PSYC11012 - Research Methods 1

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit is designed for first-time researchers. It provides you with an introduction to the research methods and critical thinking approach that will be used throughout your psychology degree. At the end of this unit, you will be able to describe, apply, and evaluate a range of basic qualitative and quantitative research methods used in the social sciences. You will develop critical thinking, problem solving skills and group work skills. You will gain introductory competence in critically evaluating scientific literature, constructing empirical arguments, generating research questions, applying basic statistical concepts, and preparing scientific research reports in American Psychological Association (APA) formatting style. A focus will be placed on conducting research with diverse populations and in an ethically responsible manner. The skills and knowledge gained in this unit will be developed further in Research Methods 2 (PSYC12048) and Research Methods 3 (PSYC13015).

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 3 - 2024 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Term 3 - 2025 Profile
Online

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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 20%
2. Group Work 30%
3. Report 50%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 82.61% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 12.23% response rate.

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.

Source: Student and Unit Teaching Evaluations
Feedback
Group work was challenging if students did not respond to their group members' efforts to contact them.
Recommendation
Students who do not engage with their group will be contacted directly by the unit coordinator via email and encouraged to participate.
Action Taken
Personal contact was made with all students who did not engage in the group work assessment, and students who were not responsive were reallocated to different groups if necessary.
Source: Student and Unit Teaching Evaluations
Feedback
Students reported that it would be helpful to have their marks and feedback for Assessment 2 earlier to get an understanding of how well they were doing, prior to Assessment 3 being due.
Recommendation
Review the due date for assessment 2 to allow time for students to have feedback prior to Assessment 3 being due. Video feedback for students on Assessment 2 will also be provided to ensure students are aware of key areas for improvement.
Action Taken
The due date for Assessment 2 was reviewed and moved one week earlier to give students time to get feedback before Assessment 3 was due. Feedback was provided via recording.
Source: Verbal feedback in tutorials
Feedback
Students reported that they were expected to complete an assessment that included both quantitative and qualitative content) before most of the quantitative information had been given to them (weeks 9 - 12).
Recommendation
Review the order that quantitative and qualitative information will be provided and how this aligns with due dates.
Action Taken
Quantitative information relevant to the assessment task was available on the Moodle site all term, and students were given the opportunity to ask questions about both quantitative and qualitative designs and analyses. Relevant quantitative content was covered across several weeks prior to the due date. However, the decision was made not to alter the order that the quantitative and qualitative information was presented in, because a review of the content suggested that it would be confusing for students to switch back and forth between quantitative and qualitative content repeatedly.
Source: SUTE data
Feedback
Some students found the quantity of content difficult to keep up with across the unit.
Recommendation
Provide clear indications on the Moodle site about which resources are essential and which resources are 'extra reading' for interested students.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE data
Feedback
Students indicated that they found some of the wording of the provided instructions for Assessment 2 to be confusing.
Recommendation
Assessment 2 will be modified to ensure additional clarity is provided.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Describe and apply foundational quantitative and qualitative research methods in psychology.
  2. Apply knowledge of research methodology and research ethics to the evaluation of academic and non-academic sources of information.
  3. Critically reflect on how personal and societal attitudes, experiences and values influence perceptions of ethical research and scientific knowledge.
  4. Write a scientific report using American Psychological Association (APA) format.

This unit addresses Foundational Competencies as specified by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). The unit specifically aligns to the following APAC graduate competencies:

1.1 Comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including the following topics: i. the history and philosophy underpinning the science of psychology and the social, cultural, historical and professional influences on the practice of psychology; and xii. research methods and statistics.

1.2 Apply knowledge and skills of psychology in a manner that is reflexive, culturally appropriate and sensitive to the diversity of individuals. 

1.3 Analyse and critique theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicate these in written and oral formats.

1.4 Demonstrate an understanding of appropriate values and ethics in psychology.

1.5 Demonstrate interpersonal skills and teamwork.

1.6 Demonstrate self-directed pursuit of scholarly inquiry in psychology.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Written Assessment • •
2 - Group Work • •
3 - Report • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
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 •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10