| CODE | PSY5608 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Research Methods | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Psychology | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will provide participants with an opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills for understanding, designing and implementing psychological research at post-graduate level. It will have three components. Part 1 will consist of a discussion of the overarching issues in research methods, namely the relevance of scientific inquiry to real world professional work, the different types of problems that give rise to research questions, and how different research questions are related to the different paradigms of quantitative and qualitative designs. Ethical issues in research will also be addressed. Part 2 will cover issues related to the conceptualisation, design, strategies and techniques for qualitative data collection, analysis and reporting. It will include a focus on grounded theory, thematic analysis, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Discourse Analysis, and Evaluation research methods, and the use of interviewing and observational techniques. Participants will also be introduced to the use of computer aided qualitative data analysis software. Part 3 focuses on the use of survey research in addressing research questions of a psychological nature. The fundamentals of statistical concepts (summary statistics, correlation), populations and samples, probability sampling, statistical significance, and inferential statistical techniques (linear regression, t-tests, one-, two- and three-way ANOVA, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis) will be covered through a combination of hands-on activities applying IBM SPSS as a data and variable handling, and analysis facility. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit is aimed at enabling participants to be able to evaluate research evidence and to conduct their own research, particularly in relation to issues about the psychological challenges faced clients and practitioners in professional work. Participants will be able to critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches. They will also be enabled to understand those research concepts, designs, techniques and procedures necessary to plan, conduct and report rigorous quantitative and qualitative research. It also aims at helping students become familiar with the use of computer software for both quantitative statistical analysis as well as qualitative analysis. They will become familiar with the important issues in the use of different techniques of both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, as well the relevant ethical issues. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles underlying quantitative and qualitative research; - identify the characteristics of major qualitative research designs while being aware of their advantages and limitations; - determine when the use of these designs are appropriate; - demonstrate awareness of ethical issues in research; - explain the use of validity measures in qualitative research; - explain the major quantitative research designs, their purpose and use; - identify the various types of variable and measurement scale, and their use in quantitative research. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - decide on the best research design to apply for different research questions; - determine which qualitative research approach should be adopted for different qualitative research questions; - apply different qualitative research approaches with appropriate critical rigour; - demonstrate familiarity with the use of data collection tools such as interviews, focus groups, questionnaires etc.; - demonstrate familiarity with the use of grounded theory, thematic, IPA, and discourse analysis; - decide on the best form of, and write appropriate, questionnaire items vis-a-vis objectives; - explain reliability and validity and distinguish among the major types of each; - distinguish between populations and samples, and the major sampling procedures in quantitative research; - explain the nature and meaning of various levels of statistical significance (p-values); - apply simple regression and interpret the results; - understand and interpret the nature of ANOVA main and interaction effects; - manage data and data files using the IBM SPSS; list and use several SPSS command lines to run a number of statistical techniques; understand SPSS print-outs of results and interpret findings. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Robson, C. (2011) Real World Research (3rd ed) (Oxford: Wiley) ISBN-10: 1405182407 | ISBN-13: 978-1405182409 - Field, A. (2013) Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics (London: Sage) ISBN 978-1-4462-4917-8 | ISBN 978-1-4462-4918-5 Supplementary Texts - Agresti, A., & Finlay, B. (2013). Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences (4th ed). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN-10: 1292021667 | ISBN-13: 978-1292021669 - Bryman, A. (2012). Social Research Methods (4th ed). Oxford: University Press ISBN-10: 0199588058 | ISBN-13: 978-0199588053 - Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory. A practical guide through qualitative analysis. London: Sage - di Gregorio, S., & Davidson, J. (2008). Qualitative research design for software users. London: Open University Press. - Flick, U., Von Kardorff, E., Steinke, I. (2007). (Eds.). A companion to qualitative research. London: Sage Publications - Lewins, A., & Silver, C. (2007). Using Software in Qualitative Research: A Step-by-Step Guide. London: Sage - Maxwell, J.A. (2013). Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach (3rd ed.). London: Sage - Richards, L. (2010). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide (2nd ed.) London: Sage - Willig, C. (2012). Qualitative Interpretation and Analysis in Psychology. Bershire: Open University Press |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite qualifications: First degree Co-Requisite Study-unit: Psycho-educational Assessment |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Angela Abela Paul A. Bartolo (Co-ord.) Liberato Camilleri Gottfried Catania Clarissa Sammut Scerri Marta Sant |
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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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