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PSY-40137 - Module Specification
School of Psychology
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2023/24 Last Updated: 13 February 2024

PSY-40137 - Dissertation - conversion
Coordinator: David Walker Tel: +44 1782 7 34265
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 7
Credits: 60
Study Hours: 600
School Office: 01782 733736

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2023/24

The Dissertation module, which runs over Autumn, Spring and Summer semesters, offers the opportunity to put into practice all the scholarship and research methods skills you have developed over the programme. Successful completion of the Dissertation is one of the prerequisites for the degree to confer Graduate Basis for Chartership from the British Psychological Society, which is necessary to pursue any professional career in psychology. You will work with a supervisor from the School of Psychology with specialist knowledge in an area in which you wish to conduct research. You will plan your project with your supervisor, then you will conduct and write-up a piece of original empirical work. You will also construct a poster about you research project at the end of the first semester.

Aims
The aim of this module is to give students the opportunity to carry out and report an empirical investigation of a research topic of personal interest to the student.

Intended Learning Outcomes

design research complying with BPS ethical requirements, which is required for study approval by the School of Psychology Student Project Ethics Committee;: 1
select, locate and critically review a pertinent research literature to identify gaps in existing knowledge;: 2,3,4
initiate and design an empirical study that tests the research hypotheses/questions identified;: 2,3,4
develop stimuli/materials pertinent to the research question;: 2,3,4
identify and communicate key aspects of their project to an informed audience using visual and verbal presentation skills;: 2,3,4
collect data, select and carry out an appropriate form of analysis;: 4
discuss the implications of the results and critically evaluate the quality of the research;: 4
write up their project research following APA report writing conventions;: 4
critically review and assess contemporary scientific understanding of a chosen area of psychology from which the student can develop hypotheses or research questions that can be tested empirically within the time available.: 2,3,4

Study hours

Schedule teaching and learning hours:
Supervision - 25 hours
Poster presentation - 1 hour
Skills workshops - 4 hours
Total = 30 hours
Independent study hours:
Including applying for ethical approval, preparing project poster, independent study, data collection and report preparation - 570 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Ethical Approval weighted 0%
Student Project Ethics Committee Approval
Student Project Ethics Committee Assessment of students' Final Year Project research proposals. The School of Psychology SPEC applies the British Psychological Society Guidelines for ethical (human and other animal) research.

2: Poster Presentation weighted 5%
Project poster
This is a 2-part assignment: Part 1 - Students submit academic conference style posters describing and explaining their dissertation projects (Assessment 2 on this module). Part 2 - Students will present the poster (Assessment 3 on this module). Students must complete both part 1 and part 2 in order to get a grade. Students cannot get a grade for part 1 without completing part 2.

3: Presentation weighted 5%
Poster presentation
This is a 2-part assignment: Part 1 - Students submit academic conference style posters describing and explaining their dissertation projects (Assessment 2 on this module). Part 2 - Students will present the poster (Assessment 3 on this module). Students must complete both part 1 and part 2 in order to get a grade. Students cannot get a grade for part 1 without completing part 2.

4: Assignment weighted 90%
Research report
A report of the empirical research conducted as part of this module. Word length: 8-12,000 words depending on the standard for the research area. Quantitative projects are expected to be towards the lower end of the range, while qualitative projects are expected to be towards the upper end of the range.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and 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/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 13 February 2024