Coursework Proposal Assignment - Research Topic, Questions, Methods, and Results

This coursework counts towards 60% of the total mark for the module. Completed pieces of work must be submitted (uploaded) as a Turnitin assignment through Moodle by 5.00pm on Monday, 24th May 2021.

The coursework feedback will be provided online through Moodle. You will receive an email informing you when it will become available.

This coursework provides you with the opportunity to think about your dissertation research or, if you don’t think you will do a dissertation, to design a piece ofresearch. You are asked to write a proposal of up to 2000 words that defines and defends a research topic of your interest, its research design and the choice ofresearch methods you would use. The proposal should reflect on the various research methods you will have learned in the module (including the qualitative and thequantitative research methods) and clarify which method(s) you will use, and justify the reason why you chose the method(s) for your research.

The proposal must define the research aim and questions clearly. It can be tailored to your potential research project, if you plan to do one,1 or a project that would be feasible for you to conduct. You should research the broader background surrounding your research theme and place your research within a wider context that proposes the use of appropriate research method(s), either qualitative or quantitative or both, and defends your choice of particular method(s) over other methods that could have been used. It is expected that your choices of method(s) will be justified through your research design and their relevance to the research questions.

The research proposal should include the following six components.

[Guidance: This is likely to be the topic that you are going to tackle in your dissertation. This should reflect the primary focus of your dissertation. This should be succinct, but sufficiently detailed to introduce the project.]

[Guidance: This section should describe the general background of your project and the motivation towards this project. You need to state why you have chosen the above research

What is the current situation and context surrounding that topic? You should overview the general academic literature in the subject area (and, where possible, the theoretical foundation as reported in published work) and identify, in relation to the relevant reading you will have covered, a general problem that you can tackle in your research.]

[Guidance: This statement should include a description of what you intend to achieve with your project. What is the aim/goal of your research? It should also briefly cover why it is important and of interest.]

[Guidance: This section should provide a clear definition of the research questions to be investigated. The research questions are the questions you are going to interrogate and answer in your research project to solve the research problem you identified.]

[Guidance: This section should outline exactly what research method(s) you will use for your project. Consider and discuss why you think the method(s) you have chosen are appropriate for tackling/answering the research questions. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these methods? Why were they chosen over other methods taught in the module?]

[Guidance: This section should provide a brief estimate of to what extent you think the project will help to address the proposed research aim and questions. What conclusions you expect to obtain at the end of your research, what are the possible limitations of your work, what relevant questions are likely to remain unanswered, and what might be a way forward for future research in this area?]

• Relevance/appropriateness of the choice of research method(s) to the key research questions
• Depth and comprehensiveness of working knowledge of the research method(s)
• Clear presentation of the research topic, research aim and research questions
• Originality and the significance of the research project
• Clarity of the proposal (i.e. quality of presentation)
• Consistency in the logic of the proposal

When submitting your coursework, please note and follow the College guidelines contained within the Common Awards Structure:

1. No individual academic member of staff should allow extensions.
2. Coursework submitted late is given two marks: a penalty mark of the Pass Mark, assuming it is of a pass standard, and the ‘real’ mark that would have been awarded if the work had not been late. Both marks are given to the student on a cover sheet. If the coursework is not of a pass standard a single mark is given.
3. Students submitting coursework late should be afforded the opportunity to provide written evidence, medical or otherwise, as to why their work was submitted late. This should be made on a standard pro forma and submitted to the Tutor or Programme Director, as appropriate and thence to the Mitigation Sub-Committee (see point v below).
4. All requests for Mitigating Circumstances are held over and considered by a sub-group of the relevant Exam Board prior to a meeting of the full Exam Board. This sub-group should be called the Mitigation Sub-Committee and should meet termly and/or prior to the full Exam Board, as appropriate. All cases on file should be dealt with at that meeting/those meetings, and the results presented to the full Exam Board.
5. Appropriate procedures should be put in place for students on interdisciplinary programmes. This should normally involve submission of evidence to the relevant module tutor, who should pass it on to the Mitigation Sub-Committee of the School in which the programme is based.

• College policy dictates how the Department treats work that is due for assessment but submitted after the submission deadline.
• A 10% deduction applies for any assignment submitted up to 7 days late.
• If submitted later than 7 days after the submission deadline but less than two weeks after the submission deadline, the assignment will be capped at the pass mark.
• If submitted later than two weeks the assignment will not be considered for marking, and a mark of zero will be awarded.
• As a courtesy, you should tell your module tutor if you are going to submit an assessment late. However, staff cannot give extensions.