Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The aims of this module are to:

1. Enable students to become confident in their ability to carry out and manage an independent piece of meaningful research
2. Provide a sound basis for future professional research requirements
3. Enable students to interact with professional academic, health, forensic and clinical psychologists and related professionals in a way which will enhance their job prospects and future careers
4. Facilitate the development of a range of skills which will make them more attractive to future employers, including professional training courses and higher degree courses

Outline Of Syllabus

The Syllabus is dependent upon the individual student’s dissertation topic.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

The overarching aim of this module is to provide students with practice in designing, carrying out, analysing and writing up a piece of independent research related to Clinical or Health Psychology. More specifically, by the end of this module students will know how to:

1. Identify a research question
2. Locate an appropriate theoretical evidence base in the literature
3. Develop a coherent and appropriately justified rationale for the proposed study within a research proposal in the light of questioning
4. Use feedback to improve their writing and critical thinking
5. Write a literature review
6. Design a study to investigate the question in the light of the evidence base
7. Collect data in an ethical and rigorous way
8. Analyse data using an appropriate method, statistical software package or qualitative analytic strategy
9. Interpret research findings
10. Articulate the links between their study and the literature
11. Identify and discuss the limitations and implications of their study
12. Present their findings in a succinct and publishable format

Intended Skill Outcomes

In addition to the skills inherent to the Intended Knowledge Outcomes outlined above, students will have demonstrated skills in the following areas:

1. Self organisation, through time management, project planning and scheduling meetings
2. Initiative, through conducting the research increasingly independently throughout the time of the project, liaising with participants and other interested parties such as professional psychologists, charities, NHS Trusts and so on.
3. Data management and analysis
4. Communication. Students will be encouraged to communicate with their supervisors and others in a constructive, proactive and professional manner
5. Academic writing. Students will be able to conduct and produce a coherent literature review
6. Critical engagement. Students will be able to critique the research literature

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The students will further develop a range of skills and will be trained to engage in research and to produce an appropriate output. Students will be fully engaged in the project selection and development through a dialogue with their project supervisors. They will gain hands-on experience of a range of techniques used in psychological research (appropriate to their own project) and will be required to produce a written dissertation. This module will involve a significant amount of private study, including research-based fieldwork and practical experience of a range of clinical research techniques. The amount of hours spent on data gathering and private study will vary with the individual project but should be approximately as stated above.

Meetings with project supervisors may take place in person, may take place entirely remotely or through a combination of in person and remote meetings.

Students are afforded multiple opportunities for formative feedback during the course of planning and carrying out their dissertation, which will primarily be delivered through feedback from their supervisor(s). Firstly, students will develop a non-graded research proposal which outlines the rationale for their proposed study, planned research questions, methods and approach to analysis. Students will receive comments on their proposal, which will include comments on various aspects of their writing and the conceptual underpinnings of their project and proposed methodology. Students will also be given the opportunity to receive comments on a single draft of their dissertation introduction, methods and results section from their dissertation supervisor, on a date agreed by student and supervisor. In addition to this, students will receive peer feedback on the developing rationale for their dissertation project within small-group problem based learning tasks in workshops as well as on their critique of example dissertation proposals and write-ups within scheduled workshops. Students will also be able to seek informal formative feedback on their understanding of the project and planned methods through regular research supervision throughout Semester 2 and 3. Cumulatively, students will receive iterative feedback on their developing project, throughout the year, which will allow them to hone their approach to the final submitted thesis.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The dissertation is intended to test the ability of students to conduct a substantial independent project of postgraduate research in an area of interest to them. It allows them to demonstrate their skills in planning and organising their work, discovering and evaluating relevant materials, seeking out an appropriate methodology, considering ethical issues, collecting data rigorously and effectively and presenting their findings in a structured and analytical manner within the written dissertation. It also allows them to demonstrate that they have acquired specialised knowledge in their area of research.

General Notes

N/A