Overview
Research Project in Psychology A is the first of two units which will introduce you to the process of undertaking research in the Psychology discipline. Over the two units, you will independently undertake a scholarly investigation, under the supervision of a qualified supervisor within the Psychology discipline. The purpose of the Research Project A unit is to provide you with the experience of proposing and planning an independent research project. The research question examined will be developed in consultation with your supervisor and will have either theoretical or applied significance in the Psychology discipline. In Research Project A you will complete a research project proposal and an ethics application for that proposed project. Successful completion of this unit requires that Psychology Research Project A and Psychology Research Project B are undertaken in the same calendar year.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Academic Course = CC42 Prior or concurrent completion of PSYC14047 and PSYC14050
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 1 - 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).
Residential Schools
This unit has a Optional Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 12-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
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 Formal evaluation feedback. Unsolicited student feedback
Positive feedback was received regarding implementation of regular Q&A topic sessions which were live through Zoom and recorded for students unable to attend.
Maintain these sessions in 2017.
This recommendation unfortunately got lost in the mix of coordinators and was not maintained. In its place was regular contact hours and appointment times offered for students at residential school in April of term 1 to discussion project details and processes.
- Develop a research proposal for a psychology based research project.
- Complete a CQUniversity Human Research ethics application (or an Animal Research ethics application where appropriate) for a psychology based research project.
The purpose of the two Term (1 & 2) long Research Project (A & B) is to provide the student in their fourth year of Psychology with training in developing, conducting, and communicating research across theoretical and applied domains. This requires students to undertake an investigation of a research question in Psychology and to report the investigation in written scholarly form. The research question will be of significance to an area of Psychology covered by the Faculty's Psychology course and the investigation and subsequent dissertation will be carried out under the principal supervision of a member of the Psychology staff. The research question to be investigated may have either theoretical or applied significance.
The Thesis is an individual research project where the expectation is that students, with advice from their supervisors, will be responsible for and participate in, all steps of the investigation and reporting.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 0% | ||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 0% | ||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |
| 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 - Written Assessment - 0% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 0% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- SPSS for Data Analysis
- Word Processing Software (Microsoft Word)
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.best@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Term 1 Commences
Chapter
O'Leary Chapters 1 & 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Literature search and topic refinement, Begin planning research project, Connect with Supervisor
Module/Topic
Chapter
O'Leary Chapters 3 & 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Begin first draft of the proposal; develop the research question/s. Finalise research question/s & hypotheses; select and design research tools (questionnaires, etc.)
Module/Topic
Chapter
O'Leary Chapter 5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Continue first draft of the proposal; develop the research question/s. Finalise research question/s & hypotheses; select and design research tools (questionnaires, etc.). Start Ethics Application
Module/Topic
Census date - March 28
Chapter
O'Leary Chapters 6 & 7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Continue draft and refinement of approach and methodology, write ethics application
Module/Topic
Residential Schools in Brisbane
Chapter
O'Leary Chapters 8 & 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Begin to organise data collection, Discuss literature review and project conceptualisation with supervisor. Prepare ethics application for submission. Submit first draft of proposal to thesis supervisor for feedback.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tuesday April 11th
NEAF Target Submission Date 1
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Develop and refine the research design; methodology, & analyses; write up ethics application; prepare ethics application for submission; Prepare proposal for submission.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Develop and refine the research design; methodology, & analyses; write up ethics application; prepare ethics application for submission; Prepare proposal for submission
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Low Risk Ethics Applications (Submission to ethics secretary)
Simulated Ethics Applications (Submission via Moodle)
Tuesday May 16 - NEAF Target Submission Date 2
Ethics Application Due: Week 10 Friday (19 May 2017) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Proposal Feedback from Supervisor and Independent Assessor
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Refine Literature Review based on proposal feedback, Begin drafting Intro & Method Section of Empirical Report
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Monday June 5th - Proposal re-submission due (if required).
Refine Literature Review, Begin drafting Intro & Method Section of Empirical Report
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Refine Literature review based on proposal feedback. Develop and refine Introduction and Method Section for Empirical report.
Please be advised that the Unit coordinator for PSYC14051 will NOT be A/Prof Burke.
Staffing details will be made available via Moodle prior to the beginning of Term 1. Please direct any queries to Acting Honours Coordinator A/Prof Talitha Best (t.best@cqu.edu.au) or the Head of Department of Psychology and Public Health A/Prof Karena Burke (k.j.burke@cqu.edu.au)
1 Written Assessment
All students must submit a Research Proposal in order to successfully complete Research Project A. Please see the 2017 Guidelines for Psychology Honours Research Project & Thesis for specific details of the proposal requirements.
Week 8 Friday (5 May 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Proposals MUST be submitted electronically via Moodle. Late submissions may not be accepted, and may result in withdrawal from the course, or a penalty being applied to the student's overall thesis grade.
Monday (22 May 2017)
A student who receives a grade of "RESUBMIT" will be required to lodge their resubmission within 2 weeks of receiving feedback, or by 5pm on Monday 5th June 2017, whichever is the EARLIER. A student who fails to resubmit will not be permitted to continue their Research Project.
- Develop a research proposal for a psychology based research project.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Practical Assessment
Week 10 Friday (19 May 2017) 5:00 pm AEST
Students submitting a Simulated Ethics Application are required to submit on this date. Students submitting a Low Risk Application are required to submit their application to the Ethics Committee Secretary BY this date. Students required to submit a full NEAF application please refer to additional dates available in the task description and on the Moodle site.
Students submitting a formal application to the ethics committee should know the outcome of their application within 3 weeks of the submission date for Low risk applicants, and within 2 weeks of the ethics committee meeting for full NEAF applicants. Students who submit a Simulated application will receive a Pass or Fail grade within 2 weeks of the submission date.
Students are not formally assessed on this task, however, ALL Psychology Honours students must complete an Ethics Application in order to successfully complete the requirements for Research Project A.
- Complete a CQUniversity Human Research ethics application (or an Animal Research ethics application where appropriate) for a psychology based research project.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
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?
