6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL
Postgraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
Faculty
Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational Unit
School of Psychological Sciences
Coordinator(s)
Unit guides
Notes
Please note, this unit has had the following change/s during 2017: amendment to assessment and co-requisite.
For previous handbook information please contact the Faculty office.
Synopsis
The overall GDPA research project is divided into three units, PSY4402, PSY4403 AND PSY4404, beginning with PSY4402.
The collective aim of these units is to increase students' understanding of theoretical and methodological aspects of research, develop analytic, research and communication skills, as well as provide students with advanced knowledge in the science and practice of psychology.
The research project meets the requirements of the Australian Psychological Society for Associate Membership.
The aim of PSY4404 is to enable students to produce high quality research project components, consisting of research report results and discussion sections.
This unit forms part of students' undertaking of a supervised research project that aims to provide training in both discipline specific and generic research skills.
The results component of the GDPA research report will consist of conducting and writing up of the results of statistical and other analyses of data in order to answer research questions and test research hypotheses.
The discussion component of the GDPA research report will consist of relating research results and methods to the research report introduction, including the literature review and hypotheses, and discussing how the student's results have contributed to knowledge of the research area.
Students will be provided with course materials and guidance to help them produce high quality results and discussion research report components, and to coherently synthesise these into the overall research project.
The development of these skills and their application to the production of the quality data accumulation and results of the research project will build on students' research and writing skills developed in previous courses.
Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- Explain how their research fits into a broader research context.
- Select , use and interpret results from statistical tests appropriate to answering research questions and testing hypotheses
- Analyse and present results from statistical tests in appropriate visual and written formats
- Produce research results relevant to a particular area of psychology;
- Interpret, evaluate and appraise research results and appropriately relate them to research hypotheses;
- Relate research results to existing research and identify further research that needs to be conducted to advance existing knowledge in a particular area of psychology;
- Explain how statistical analyses and interpretation, and its relationship to existing research, will be informed by the need to advance existing knowledge in a particular area of psychology.
Assessment
- Results component of the research thesis (1,200 - 2,000 words) (40%) (hurdle)
- Discussion component of research thesis (3,000 - 3,700 words) (60%) (hurdle)
- Integration of assessor's feedback on each previously submitted thesis components (hurdle)
Workload requirements
Students should expect to spend an average of 20-25 hours per week per unit
See also Unit timetable information
Chief examiner(s)
This unit applies to the following area(s) of study
Prerequisites
Completed Bachelor's Degree and a major sequence in psychology approved by the Australian Psychological Society or qualification assessed as equivalent by the Australian Psychological Society, with a distinction average (70%) for third year psychology units.
Co-requisites
Handbook: Must be enrolled in Graduate Diploma of Psychology Advanced (M5003), must be enrolled in PSY4400