2023/24 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

PSYC5909M MSc Research Project

60 creditsClass Size: 80

Module manager: Dr Russell Hutter
Email: R.R.C.Hutter@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: 1 May to 30 Sep View Timetable

Year running 2023/24

Pre-requisite qualifications

At least an upper second class honours degree in Psychology or a discipline containing a substantial amount of psychology and research methods training.

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

Working closely with a supervisor, students will design, plan, implement, analyse, and critically interpret outcomes from a research project within the field of psychology. Work will be presented at the annual School MSc Conference, and a final project report produced in the style of an appropriate journal article.

Objectives

On completion of this module students should be able to;
Submit a detailed project proposal, plan and conduct a substantial research project (including a detailed and critically evaluative literature review);demonstrate specialised knowledge in a specific research area; employ appropriate research methods for the specific research topic; utilise at least one form of appropriate qualitative or quantitative data analysis with competence; report a substantial research project competently in a manner consistent with a published journal article; deliver an oral presentation on the findings of the research in the format of an academic conference paper.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should be able to;
• Perform a literature search of relevant psychological and allied sources
• Write a detailed research plan
• Write a concise, coherent and critically evaluative review of the literature in their area of research
• Design and carry out an empirical study to collect data (which may be quantitative or qualitative)
• Show awareness of the design and practical limitations of studies in Psychology and their area of research and suggest some strategies to address these. The written report should show a critical evaluation of potential research strategies and indicate that the selected study design has been informed and justified by this reflection
• Appropriately analyse (via statistical or other methods) and critically interpret the data collected
• Write a report of the study performed using a style and format similar to journal articles of the same type of data/research area. The report should justify the study design and methodologies employed. Conclusions should be drawn through critical evaluation of previous literature, existing research strategies and the integration of the collected data with existing findings and techniques of the relevant research area/discipline.
• Demonstrate a critical awareness of the limitations of the study performed
• Prepare and deliver a short oral presentation on the study, using appropriate visual aids, to an audience of peers and staff. Engage in critical discussion of the study findings with peers and staff.

Skills outcomes
Write a detailed project proposal; plan and conduct a substantial research project (including a detailed literature review); demonstrate specialised knowledge in a specific research area; employ appropriate research methods for the specific research topic; utilise at least one form of qualitative or quantitative data analysis with competence; report a substantial research project competently in a manner consistent with a published journal article; present the findings of the research in the format of an academic conference paper.

Syllabus

Semester 1 –
Identification of a research topic and supervisor; initial discussion of research topic, ideas and design with supervisor
Semester 2 -
Submission of a detailed research proposal form, including title of research, brief summary of relevant literature, description of the proposed methodology, outline of the research design and hypotheses; submission for ethical approvals; preparation of experimental materials; start of data collection (where appropriate)
Semester 3 -
Literature and data collection, data analysis and written report; presentation of research project at the annual School MSc Conference and, where appropriate, at a national conference. Submission of a 200 word abstract for the MSc Conference Programme.
While it is expected that students will undertake a project that reflects the nature of their selected pathway, the crucial issue is that the topic reflects both the interest of the student and staff expertise.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Supervision Meetings	15	1.00	15.00
Private study hours			585.00
Total Contact hours			15.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			600.00

Private study

Private study and independent learning will be guided by the project supervisor. However, students are expected to demonstrate initiative in presenting ideas, potential challenges, and creative solutions to their supervisor for discussion, to seek actively and, where possible, to find appropriate learning resources to support their research project, and to request support from their supervisor on specific aspects of the research when uncertain how to proceed. Private study and independent learning will include reading primary sources on the topic of study and methods of analysis, developing and practicing necessary research skills (such as of statistical analysis), and implementing guidance for progressing the research as advised by the supervisor. Private study time also incorporates the substantive work involved in project development, administration, implementation, analysis, interpretation, critical evaluation and report writing that is required by the research project.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

During Semester 2: Submission of a detailed research plan
During Semester 2: Ethical review
During Semesters 2 and 3: Ongoing supervision on one-to-one or small group basis
End of Semester 3: Submission of 200 word abstract for school MSc conference programme
End of Semester 3: Short (10 minute) oral project presentation, with appropriate visual aids, at school MSc conference, compulsory but not assessed.
Students will be provided with feedback, at each of these stages, to ensure that understanding and progress is at an acceptable level.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Project	10,000 word report	90.00
Oral Presentation	10 minute oral presentation with appropriate visual aids. Required but not assessed	0.00
Research Proposal	1000 word project proposal	10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Students will submit a project proposal (maximum 1,000 words), including: background and justification of the project; objectives of the project; methodology and analyses that will be used; expected results and a work plan. During the annual school MSc conference, students will prepare and deliver a short oral presentation (10 minute presentation with time for questions) on their study, using appropriate visual aids (e.g. PowerPoint), to an audience of peers and staff. They will engage in critical discussion of their study findings with peers and staff. Formative feedback will be provided and this should be taken into consideration when writing their project report. The verbal presentation coursework must be passed for students to progress.

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 08/02/2024

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