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Advanced Research Methods in Psychology (B-KUL-P0Q02A)

7 ECTSEnglish45 Both termsCannot be taken as part of an examination contract
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POC Master of Psychology: Theory and Research

Aims

After completing this OPO, students:

  • have insight in the entire research cycle (with all aspects which are dealt with in various phases) and learn to evaluate the possibilities and limitations of various methods using concrete case studies of advanced research (not simple, standard cases but cutting-edge research).
  • developed a few meta-skills of a good researcher such as cooperation, planning (including respecting rules, agreements and deadlines), oral and written reports, etc.
  • have insight into the essential steps of research, such as how an interesting research question is defined and how one chooses the most suitable (combination of) method(s) for this specific research question.
  • are able to critically judge the suitability of used (or proposed) methods in research reports (or research propositions) with regards to various aspects (e.g. operationalisation, research purpose, data collection, etc.).

Previous knowledge

  • Basic knowledge methodology (e.g. research techniques)
  • Basic knowledge statistics
  • Basic knowledge of five basic psychological domains

Is included in these courses of study

Activities

7 ects. Advanced Research Methods in Psychology (B-KUL-P0Q02a)

7 ECTSEnglishFormat: Practical45 Both terms
More
POC Master of Psychology: Theory and Research

Content

A variation of specific topics, partly depending on the students' choices from a list of possible topics.
The work form consists of different activities such as:

  • presentation of the syllabus (objectives, work form, justification)
  • survey of the sources for research 
  • tips for clear and concise writing
  • assignment 1 (possible research topic for individual research project like master's thesis; individual paper)
  • assignment 2 (in-depth study of methodology of a published article of choice; group work, class presentation)
  • assignment 3 (methodological subject of choice; group work, paper)
  • assignment 4 (elaboration of a research proposal of choice; group work, paper)
  • general evaluation


Essential to the elaboration of this content (work form) is the intensive guidance during the process and the feedback after each part.

Course material

Ad hoc list of:

  • slides, course notes, assignments
  • research papers

Language of instruction: more information

Internationalisation@home

Format: more information

Very active involvement of students in four different assignments (individual and group work), with a lot of homework (in addition to class meetings) and supervision/feedback moments.

Evaluation

Evaluation: Advanced Research Methods in Psychology (B-KUL-P2Q02a)

Type : Continuous assessment without exam during the examination period
Description of evaluation : Paper/Project, Presentation, Participation during contact hours
Learning material : None

Explanation


The evaluation consists of 4 parts, each for a fixed fraction of the total score:

(1) Short paper (3 points), individual writing assignment

(2) Oral presentation in group (5 points), with an individual contribution by every group member

(3) Longer paper (6 points), group writing assignment (with an oral component)

(4) Longer paper (6 points), group writing assignment (with an oral component)

Notes:
1. Specific instructions about each of these assignments and more information on the deadlines is given in class and can be found on Toledo. The calendar with class activities, group activities and individual activities, as well as deadlines is determined in the first class meeting.
2. All activities are monitored and feedback is given during the process and afterwards. Presence at all of these activities (at class, group, and individual level) is essential for the learning process and therefore mandatory. Absences with a valid excuse must be announced in advance and if this is impossible (illness, accident, ...), an official written document must be provided afterwards.
3. Missed activities and deadlines lead to failures on these components and NA thus 0 on the component.

Information about retaking exams

In case of an overall failure, an individually specified replacement assignment will be given to the student.