Postgraduate - UnitGHS5841 - Research methods and issues

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2012 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Offered	Gippsland First semester 2012 (Off-campus) Hong Kong First semester 2012 (Off-campus) Malaysia First semester 2012 (Off-campus) Peninsula First semester 2012 (Day) Clayton Second semester 2012 (Day) Gippsland Second semester 2012 (Off-campus) Hong Kong Second semester 2012 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)	Associate Professor Pamela Wood (Gippsland, off-campus), Dr Beverley Copnell (Clayton Campus, on-campus) Dr Susan Lee (Peninsula, on-campus)

Synopsis

This unit is designed to provide the skills needed for the design and implementation of a research project and to acquire an understanding of the basic concepts associated with both quantitative and qualitative research. Contents of this unit include the scientific research process and nursing research; the research problem; reviewing the literature; research design; concept of measurement; reliability and validity in research; qualitative research; developing a research proposal and research ethics.

Outcomes

This unit will provide opportunities for students to:

identify relevant and significant nursing problems for investigation;
describe the basic steps in the research process;
discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the different research methods which can be applied to nursing research;
select and apply an appropriate design to a research problem;
collect, analyse and interpret data using appropriate techniques;
demonstrate an understanding of the ethical considerations to be taken into account with respect to the conduct of research;
conduct a comprehensive and relevant literature review in your area of particular interest;
understand and apply such concepts as reliability and validity in the preparation for, and conduct of your individual research project.

Assessment

Essay: methodological reviews/critiques 40%
Research proposal (including literature review) 60%

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Pamela Wood

Contact hours

8 hours per week