| CODE | COU5141 | ||||||
| TITLE | Advanced Counselling Research Methods | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Counselling | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit is intended to equip students with an advanced knowledge of the concepts and methods of counselling research, and consolidate their knowledge and enhance their experience in different methodologies and the use of various research techniques. The aim of this study-unit is thus to explore the main tools available in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, also within a conceptual framework. Software programs designed at assisting qualitative and quantitative research will also be presented together with a variety of qualitative research tools, and descriptive and inferential statistics. Students will also be exposed to the use of computer packages to save, handle and analyse data. The aim is to give students the opportunity to discuss and reflect upon the research process as students and gain an in-depth knowledge of different methodologies, data collecting tools, theoretical underpinnings and conceptual frameworks. Study-unit Outline: - Introduction to Basic Principles in Counselling Research; - Reviewing and critically analysing literature; - Developing a Research Question and writing a research proposal; - Research Ethics; - Utilising Qualitative Methods; - Utilising Quantitative Methods; - Introduction to basic research tools; - Exploring the implications of research; - Critical Issues in Research; - Writing up Research. Study-Unit Aims: - To develop an awareness of the issues involved in doing research in this area of study; - To conceptualise in depth the different methodologies and methods in research including the philosophical assumptions underlying the different methodologies; - To develop the skills of doing research in the context of practical problems that students may face in the research field; - To increase awareness of issues of reliability, validity, bias and sampling. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate an overall understanding of the issues involved in doing counselling research; - Identify the different theoretical frameworks; - Appraise the different methodologies and methods in research including the philosophical assumptions underlying the different methodologies; - Discuss characteristics, advantages and limitations of major research designs; - Identify the basic tenets of quantitative and qualitative research; - Present issues of reliability, validity, bias and sampling of quantitative research; - Demonstrate the rationale of quantitative and qualitative techniques; - Show an understanding of the types of quantitative tests available; - Compare and contrast descriptive versus inferential statistics; - Discuss and deliberate ethical issues in research. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate the skills of doing research in the context of practical problems that students may face in the research field; - Analyse the appropriate selection of research methodologies and research tools; - Illustrate an understanding of the research tools available in quantitative and qualitative research; - Utilise data collecting tools appropriately, including interviews, focus groups, interview conversations, field notes, surveys, questionnaires; - Identify and address ethical issues in research; - Utilise computer packages for qualitative and quantitative data. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage. - McLeod, J. (2015) Doing Counselling Research. Sage Publications. Supplementary Readings: - Bryman, A. (Latest Edition). Social research methods. Oxford University Press. - Creswell, J.W. (2013). Qualitative Inquiry and research design. Choosing among five traditions (3rd ed.). Sage. - Coolican, H. (Latest Edition) Research methods and statistics in psychology. Hodder and Stoughton. - Denzin, N.K. &Lincoln, G. (Latest Edition) Handbook of Qualitative Research. Sage. - Etherington, K. (2004). Becoming a reflexive researcher: Using ourselves in research. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. - Punch, K. F. (1998). Introduction to social research. Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Sage. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Students are expected to attend all the lectures and prepare themselves by completing assigned readings prior to the respective lecture. | ||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Liberato Camilleri Ruth Falzon (Co-ord.) |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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