Overview

PPC4001 Research Skills provides students with an introduction to research methods and skills. The module aims to provide you with the research skills necessary to understand, evaluate, and conduct research in psychology and counselling. You will gain a practical understanding of how to use research literature, the methods for conducting qualitative and quantitative research studies, and the benefits and limitations of these methods for you to understand the value of empirical research in practice. You will be assessed weekly via classroom exercises and invited to complete an academic literature review on a counselling-based topic of your interest.

PPC4001 Research Skills will provide you with an opportunity to become an evidence-based practitioner by teaching you how to understand and conduct research in counselling. Psychological research into how people think, feel, and behave can give counsellors a deeper understanding of their clients. Counselling research into which interventions are most effective can give counsellors clear guidance on which techniques to use with clients (and which techniques are based on pseudo-science). But we can only benefit from this research if we are able to read and understand research articles with a critical and informed eye. This module will give you an introduction to research skills so that you are able to understand and evaluate research in psychology and counselling. You will gain a practical understanding of how to find and use research literature to enhance your work as a counsellor. You will also gain an understanding of the methods for conducting qualitative and quantitative research studies. You will explore the benefits and limitations of these different research methods, so that you can critically consider the value and risks of empirical analysis and the role of the self in research. Your research skills will be assessed weekly in supported classroom exercises and at the end of the semester when you will submit a review of academic literature on a counselling topic of your choice.

This module will be taught through a combination of lectures introducing the core research theories and computer labs to apply what you have learnt to develop your own research skills.

Topics covered in this module include: • Research and Therapy (Self-Assessment) • Finding and Reading Research Literature (Navigating Literature) • Accrediting Sources (Citations and References) • Measuring the Mind (Research Measures) • Investigating the Individual (Samples and Populations) • Primary and Secondary (Systematic Reviews) • Questions and Answers (Questionnaires) • Sharing and Exploring (Interviews and Focus Groups) • Research Ethics (Semester Review) • Research Proposal (Research Projects)

Please note that these topics are subject to change dependent on staff availability and the assessed needs of the students

Assessment Strategy

Excellent (A*, A+, A, A-) • Complex and considered use of research skills to address a problem • Comprehensive knowledge of research skills in counselling • Detailed understanding with no factual errors • Critical analysis showing evaluation and synthesis of ideas • Novel and innovative originality in approach, interpretation, and voice • Extensive and comprehensive independent research • Logically defended arguments with evidence for all claims • Highly focused and well structured • Excellent presentation with accurate and appropriate expression • Correct format in appropriate referencing style

Good (B+, B, B-) • Considered use of research skills to address a problem • Strong knowledge of research skills in counselling • Clear understanding and mostly free of factual errors • Some analysis showing critical evaluation and links between ideas • Novel originality in approach, interpretation, and/or voice • Comprehensive independent research from appropriate sources • Coherent arguments with evidence for most claims • Focused and well structured • Good presentation with accurate and appropriate expression • Mostly correct format in appropriate referencing style

Satisfactory (C+, C, C-) • Basic use of research skills to address a problem • Some knowledge of research skills in counselling • Understanding of the main concepts with no major factual errors • Basic analysis showing obvious points of evaluation and links between ideas • Some originality in approach, interpretation, and/or voice for part of the work • Some evidence of independent research from appropriate sources • Arguments presented with evidence for the most important claims • Readable structure showing focus at times • Acceptable presentation with appropriate expression • Attempt at correct format in appropriate referencing style with no major errors

If you do not meet the threshold for Satisfactory, then your work will be graded as a Fail. Fail grades vary from Poor (D+, D, D-, E+, E, E-) to Very Poor (F).

Learning Outcomes

• Critically evaluate the benefits and limitations of quantitative and qualitative research.

• Find, utilise, and critique appropriate therapeutic research literature.

• Review and evaluate research in counselling with a critical understanding of the value of empirical evidence for therapeutic interventions.

• Understand different qualitative and quantitative approaches to research.