PSY2009 : Methods in Psychology 2B
- Offered for Year: 2023/24
- Module Leader(s): Dr Quoc Vuong
- Owning School: Psychology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
Aims
The module aims to develop the students’ (1) practical experience in research design and different types of statistical analyses, and (2) scientific report writing skills.
Outline Of Syllabus
Students are guided through the research cycle of a study. They are given a research design or they design their own study, conduct a literature search, collect the data, analyse the results and write a full report.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Non-synchronous online |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 40:00 | 40:00 | Prepare and write report |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Literature search and read papers |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | Present in person |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 7 | 1:00 | 7:00 | Present in person: Discussion of learning materials/formative practice/strategies for research |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 8:00 | 8:00 | Practice research writing skills |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The overall rationale is to teach psychology methods through practical experience. The various scheduled and guided learning activities provide opportunities for students to develop and practice the necessary knowledge and skills outcomes.
The lecture materials introduce each research theme and guide students to obtain the necessary background knowledge required to conduct their research.
The practical sessions guide students through the research themes, provide opportunities to practise research skills (e.g., literature searches and statistical analyses), and culminate in communicating the findings in a written APA report. Students are asked to apply the theoretical knowledge introduced in the lecture materials thereby developing both their knowledge of empirical psychology and their research skills. Formative practice will be provided (eg working through a model report to learn research themes and building an annotated bibliography to help structure literature search). Feedback (including peer marking) will be provided during the course of the practical sessions and via the Q&A session.
Guided independent study provides opportunity to consolidate the skills and knowledge covered in the staff-led sessions mentioned above. Furthermore, the full scientific reports will be prepared in private study time.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/lab report | 2 | M | 100 | Report (maximum 1500 words) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Rationale and Relationship of Assessment Methods to Learning Outcomes:
The Practical/lab report is used to assess students’ ability to use research methods in empirical psychology. To write good reports, they must demonstrate the ability to evaluate the literature, use statistical packages, use different types of data analyses, and follow APA guidelines.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- PSY2009's Timetable