PSYC13015 - Research Methods 3

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit is designed to equip you with the analytic skills necessary to carry out advanced applied research. You will develop a toolbox of practical skills that will allow you to undertake qualitative and quantitative research as part of your undergraduate and/or professional career/s in psychology, research, business, government, community development, education, and beyond. The unit builds on earlier research methods units in psychology (PSYC11012 and PSYC12048). You will be introduced to advanced statistical techniques, as well as how to analyse and interpret quantitative data using industry-standard statistical software packages. You will also continue to develop your skills in qualitative research methods and build your abilities in research interviewing, thematic analysis and reporting of qualitative data, how to build rapport and trust with participants, and how to be self-aware and reflexive when conducting qualitative research.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 1
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

PSYC11012 and PSYC12048.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2025

Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Portfolio 50%
2. Written Assessment 30%
3. Practical Assessment 20%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 63.16% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 24.68% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Self-reflection, staff feedback, informal student discussion.
Feedback
Too many quantitative portfolio assessments close together and in the second half of term.
Recommendation
Aggregate the three statistical portfolio tasks into two, retaining a similar depth and breadth of content.
Action Taken
The portfolio tasks were aggregated.
Source: Formal student feedback (SUTE), self-reflection, staff feedback.
Feedback
Provide shorter "step-by-step" videos to help students perform basic tasks in SPSS that are needed to engage in data analysis.
Recommendation
Increased number of short and basic "step-by-step" video guides will be produced to support the live and interactive SPSS workshops.
Action Taken
Video guides have been developed for most topics. These materials will continue to be developed in 2025.
Source: Formal student feedback (SUTE), staff feedback.
Feedback
Comprehensive feedback was provided on all assessment tasks, allowing students to improve on the next assignment.
Recommendation
Continue to provide detailed written feedback for quantitative and qualitative assessment tasks.
Action Taken
Detailed feedback on all assessment tasks was provided.
Source: Formal student feedback (SUTE), staff feedback, self-reflection.
Feedback
One quantitative and one qualitative assessment task fell on the same due date.
Recommendation
Ensure there is no overlap with assessment due dates in 2024.
Action Taken
There was no day nor week overlap with due dates in 2024.
Source: SUTE, peer review
Feedback
Students appreciated the passion and empathy showed by the lecturer who taught the quantitative modules, and enjoyed how they introduced humour into statistics teaching.
Recommendation
Teaching staff will continue to foster an engaging and empathic learning environment for students trying to master advanced research methods.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE, personal reflection.
Feedback
Some students wanted simpler and more accessible explanations for some topic areas.
Recommendation
Simplify, where possible, explanations of concepts and introduce other methods (e.g., step-by-step sheets) to improve student comprehension.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE, personal reflection.
Feedback
Update some of the quantitative teaching materials.
Recommendation
Replace on Moodle any data analysis examples drawn from an older textbook with those from the latest textbook.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Prepare quantitative data ready for analysis in a statistical software package.
  2. Analyse and report quantitative data in a professional format.
  3. Interpret and defend qualitative data analysis in a professional format.
  4. Prepare for and conduct a qualitative interview.

The external accrediting body is Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). The unit fulfills one of the key foundational competencies outlined in the accreditation document for students completing a 3 year psychology degree, i.e. they will acquire a depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach to research methods and statistics. This is a compulsory (year 3) unit required to successfully complete the course.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Portfolio • •
2 - Written Assessment •
3 - Practical Assessment •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • •
2 - Problem Solving •
3 - Critical Thinking • • •
4 - Information Literacy •
6 - Information Technology Competence • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence •
8 - Ethical practice •
9 - Social Innovation •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10