Overview
This unit has been designed to introduce students to preliminary concepts in research methodology employed in psychological research and the health, human and social sciences. The material covered in this unit will provide the necessary background for students who will do research as part of their undergraduate or professional careers, i.e., to be discerning researchers. The goal of this unit is to provide students with the skills to be aware of the range of methodologies available, and to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of these methodologies. It is a requirement of enrolment in the unit that students have access to the CQUniversity website and the Internet.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Successful completion of 24 credit points.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2017
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student Feedback
The time available for the live workshop was not enough. Having an extra hour available would allow Michele to spend a little extra time if needed.
Consider increasing the workshop allocation time to 1.5 hours.
Feedback from Student and Unit Coordinator Feedback
Perhaps including a drop in session every month, so students can ask questions.
Consider the students demand for questions and introduce a drop in session once month.
- critically evaluate basic research designs
- understand how the research design links with the research aims and/or hypotheses
- design studies to investigate phenomena within the human, health and social sciences
- demonstrate research report writing skills
The major aim of this unit is to provide an in-depth understanding of the methodology employed in social sciences research.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Portfolio - 60% | ||||
| 2 - Group Discussion - 10% | ||||
| 3 - Examination - 30% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Portfolio - 60% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Group Discussion - 10% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Examination - 30% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Conducting research in psychology: Measuring the weight of smoke
Edition: Fourth (2013)
Authors: Brett W. Pelham and Hart Blanton
Wadsworth
Belmont Belmont , California , United States of America
ISBN: 978-0-495-59819-0
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
t.johnson@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to Research / Ethics in Research
Chapter
1, 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Writing in Psychology
Chapter
McBurny & White, Ch. 4; Burton, Chs 1 & 3. (available online)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Validity, Reliability & Measurement
Chapter
3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Portfolio Component 1 Due 11.55pm Friday (end of Week 3)
Module/Topic
Threats to Validity
Chapter
5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Experiments
Chapter
7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Quasi-Experiments
Chapter
8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Research Designs
Chapter
9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Non-Experimental Research
Chapter
6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Group Discussion assignment Due 5pm Friday - (end of Week 8)
Group Discussion Due: Week 8 Friday (12 Jan 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Surveys
Chapter
4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Data, Variables & Statistics 1
Chapter
De Veaux, Vellman & Bock, Chs. 2, 3 & 4 (available online)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Portfolio Component 2 Due 11.55pm Sunday (end of Week 10)
Module/Topic
Data, Variables & Statistics 2
Chapter
10; Neuman Ch. 9 (available online)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research
Chapter
Richardson, Goodwin & Vine, Chs. 7 & 8 (available online)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
The teaching contact for this semester are below:
Tim Johnson
Causal Academic | School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences
CQUniversity Australia | Brisbane, Qld 4000
P +61 07 3023 4227 | E t.Johnson@cqu.edu.au
1 Portfolio
Objectives:
This assessment item will provide you with the opportunity to practice the skills and knowledge gained throughout the unit in an applied setting. The portfolio assessment will test your understanding of how to construct a testable hypothesis from a research question, how to design an experiment to test this hypothesis, and how to interpret experimental findings. The assessment task will also develop your research report writing skills and evaluate your understanding of fundamental concepts in psychological research. This assessment task closely relates to each of the unit learning outcomes.
Details:
During the unit, you will be required to submit three (2) brief components related to the research process and the research report writing process. Each component will be submitted independently. The components are:
- Constructs, Variables and Hypotheses
- Experimental Design
Your unit coordinator will provide a list of research questions at the start of the unit to help you with each of the components.
Components are due by 11:55pm on Friday at the end of weeks 3 and 10
Each component will be returned within 2 weeks of the submission due date.
Component 1 – Constructs, Variables and Hypotheses
Your Unit Coordinator will provide you with a set of five research questions at the start of the unit. For each question, you will be asked to identify the constructs in the research question, describe a variable that could be used to measure the constructs that you have identified, and construct a testable hypothesis using the variables that you have described.
- Requirements: Identify the constructs, describe variables to measure the constructs, construct a testable hypothesis
- Due Date: 11.55pm Friday - end of Week 3
- Component Weighting: 20%
- Word Count Range: 400 – 500 words (max 500 words)
Component 2 – Experimental Design
For this component, you will need to choose one of the research questions from the list provided by your Unit Coordinator at the start of the unit. Your task is to design a true experiment to answer your research question. You will ‘write up’ your experiment in the form of an APA style methods section containing the following sections: design statement, participants, materials, procedure, and use of data.
- Requirements: Design statement, participants, materials, procedure, use of data
- Due Date: 11.55pm Friday - end of Week 10
- Component Weighting: 40%
- Word Count Range: 500 – 600 words (max 600 words)
- critically evaluate basic research designs
- understand how the research design links with the research aims and/or hypotheses
- design studies to investigate phenomena within the human, health and social sciences
- demonstrate research report writing skills
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Ethical practice
2 Group Discussion
Objectives:
Contributing to a group discussion provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate a functional knowledge of the issue under discussion and to apply the knowledge and skills learned throughout the unit in a practical setting reflecting the research process. Participation in a group discussion will further reveal the extent to which you have synthesised theory and practice associated with various issues within the field and with respect to learning objectives 1, 2 and 3 for this unit.
Details:
During Week 1, you will assign yourselves into groups of four (4). The task for the Group Discussion will be posted on the unit website in Week 2. You will be required to discuss the task within your group and to submit a single group solution to the task in the form of a Wiki page. Briefly, the task requires your group to evaluate and comment on four (4) research designs. Private discussion forum spaces and private chat sessions will be provided to each group to assist with communication (although groups may choose any method of communication that they like). The world count range for the submission is 500– 600 words.
Week 8 Friday (12 Jan 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
The Group Discussion assignment will be due by 5:00pm on Friday at the end of week 8.
Week 10 Friday (26 Jan 2018)
The Group Discussion assignment will be returned within 2 weeks of the submission due date
Grading of the Group Discussion assignment will be based on:
- Group solution (80%)
- Peer review of contribution (20%) [Each member of your group will assess your participation and contribution to the assignment. A peer review of contribution form will be available on the unit website and must be submitted by the due date].
- critically evaluate basic research designs
- design studies to investigate phenomena within the human, health and social sciences
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Ethical practice
Examination
Dictionary - non-electronic, concise, direct translation only (dictionary must not contain any notes or comments).
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
