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PSYC12048 - Research Methods

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will introduce you to key concepts in research methodology as employed in psychological research and the social sciences. The material covered in this unit provides the necessary background for you to conduct and/or appraise research as part of your undergraduate or professional careers. The primary goals of this unit are to a) provide you with an awareness of the range of methodologies available (both quantitative and qualitative) to researchers and to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches and b) design research studies to understand psychological phenomena, including writing sub-sections of research reports in APA style.

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

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2019

Term 3 - 2019 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 2020 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 3 - 2020 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 2021 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 3 - 2021 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2022 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 2 - 2024 Profile
Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton

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. Portfolio 55%
2. Group Discussion 15%
3. Examination 30%

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

No previous feedback available

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 (SUTE)
Feedback
More examples of how to perform statistical hand calculations would be useful in consolidating learning of concepts.
Recommendation
More hand calculation examples will be provided to students in future iterations of the unit.
Action Taken
Extra practice exercises were available in the live tutorials, as well through Academic Learning Centre (ALC), and peer-assisted study session (PASS) workshops.
Source: Student feedback (SUTE)
Feedback
Being provided with working out templates for hand calculations, rather than requiring students to create these by hand, would enable students to spend more time to dedicate to learning concepts.
Recommendation
Templates for hand calculations will be provided to students in future iterations of the unit.
Action Taken
These templates were provided in the weekly tutorial materials.
Source: Student feedback (SUTE)
Feedback
Audio quality of lecture videos could be improved.
Recommendation
Lecture videos with sub-optimal audio will be re-recorded.
Action Taken
The unit coordinator is working to continually optimise audio quality of new and existing recorded materials.
Source: Student feedback (SUTE)
Feedback
The structure of the unit, how the content was assessed, and support material provided enabled students to feel at ease studying research methods.
Recommendation
Continue with the current framework for the unit, while continuing to make improvements according to students suggestions as they are communicated.
Action Taken
The structure of the unit has been maintained, but its appropriateness will continue to be reviewed as part of ongoing quality assurance practices.
Source: Student feedback via email.
Feedback
Students appreciated the thorough and constructive feedback on assessment tasks, as well as the opportunity to apply what was learnt from this to later assessment tasks.
Recommendation
Continue to provide feedback on assessments that enables student understanding and opportunities to apply the lessons learnt from this.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student feedback in live tutorial classes.
Feedback
Students like the series approach to the assessments in the unit that have a quantitative focus. They report the shorter, focussed scope of these tasks, coupled with timely feedback on performance, enables them to focus their efforts and reduce anxiety related to larger assessments.
Recommendation
The content and structure of the assessment schedule will continue to be monitored for efficacy.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student Unit and Teaching Evaluations (SUTE).
Feedback
Students reportedly enjoy the opportunity to learn about both qualitative and quantitative research methods
Recommendation
Continue the current structure of the unit, which incorporates both qualitative and quantitative research methodology in psychological research.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student feedback via Student Unit and Teaching Evaluations (SUTE) and Unit Coordinator reflection.
Feedback
Some students reported valuing the 'At Your Pace' Online Statistics Workbook Resources, particularly the functions that allow them to test their understanding of the video content through interactive quizzes.
Recommendation
Consider including more interactive content that allows students to test their understanding in the pre-recorded lectures.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Evaluate basic research designs
  2. Design studies to investigate psychological phenomena
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of key concepts in research methods.

The major aim of this unit is to provide an in-depth understanding of the methodology employed in psychological research.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Portfolio • • •
2 - Group Discussion • •
3 - Examination •
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 • •
5 - Team Work • •
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
1 - Portfolio • • • • •
2 - Group Discussion • • • • • • •
3 - Examination • •