School: Arts and Humanities

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Please note that given the circumstances of COVID-19, there may be some modifications to the assessment schedule promoted in Handbook for Semester 1 2020 Units. Students will be notified of all approved modifications by Unit Coordinators via email and Unit Blackboard sites. Where changes have been made, these are designed to ensure that you still meet the unit learning outcomes in the context of our adjusted teaching and learning arrangements.

  • Unit Title

    Research Skills
  • Unit Code

    PSY5128
  • Year

    2020
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Ross Clifton HOLLETT

Description

The aim of this unit is to consolidate and extend knowledge of research methods gained at undergraduate levels. The course assumes competence with basic descriptive and inferential statistics and with elementary research designs. Students will apply this knowledge to critical appraisals of relevant research domains and to generating research questions. Students will further their knowledge of statistical analysis using statistical software through an intensive residential school.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critically evaluate reported research in terms of methodology, design, analysis and conclusions.
  2. Demonstrate an awareness of ethical principles in the conduct of research and professional practice.
  3. Demonstrate competence in the interpretation and reporting of both manual and computerised data output.
  4. Generate research questions in relevant domains.
  5. Propose appropriate research designs to examine research questions.
  6. Select and apply appropriate statistical tools for data analysis, including multivariate and other advanced techniques.

Unit Content

  1. Ethical issues in research and professional practice. Policy of Edith Cowan University for the conduct of ethical research involving human subjects. Code of professional conduct of the Australian Psychological Society.
  2. Review of basic research designs (experimental and quasi experimental; survey research methods; observational methods), and basic statistical techniques: descriptive and inferential analysis including parametric and nonparametric methods, measures of central tendency, measures of variance, t tests, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Chi Square, Correlation.
  3. Critical examination of a range of research methods and research designs used in psychology, including qualitative techniques.
  4. Use of advanced statistical techniques: Multilevel modelling and Bayesian statistics.
  5. Use of statistical software.
  6. The development of a research proposal to answer research questions including a review of the literature, hypotheses (research questions), method and proposed analysis.
  7. The identification of research questions in relevant domains from course units.

Learning Experience

Students will engage in learning experiences through ECU Blackboard as well as additional ECU learning technologies.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Online delivery supported by discussion groups, study modules and prescribed texts with an on-campus residential school (Joondalup campus).

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
ExaminationExamination45%
AssignmentMethodological/statistical exercise45%
ExerciseOnline quizzes10%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExaminationExamination45%
AssignmentMethodological/statistical exercises45%
ExerciseOnline quizzes10%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

PSY5128|2|1

School: Arts and Humanities

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Please note that given the circumstances of COVID-19, there may be some modifications to the assessment schedule promoted in Handbook for this unit. All assessment changes will be published by 27 July 2020. All students are reminded to check handbook at the beginning of semester to ensure they have the correct outline.

  • Unit Title

    Research Skills
  • Unit Code

    PSY5128
  • Year

    2020
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    3
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Ross Clifton HOLLETT

Description

The aim of this unit is to consolidate and extend knowledge of research methods gained at undergraduate levels. The course assumes competence with basic descriptive and inferential statistics and with elementary research designs including qualitative techniques. Students will apply this knowledge to critical appraisals of relevant research domains and to generating research questions. Students will further their knowledge of statistical analysis using statistical software and develop an understanding of contemporary issues in research domains.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Prepare, interpret, and report computerised data output.
  2. Plan appropriate statistical techniques for data analysis.
  3. Recommend appropriate research designs to examine research questions.
  4. Critically evaluate research design, methodology, analysis and conclusions.

Unit Content

  1. Review of data collection procedures and common issues including survey instrument design, psychometric principles, power and sampling issues, participant recruitment methods, data cleaning and screening, data storage, and ethical considerations.
  2. Review of basic research designs (experimental and quasi experimental; survey research methods; observational methods), and basic statistical techniques: t tests, correlations, analysis of variance, regressions, factor analysis, effect sizes.
  3. Critical examination of a range of research methods and research designs used in psychology, including qualitative techniques.
  4. Introduction to advanced statistical techniques including structural equation modelling and alternative analyses including non-parametric, categorical and decision-tree analysis.
  5. Publication principles and issues in research including journal selection, multidisciplinary research, using Field of Research Codes, co-authorship, peer review and research dissemination.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Online delivery supported by discussion groups, study modules, and an on-campus residential school (Joondalup campus).

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExaminationExamination35%
AssignmentMethodological/statistical exercises45%
TestOnline quizzes20%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

PSY5128|3|2