The key criteria for the assessment are developing a well-worded, logically structured interview guide, (10 marks) conducting an interviewing demonstrating listening and responding skills (10 marks), and providing an insightful balanced reflection on the interview (10 marks). 

For this assessment, you are to complete four tasks:

1. Choose a research topic

2. Find three (3) academic journal papers reporting on qualitative research on this topic

3. Complete the summary table (provided) for each of these research papers

4. Develop a research question based on this topic and the existing research. Write a short (300 word maximum) rationale for this question using these summarised papers

For the first part, choosing a topic, please attend the morning or evening tutorial in Week 4. In this tutorial each student will bring some potential topics they are interested in, and we will brainstorm together to assist each person to find a suitable topic. You should also read the section on research topics and questions in Chapter 3 of the textbook and listen to the Week 3 lecture which also leads you through how to choose a topic and research question. If you absolutely cannot attend either of the tutorials (and I really recommend that you make every effort to do so as there are a lot of benefits in group discussions), then you will need to post your ideas onto a forum (I will provide a link to this) for an online discussion.

Once we have decided upon a topic together, you can go ahead and find your three papers and complete the summary table. The summary table should be concise whilst covering the key elements of the paper. The summary of each paper should be a maximum of one page.

The reflection part of this assessment brings together the research topic with the research you have summarised as part of the process of formulating a research question (which you will use again later in your second and third assessments to develop interview questions and a research proposal). Your reflection will include the following:

1. A proposed research question that you have developed on this topic

2. Use the research literature you have summarised to develop a clear rationale for this research question

The rationale should address the following questions (these questions are also covered in your textbook and in the lecture in Week 3):

How will this research question make an original contribution to our knowledge about this issue? In relation to the research you have summarised in your table, does your proposed question explore a new area, will it take a different approach, will it be applied in a new context or with a new sample?

Why is this research question important? You should address this question in reference to what your research question will contribute to the community you are interested in i.e. how will it assist in solving an important problem

The key marking criteria for this assessment include choosing an appropriate research topic (3 marks), finding peer-reviewed qualitative research papers (3 marks), accurately and concisely summarising these papers (5 marks for each paper summarised) and developing a clear qualitative research question which is original and provides social benefits (4 marks).

This assessment brings together what you have learned in the first two assessments. You are to take the research topic and research question you have already been working with, and flesh this out into a proposal for a piece of qualitative research. (The papers you summarized for your first assessment will also be useful in writing your research proposal, as will the residential school work on interviewing.)

We will use the Qualitative Research Proposal Proforma which I have adapted from the companion website to your textbook. A copy of this is included in the assessment information on Moodle

For the Research Proposal you will provide a social and research rationale for your research questions using a short review of the key findings and gaps in knowledge about your topic, outline how you will collect your data (sample, sample size, recruitment) and how you will analyse your data, and consider the ethical risks of your study and how you will manage these.

The research proposal is a maximum of 2,100 words, excluding references. Referencing is APA format.

To help guide you through the assessment, there are examples of qualitative research proposals available on Moodle and on the textbook's companion website. There are also tutorials to support you throughout the term at each step of the proposal.

The marking criteria are a modified version of the Independent Assessor Overview which has been used in the past for assessing honours project proposals. A copy of the Marking Guide is available in the assessment information, and also in Moodle under the Assessment tab. The key elements of the marking criteria are: to provide a clear and coherent rationale for your study based on its social relevance and gaps in our research knowledge (15 marks), to propose a suitable sample and sufficient sample size to answer your question (15 marks), to propose a suitable style of analysis which will answer your questions (5 marks), reflect on the ethical dimensions of your study and how you will manage these (5 marks) and follow APA formatting with a clear and coherent structure and style (5 marks).