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DUE DATE: 24TH JUNE 2021 Assessment Point 1: Proposal Guidelines: You will need to produce a 2000 words proposal, designed to prepare you for your Dissertation project

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DUE DATE: 24TH JUNE 2021

Assessment Point 1: Proposal

Guidelines: You will need to produce a 2000 words proposal, designed to prepare you for your Dissertation project. In order to be able to produce the research proposal, you will need to keep in mind the following points:

1. Aims: What is it all about?

2. Literature review: What do we already know?

3. Research question: What do we need to find out?

4. Methods: How will we get the necessary information?

5. Ethics: Is the research socially acceptable?

6. Outcomes: What will be the benefits?

 

Structure of the Proposal

· Title (no more than 20 words)

· Introduction and Literature Review

· Method/Ethical considerations Outcomes

 

STEP 1

· What is my research question?

· What do I wish to study?

· The problem/research questions need to be clear and specific

STEP 2

· Literature review Identify the gaps in the literature What’s new?

· What this study will add?

STEP 3

· Decide how you will search for your sources Decide what studies you will include

STEP 4

Write the proposal

· Introduction and Literature Review

· Method/Ethical considerations

· Outcomes

 

INTRODUCTION & LITERATURE REVIEW

· Be clear and concise as this sets the scene for the report.

· At the beginning of this section you should give a high level overview/rationale of what you intend to investigate (the research question) and why you think it is important and novel.

· The introduction should also clearly explain and define relevant terms and set the scene for the main points for discussion.

· You will then present a review of the literature that is most in scope to the topic you wish to investigate.

 

 

 

Assessment Task

Please conduct a written outline of the proposed research project following the provided guidelines below.

Assessment Guideline

The use of empirical psychological research evidence to support arguments made, and key discussion points, is an important requirement for this essay. Such evidence should come from primary sources (i.e.: peer reviewed journal articles) and referenced accurately using the APA system of referencing.

1. Title (no more than 20 words, 5%)

The title should be a very brief summary of the study/review you propose to undertake.

 

2. Literature Review/Introduction (25%)

Be clear and concise as this sets the scene for the report. At the beginning of this section you should give a high level overview/rationale of what you intend to investigate (the research question) and why you think it is important and novel (i.e. rationale of the study) and state the aims and hypotheses of the study. You will then present a review of the literature that is most in scope to the topic you wish to investigate. You are not expected to review all of the literature that would be expected for the dissertation, but you should include a good sample of the most relevant references. A very good literature review needs to contain evidence of critical reviewing. The introduction should also clearly explain and define relevant terms and set the scene for the main points for discussion. This section should end with a brief summary of how the literature reviewed relates to your rationale.

 

3. Research Methodology and Method (20%)

Explain how you intend on undertaking the research project. Position your research by discussing the methodology that informs your design. Clough and Nutbrown (2013) offer the following definition: “A methodology shows how research questions are articulated with questions asked in the field. Its effect is a claim about significance.” (p. 25).

 

You may wish to use subheadings in this section (e.g. Design, Data resource, Procedures, Ethics, Analysis). This section must describe the following:

1. The research design and strategies of the secondary data study or systematic review

2. The location, selection and evaluation of appropriate secondary data for the study

3. The methods used to assess and analyse quantitative and qualitative research data and why these have been chosen over other methods

4. Any ethical considerations arising from the research

5. General descriptions of how data would be analysed. Note that this assignment is not testing you on your statistical knowledge, but we do need to see that you have thought through the whole research process. Furthermore, this section will also allow you to demonstrate understanding of the key processes involved in research.

 

For each aspect of the research plan, you will need to justify the decisions you make and refer to methodological literature to demonstrate your knowledge.

 

4. Ethical Considerations (20%)

You must address research ethics. Proposals which do not address research ethics adequately, or which have serious ethical problems, will not be awarded a pass mark. Please include examples of how others have considered ethical issues within existing published research in your chosen area.

