PSYC12048 - Research Methods 2

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Both qualitative and quantitative research skills are highly sought after in many career paths. This unit builds upon Research Methods 1 (PSYC11012) to provide you with the knowledge and skills to conduct and appraise both qualitative and quantitative research in your university and/or professional careers in psychology. The unit will continue to build your skills in critiquing, designing, and analysing qualitative research. It will also further advance your skills related to designing quantitative research, including how to perform basic statistical analyses by hand and using industry-standard computer software. Students who are not confident in their mathematical abilities are encouraged to contact the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) to discuss 'refresher' options.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 1
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-Requisite Completion of PSYC11012. 

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 1 - 2023

Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville

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. Project (applied) 10%
2. Poster Sessions 30%
3. Portfolio 60%

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 1 - 2021 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 4.3 (on a 5 point Likert scale), based on a 32.5% 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 feedback and self-reflection
Feedback
Textbook was not concise enough.
Recommendation
Retain main textbook for 2021 delivery, but signpost relevant material more clearly.
Action Taken
Information provided in lectures closely aligned with textbook content. Signposting provided.
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Lectures were a little long and needed more interaction.
Recommendation
Make pre-recorded material more concise and live lectures more interactive.
Action Taken
Pre-recorded lectures were broken into smaller chunks, and seminars were held once a week that included interactive activities and group discussions.
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Variety of resources to support learning was good, especially formative quizzes.
Recommendation
Maintain existing resources, updating where appropriate.
Action Taken
Existing resources maintained, with a few additions. The formative quizzes have been a standard part of this unit (pre-COVID) and have been maintained.
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Weekly seminar with discussion topics aided learning.
Recommendation
Maintain smaller seminars in addition to larger lectures.
Action Taken
Seminars were held once a week where students could attend on campus or via Zoom.
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
High level of support from lecturers.
Recommendation
Continue to engage with students by actively encouraging the use of online forums (and lecturer interaction and timely response to questions), in addition to email and phone communication with students as required.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Clearer instructions are required on expected writing style in take-home test.
Recommendation
Update take-home test information sheet with more detailed information on writing style. This should include the type of academic writing required in response to each section (e.g., methods sections of research reports).
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Compare and contrast qualitative and quantitative research approaches.
  2. Map a thematic analysis of qualitative research data.
  3. Calculate and report quantitative data in a professional 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.

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

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Project (applied) •
2 - Poster Sessions • •
3 - Portfolio •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Communication • •
2 - Problem Solving •
3 - Critical Thinking •
4 - Information Literacy •
6 - Information Technology Competence •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence •
8 - Ethical practice •
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