PY0769 - MRes Thesis

You will engage in an independent piece of psychological research with the support and guidance of an individual supervisor. You will meet with your supervisor regularly during Semester 2 to discuss the development of the research. Supervisors will provide guidance with respect to specific skills, techniques and research methodologies as well as information relating to ethical issues and processes. During this time you will develop an appropriate research project proposal. In Semester 3 you will continue to meet with your supervisor in line with the stage of your study. During this time supervisors may provide guidance for example on practical data collection issues or discuss findings.

Scheduled sessions will be provided throughout Semester 1 and 2 to support the MRes Thesis. These will include sessions during the Induction period and later in the Semester to arrange the allocation of supervisors. You will also receive information about the thesis process via email and resources including assessment information will be available via the e-learning portal. Discussion boards will be used to support general research issues and current information will be presented to help you to explore a range of potential employment pathways, PhD opportunities and further study options.

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. Critically evaluate psychological knowledge, theory and evidence, and understand the ways in which this can be applied to solutions in real world contexts.


Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
1. Individually conceptualise and plan a psychological research study that addresses a current issue with the clear intention of advancing understanding within the domain.
2. Orally discuss and defend a proposed study’s rationale, design and methodology
3. Communicate the findings of the research in written form.


Personal Values Attributes:
1. Recognise and apply the relevant ethical guidelines to the design of a psychology based research project.

Summative assessment:
The module assessment will comprise of three parts:

Part 1 – 20%:
Grant proposal
K&U1, IPSA1, PVA1

Part 2 – 60%
Thesis (8000 words)
K&U1, IPSA3, PVA1

Part 3 – 10%
Viva
IPSA2

Individual feedback will be provided in written form for all three assessments. Overall group feedback will be provided for the grant proposal and communicated via eLP.

Students will be penalised by a deduction of 5 marks from their final thesis mark if they do not submit their ethics application to their supervisor by the given deadline. The exact deadline will be set annually.

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The aim of this module is to provide students with an opportunity to undertake an independent piece of psychological research with the support and guidance of an individual supervisor. Students will have the chance to work with state of art facilities in a research rich environment conceptualising, planning and implementing a research study of their own. Students will be able to identify and develop their research skills in order to become more experienced, competent researchers able to communicate their research both in written and oral form. The project represents the capstone of the degree, and will enhance employability through gaining diverse skills including project and time management, planning, working with others, and communication skills.