Overview

Topics vary depending on individual students choices and degree programme. They relate to a wide array of issues in linguistics but must be relevant to the degree programme that the student is registered on. Topics will include, but not be confined to, research in English Language Studies, Cognitive Linguistics, Bilingualism, Language Acquisition, Language Development, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Most topics will involve the collection and analysis of data, but the possibility of utilising exiting data or doing an extended literature review is not precluded if relevant to the topic and agreed with the supervisor. The School makes every effort to supervise the topic of the students' choice, however, on the rare occasions that the School does not have the capacity to supervise a topic, students will be advised to choose a new topic.

However, classes will include:
• How to formulate a research question.
• Producing a research proposal.
• Research methodologies.
• Statistics.

Only students wishing to collect data involving children or vulnerable adults will need a DBS check (see below).

Assessment Strategy

The final assessment will be assessed in these seven categories: I. Topic / Summary: justification of choice on theoretical and practical grounds.
II. Literature: knowledge of the field, evaluation of existing research, identification of significant issues relevant to this study.
III. Focus: clarity of identification of research focus and suitability of research approach in relation to its aims.
IV. Methodology: clarity of description of procedure (where relevant) and thoroughness and care with which work has been carried out.
V. Analysis: quality of analysis of findings, including statistical analysis where relevant.
VI. Discussion: quality of discussion of results and concluding remarks, including self-evaluation of awareness of limitations and suggestions for improvement.
VII. Presentation: Organisation and presentation, style, referencing and expression

Excellent A: Student has achieved a thorough standard of understanding and/or knowledge in all learning outcomes; or student has demonstrated an exceptional level of achievement in one or more learning outcomes together with a good overall standard: student has achieved a thorough understanding of the subject, both in terms of content and theory; student is able to apply concepts clearly and accurately; substantial evidence of critical and original thought and analysis; clear, logical argument; high level of communicative competence; free from irrelevant material and errors of spelling and punctuation; evidence of extensive reading beyond basic texts and clear and accurate references to source material. Good B: Student has achieved a better-than-average standard of understanding and/or knowledge in all learning outcomes, and has a clear and accurate understanding of concepts; ability to apply concepts to data critically and thoughtfully; evidence of wide reading and clear and accurate reference to source materials; free from misunderstanding and errors of content; free from irrelevant material.

Threshold D: Student has achieved the minimum acceptable standard of understanding and/or knowledge in all the learning outcomes. Student can demonstrate a minimum level of understanding of the basic concepts and be able to apply them to data with some degree of accuracy

Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to engage in a sustained piece of individual, academic research on a chosen topic.

• Students will be able to evidence a consideration of varying methodological approaches and to adopt the necessary approaches suitable to the topic being researched

• Students will be able to evidence an understanding of ethical constraints on research collection and reports.

• Students will be able to evidence critical reading that reflects on a number of pieces of written research in an appropriate and thorough manner.

• Students will be able to formulate a research proposal that will lead to a practical research project of significant scope of their own.

• Students will be able to identify and utilise a relevant body of evidence.

• Students will be able to produce a sustained argument in extended written form.