 

5. Analysing and reporting your key findings/results (20%)

This section should be used to discuss how you intend on presenting your main findings (including how they will be ordered in terms of priority and use of figures/charts/tables), as well as the statistical technique or techniques you intend on employing to analyse your data. Look to previous (and similar) research to identify how you might do this, and wherever possible, defend why one method or statistical technique may be better than another to support those that you eventually propose to adopt.

 

6. Presentation and Referencing (10%)

1. Correct use of grammar, punctuation and spelling

2. The writing style should be in the third person and past tense unless indicated as a ‘Personal Reflection’

3. Consistent referencing throughout (APA referencing system should be used

4. Appropriate use of appendices where relevant.

5. Your assignment should be word processed (handwritten assignments are not accepted), double spaced, with numbered pages and your student number printed as a footer on every page. It should be submitted – without staples – in one poly pocket. The font should be Arial in font size 12. Please note that student names should not appear anywhere on the assignment.

 

Appendices: You may include appendices. There is no prescribed limit, but ideally only a few pages.

 

 

Presentation and Referencing

There must be consistent and correct use of grammar, punctuation and spelling throughout this academic essay. Furthermore, the writing style should be in the third person. You should use the APA reference style for in text citations, use a dedicated “References” section at the end, and be consistent throughout the work (see earlier link to university referencing guidance).

 

Please note that Wikipedia will NOT be accepted as an appropriate reference for this piece of work and marks will be deducted if it is used. If relevant, Appendices may be used to direct the reader to supporting material BUT these should only be used as such support to complement the main essay and not as a substitute for the main essay and its content. As previously mentioned, this assignment should be word processed double spaced, with numbered pages and the student’s name and identification number printed as a footer on every page.

 

General guidance for Essay:

Essays should be presented in Arial or Comic Sans font and 1.5 line spacing.

Subsections should not be used within an academic essay.

 

Word count: The word limit is 2000 words +/- 10% (excluding References and Appendices). This means that the whole proposal should not be shorter than 1800 words or longer than 2200 words (excluding References and Appendices).

 

Grading Criteria:

Students should recognise that the marking criteria are weighted to indicate its importance in relation to the information required.

CRITERIA

GRADE AWARDED

 

1. Title · Clear and concise.	/5
2. Literature Review & Introduction · Written clearly and concisely · Sets out key background information for the reader and discussion of the relevant literature · Clear evidence of linking key literature (empirical studies, theory, etc.) to the research question, rationale, aims, and hypotheses	/25
3. Research Methodology and Method · This section must describe the following: 1. The research design and strategies of the secondary data study or systematic review 2. The location, selection and evaluation of appropriate secondary data for the study 3. The methods used to assess and analyse quantitative and qualitative research data and why these have been chosen over other methods 4. Any ethical considerations arising from the research 5. General descriptions of how data would be analysed. Note that this assignment is not testing you on your statistical knowledge, but we do need to see that you have thought through the whole research process. Furthermore, this section will also allow you to demonstrate understanding of the key processes involved in research.	/20
4. Ethical Considerations · Clear and concise consideration of ethical issues relating to the proposed research project	/20
5. Analysis and reporting your key findings/results · Detailed description of how descriptive results will be presented within the text with reference to how similar results have been presented in the literature · Description of appropriate figures and tables that may be employed to display descriptive data with evidence of advantages and disadvantages of each method · Accurate description of the appropriate data analysis technique(s) that will be employed to analyse data	/20
6. Presentation and Referencing   · Correct use of grammar, punctuation and spelling · The writing style should be in the third person and past tense unless indicated as a ‘Personal Reflection’ · Consistent referencing throughout (APA referencing system should be used · Appropriate use of appendices where relevant. · Your assignment should be word processed (handwritten assignments are not accepted), double spaced, with numbered pages and your student number printed as a footer on every page. It should be submitted – without staples – in one poly pocket. The font should be Arial in font size 12. Please note that student names should not appear anywhere on the assignment.