AC7078 - Preparation and Understanding of Research Methodology

The module offers a flexible, blended-learning approach to learning, and you will participate in both face-to-face seminars and lectures/seminars through an e-learning package. You will learn through research-rich sessions that will focus on ‘real-world’ research delivered by field experts. You will engage in enquiry-based flipped-classroom, learning by directly working with contemporary research in your field. Your academic tutor will facilitate reflection on your development through self and group directed study.

The assessment will be bring together the knowledge and skills learned in order to justify the use of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research approaches in real-world research.

Scheduled face-to-face teaching sessions will encourage peer and tutor feedback, and your academic tutor will facilitate reflection on your development through self and group directed study. In addition, tutors and peers will participate in the module’s discussion board, held on the University’s eLearning Portal (Blackoard Ultra). The eLP will be an active site, and the module leader will regularly update the discussion board with materials and weblinks relating to lectures/seminars to encourage peer discussion outside of contact hours. One-to-one support will also be provided through individual scheduled tutorials during the course of the module.

Additional study support is available from Ask 4 Help (online or face-to-face staff support) and library and study skills can be accessed within the library and via the library homepage.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Appreciation of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method theories, approaches, and methodologies.
2. Justify the use of specific research theories, approaches, and methodologies in real-world research studies.

Intellectual / Professional Skills & Abilities:
1. Demonstrate skills necessary to recognise and justify research theories, approaches, and methodologies.
2. Demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate research methodologies to real-world research scenarios.

Personal Values Attributes:

1. Critically reflect on your own learning, ethical and legal frameworks and the contribution of research to knowledge in your field.

Formative Assessment:
10 minute group oral presentation (3 slides total), 5 minutes Q&A session.

You will be asked to choose a real-world research topic. Using this research topic, your group will develop three potential research methodologies to apply to the research topic: one quantitative, one qualitative, one mixed-methods.

For each approach you will provide a:
Research aim
Research approach
Justification of choice (i.e. its relevance to the area, and the anticipated outcomes)
(MLO’s K&U 2 IPSA 1,2)
Summative Assessment:
Poster presentation consisting of 3 slides lasting 10 minutes, 5 minute oral defence and Q&A session submitted through Turnitin.
This will be an individual assignment.

You will choose one real-world research topic and from this, you will develop one research study methodology which will be either quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods.

For this study you will need to provide an aim and an approach, with a justification of your choice (i.e. its relevance to the area, and the anticipated outcomes). In addition, you will critically reflect on the decisions you have made, and examine the contribution to your related field.

Summative tutor feedback will be provided with the final assignment mark.

(MLOs K&U 1,2 IPSA 1,2, PVA 1)

None

None

This module will develop your knowledge to recognise and justify the use of multiple research theories, approaches, and methodologies. The module offers a flexible, blended-learning approach, and you will participate in both face-to-face seminars and lectures/seminars through an e-learning package.

Being research-rich, you will engage with, and learn from, research experts at the forefront of academia and practice. Tutor and peer feedback will be given throughout the sessions, and through our e-learning portal (Blackboard Ultra).

The module covers:

• Quantitative approaches and research design
• Qualitative methodologies and research design
• Mixed-method approaches and research design

By the end of this module, you will have developed the necessary skills to allow you to recognise and justify the use of different research approaches, methodologies, and designs to inform your dissertation.