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Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title Psychology Research Project BPDT
Module Code PSY1104
Faculty Psychology School Science & Health
NFQ level 8 Credit Rating 20
Description

Module Aims: To enable students to design, carry out and report a psychology and disruptive technologies research project under the supervision of a member of the School of Psychology. A secondary supervisor from the School of Computing will be assigned where appropriate. The project will be positioned within the domains of Psychology and Technology. Research in the traditional, as well as applied Psychology pillars, will also be supported.

Learning Outcomes

1. Design and plan a research project and manage the time involved to complete the project, and related report, within given time constraints.
2. Source, read and critically evaluate the primary literature on the chosen topic.
3. Demonstrate the ability to work independently and also to recognise the need for, and seek, appropriate academic supervision.
4. Identify, justify and use an appropriate methodology to address the identified research problem in the case of primary data collection, or with respect to the data's original purpose in the case of secondary data analysis.
5. Consider ethical issues that might affect the study and design a methodology that addresses ethical requirements.
6. Engage in either primary data collection or secondary data analysis, as appropriate.
7. Accurately record, interpret and report relevant data in a manner that addresses the research question, integrating advanced data analysis and visualisation skills where appropriate.
8. Critically analyse, interpret and draw conclusions from the research findings.
9. Demonstrate awareness of one's communication abilities, including areas for development
10. Communicate effectively in written or other non-oral formats, adapting to audience profile as required (following the accepted conventions of psychology)
11. Communicate effectively in oral formats, adapting to audience profile as required
12. Demonstrate appropriate listening skills to enhance communication
13. Demonstrate the effective use of digital technology for communication


WorkloadFull time hours per semester
TypeHoursDescription
Lecture12Lecturer-delivered Clinics
Seminars12Lecturer-supported Seminars
Directed learning12Supervision
Independent Study464Independent research project and thesis write-up, ethics preparation and oral presentation preparation
Total Workload: 500
Section Breakdown
CRN11841Part of TermSemester 1 & 2
Coursework0%Examination Weight0%
Grade Scale40PASSPass Both ElementsY
Resit CategoryRC1Best MarkN
Module Co-ordinatorLorraine BoranModule TeacherEmma Delemere
Assessment Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
AssignmentSubmit an ethics and data protection proposal for either primary data collection or secondary data analysis.10%n/a
Report(s)A substantial written report. This must be formally structured following the conventions of the discipline.80%n/a
PresentationPresentation of results at a seminar series to an audience of peers and academic staff. To include information about recording and interpretation.10%n/a
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
RC1: A resit is available for both* components of the module.
RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module.
RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element.

* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Final Year Project (FYP) Indicative Content
The student will be assigned to an academic supervisor in the School of Psychology and will research a directed or chosen project. Where appropriate, students will be assigned a secondary supervisor from the School of Computing. Following initial training and supervision, the student will formulate a research design and prepare a detailed proposal for submission to the Psychology Ethics Committee (PEC) for a piece of primary data collection or secondary data analysis. Students are required to identify an appropriate research question, positioned within the domains of Psychology and Technology. Emphasis can be placed on research at the forefront of Psychology and Disruptive Technologies. Once ethical approval is granted, research will begin under the guidance of the supervisor(s). On completion of the project, the student will present their results at a seminar series to an audience of peers and academic staff. The student will also submit a typed report of the research for examination. In addition to one-to-one supervision with his/her primary supervisor and a series of problem-solving clinics that mirror the stages of the research process for primary and secondary data collection/analyses, there may be lectures on the following indicative topics: • Preparing a research proposal • Negotiating Ethics Committees • Responsible Research and Innovation; Open Science •Common pitfalls • Self-management • Maximising supervision • Writing-up your research project • APA style • Disseminating research findings.

Indicative Reading List

Books:
  • Bell, J.: 2010, Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First Time Researchers in Education, Health and Social Science, 5th ed, Open University Press, Maidenhead, UK,
  • Brett Davies, M. & Hughes, N.: 2014, Doing a successful research project: Using qualitative or quantitative methods, 2nd Ed, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK,
  • Kazdin, A.: 2010, Single-case research designs: Methods for clinical and applied settings, 2nd Ed., Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK,
  • Orna, L, Stevens, G.: 2009, Managing information for research, 2nd Ed.,, Open University Press, Buckingham, UK,
  • The Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI): 2010, PSI Code of Professional Ethics, November 2010 Ed.,, The Psychological Society of Ireland, Ireland,
  • White, P.: 2008, Developing Research Questions: A Guide for Social Scientists, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK,
  • Willig, C.: 2012, Qualitative Analysis and Interpretation in Psychology, Open University Press, London, UK,
  • Wood, C., Giles, D. & Percy, C: 2012, Your Psychology Project Handbook: Becoming a researcher, 2nd Ed., Pearson Education, London, UK,
  • Brace, N., Kemp, R., & Snelgar, R.: 2009, SPSS for psychologists: A guide to data analysis using SPSS for Windows, 2nd Ed., Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ, USA,
  • Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (Eds): 2002, The qualitative inquiry reader, SAGE Publications, London, UK,
  • Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (Eds): 2011, The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, 4th Ed., SAGE Publications, London, UK,
  • Evans, J.: 2007, Your Psychology Project: the Essential Guide, SAGE Publications,
  • Field, A.: 2013, Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics, 4th Ed., SAGE Publications, London, UK,
  • Gravetter, F.J., & Wallmau, L.B.: 2012, Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences., International ed of 9th revised ed., Wadsworth, Belmont, CA, USA,
  • Hair, J. F, Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L.: 2013, Multivariate data analysis, 7th Ed, Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA,
  • Harris, P.: 2008, Designing and reporting experiments in psychology, 3rd Ed., Open University Press, Maidenhead, UK,
  • Pallant, J.: 2013, The SPSS Survival Guide, 5th Ed., Open University Press, Maidenhead, UK,
  • Tabachnick, B.G. & Fidel, L.S.: 2012, Using Multivariate Statistics, 6th Ed., Allyn and Bacon, New York, NY, USA,
  • Willig, C. & Stanton-Rogers, W. (Eds): 2013, The Sage handbook of qualitative research in psychology, SAGE Publications, London, UK,
  • Zar, J.H.: 2013, Biostatistical Analysis, 6th Ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA,


Articles:
None
Other Resources

None

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