Research Methods in Health and Care Module Overview, Learning Outcomes, and Assessment

Understanding of the fundamental concepts in research

Number On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental concepts in research.

2. Appreciate ethical considerations in research.

3. Undertake basic qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.

4. Present qualitative and quantitative data in the appropriate manner.

This module will provide an introduction to research methods; understanding and evaluating academic articles; an introduction to basic qualitative and quantitative methodological considerations in research and an understanding of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods. The module leads onto Level 5 SHN5142 Research Methods 2 and the Level 6 Dissertation project.

Students will study concepts of research in health and care. They will engage in Literature searching using the appropriate databases and tools; understanding and evaluating academic articles; an introduction to basic methodological considerations in research; an introduction to quantitative methods; an introduction to qualitative methods; data collection techniques (quantitative and qualitative); introduction to quantitative data analysis (descriptive statistics, levels of measurement, basic inferential statistics); introduction to qualitative data analysis; ethical considerations in research; writing reports; presentation of data following academic conventions.

For this module you will complete one individual written essay and one individual project report.

Your written essay (component 2) must be submitted to Turnitin by 12.00 noon on 21 st February 2022.

Your project report (component 3) must be submitted to Turnitin by 12.00 noon on 6 th April 2022.

Details regarding the marking criteria and specific requirements for the assessment one can be found in sections 10-11 of the module handbook and via the module Moodle page.

Assignments must be submitted to SHN4142 via Turnitin before noon on the deadline day, and you will receive feedback within 20 working days of the submission deadline.

Word Count: You should aim to submit coursework that is in line with the specified word count.

In marking the coursework, we will penalise work that exceeds the specified word Count by more than 10%. This means there will be a 5% penalty between 10-19% over the word count and 10% penalty for 20% or over the word count. This may result in a non-categorical mark for the assignment.

Assignment 1: Essay (2000 Words equivalent) 50% of module weighting) due on 21 st February 2022 by 12 noon.

To submit your timeline with an explanation, Use Turnitin.

For the first assignment (component 1) of this module you are required to select a case study from the choices provided on the assessment brief document and write an essay on the topic. This essay should be split into 3 sections: Introduction, Literature Review and Ethical Considerations. You will work on this in groups through the module although the write up and submission must be completed individually.

Appreciation for ethical considerations in research

Introduction (LO1) 15%

This should provide a background to the key concepts of the topic and introduce the key ideas that you will then go further into discussing in the literature review. You are required to introduce the purpose of research on this topic.

Literature Review (LO1) 45%

You need to conduct a thorough literature review of the area to appraise the current related work in terms of findings and methods used. Successful literature reviews will compare and contrast previously published work and use multiple peer reviewed academic sources to support your work.

Ethical Considerations (LO2) 30%

You must present a written description of the ethical considerations associated with the topic. You should make use of relevant policy and also the work of previous researchers.

Professional written communication and accurate referencing style 10%

You are required to demonstrate thorough reading of academic sources. These must be presented with strict adherence to the Harvard referencing style. Presentation must be professional in nature with appropriate grammar, terminology and formatting.

For the second assignment (component 2) of this module you are required to write a project report based on a small group project undertaken in the seminars. You will design a method and conduct the data collection and analysis prior to submitting a professionally presented experimental report. This project will be based on the topic you have written your essay on. You will complete work for the assignment as a group, however the project report will be written up individually.

Building on the content of your first assignment you must place the research in context. You should refer to key theory and previous findings on the topic. This section should identify the purpose of the research and provide the hypothesis/ research question and aims.

Method (LO2 & LO3) 30%

In this section you should provide clear and concise explanations of appropriate data collection methods. This section should be split into the subheadings; Participants, Design, Procedure, Data Analysis.

Results (LO3) 30%

You are required to provide clear well-presented results with appropriate labelled figures and/or presented quotes. This section should include text to summarise the data.

Discussion and Conclusion (LO1 & LO2 & LO3) 20%

You should provide a written discussion of what your results show and how these relate to your hypothesis/research question and previous research. You must discuss the potential application of your research, opportunities for future work on the topic and any limitations of the work done.

Professional written communication and accurate referencing 10%

You are required to demonstrate thorough reading of academic sources. These must be presented with strict adherence to the Harvard referencing style. Presentation must be professional in nature with appropriate grammar, terminology and formatting.