Keele Badge

PSY-20074 - Module Specification
School of Psychology
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2026/27 Last Updated: 17 March 2026

PSY-20074 - Next Steps in becoming a Psychology Researcher
Coordinator: Alexandra Kent Room: N/A Tel: +44 1782 7 33289
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office: 01782 733736

Programme/Approved Electives for 2026/27

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2026/27

This module builds on the content of the first-year research methods teaching. Spanning both qualitative and quantitative approaches, this module aims to equip you with the skills necessary to conduct your empirical Final Year Project when you move into Level 6.
The quantitative section will cover commonly-used advanced research methods in quantitative psychology, ranging from classical tests through to statistics at the forefront of Psychology. These include factorial ANOVA, regression, and an introduction to Bayesian analysis. Additionally, you will be provided with hands-on experience working on your own research projects. The module develops statistical understanding vital to the comprehension of much psychology research. The logical and numerical skills developed are of use throughout psychology, other disciplines and activities, and are highly regarded by potential employers.
The qualitative section aims to advance your understanding and practical experience of qualitative research methods in psychology. It builds on your first year knowledge of qualitative data collection and moves on to consider analytic approaches (e.g, thematic analysis, discourse analysis, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis) and more advanced qualitative research designs (e.g., Participatory Action Research, World Cafes, Co-creation research). Teaching is delivered through a combination of guided weekly individual study resources and weekly practical lab classes. The teaching resources have been designed to replace traditional lectures and instead allow you to engage with the material in small chunks at your own pace. During the lab classes there will be extensive opportunities to discuss your learning with peers and tutors and to apply your learning to practical activities and exercises designed to support you in completing your assessed Research Report.

Aims
This module aims to advance student understanding of research methods used in psychology. It builds on the introductory content from First Steps to Becoming a Psychology Researcher. This module will present students with an opportunity to study classic and modern research methods applied by psychologists to investigate human behaviour. Throughout this module, students will examine the philosophical underpinnings of research and develop knowledge and skills in various qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques and analysis methods.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Explain how the main philosophical and conceptual approaches underpinning research in psychology inform methodological choices when designing research: 1
Design appropriate data collection and analysis strategies to answer research questions using qualitative and quantitative methods: 1,3
Identify and calculate inferential statistics appropriately based on given hypotheses and types of data collected: 1,2
Conduct, analyse, and evaluate qualitative and experimental research projects: 2,3
Write qualitative and quantitative research reports using APA formatting: 2,3
Take part in and experience (or write about) the practice of research design, data collection, and data analysis: 4

Study hours

In person lab-class activity - 44 hours (2hrs per week for 11 weeks each semester)
In person interactive lectures - 4 hours
Guided asynchronous learning (including lab prep, assigned readings, guided learning activities) - 66 hours (3 hours per week for 11 weeks each semester)
Continuous Assessment preparation - 30 hours (5x4 hours per MCQ, 2x5 hours per short answer set)
Quantitative Research Report Preparation - 60 hours
Qualitative Research Report Preparation - 88 hours
Research Participation Time - 8 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Open Book Assessment weighted 15%
4 x multiple choice and short answer tests
Students will complete 4 online multiple-choice/short answer tests throughout the module. Each test will assess key foundational knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Tests will be made available for one week, with a 60-minute completion timer. This structure provides students with opportunities to engage with core concepts regularly and consolidate their learning progressively. Each MCQ Question set (n=3) will be formed of 15 items relating to material taught on the module. These will be delivered via the KLE. The short answer question set will relate to qualitative research design and will build a research proposal for work to be conducted for their Qualitative Research Report Assessment. Feedback from the Research Proposal is designed to enable students to improve their research design before completing the Qualitative Research Report.

2: Research Report weighted 40%
Quantitative Research Report
Students, in groups of approximately 5, conduct a small-scale research project, which involves experiment design, execution, and quantitative analysis. Each member of the group individually writes up the experiment (2,000 words) in the style of a laboratory report (i.e. abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion).

3: Research Report weighted 40%
Qualitative Research Report
Students will complete a 2,200 word individual qualitative lab report based on the qualitative theory and practical qualitative methods approaches covered within the module. Students work on a research subject selected at the beginning of the qualitative section of the module. The individual qualitative report will include most elements of an empirical paper – method, results, an executive summary/conclusion.

4: Research Participation weighted 5%
Research Participation
Students will either: Complete 600 minutes of research participation across both semesters, gaining insight into a variety of psychological research methods and designs from the participant's perspective. or Submit a 2,000-word reflective essay discussing the ethical and methodological considerations of research participation and its role in psychological research. Participation will be recorded via an online system, with a final status of pass or fail awarded based on completion. The essay will be assessed using a pass/fail rubric focusing on the depth of reflection and understanding demonstrated.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 17 March 2026