern that motivates a study. It
identi
es what is wrong, missing, or not yet understood. A research question, by con-
trast, is a focused, answerable query derived from that problem. It narrows the problem
Page 4 of 31
