FC4S021 - Research Methods for Practice 01 Sep 2016 - 31 Aug 2025 | Version 2

Associated Module Information

Module Code: FC4S021
Module Title: Research Methods for Practice
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Community and Professional Practice Nursing
Faculty Sub Group: Community Nursing
Module Leader: Paul Deslandes
Module Team: Simon Young, Juping Yu, Anne-Marie Coll, Gina Dolan
First Intended Intake: SEP 2012 Final Year of Intake: 2025
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100290 - nursing
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 2
Valid From 01 Sep 2016
Valid To 31 Aug 2025

Module Aims

• To provide a comprehensive grounding in research paradigms and methods.
• To enable the student to demonstrate critical appraisal and synthesis regarding the relationship between the research context, research question, method and knowledge development.

Content Summary

An introduction to epistemology and ontology. The scientific paradigm (from Newton). The naturalistic paradigm (from Vico). A history of research in the health care. The importance of the research question. Ethical considerations. Research governance. Considerations of reliability and validity. Strengths and weaknesses of quantitative research. Strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research. Common qualitative research methods. Common quantitative research methods. Statistics for health profession researchers (level 1 and 2). The randomised controlled trial. Systematic reviewing. Epidemiology and other research specifically used in public health. The Cochrane review and meta-analyses. Data analysis. Writing skills in relation to research, [writing a proposal, a literature review, findings, discussion and recommendations. Dissemination of results.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Independent Study 140
Directed Study 60
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 To critically demonstrate with confidence, an in-depth knowledge and application of the research process in practice
LO2 To critically appraise published research seeking out its strengths and weaknesses whilst developing a research weaknesses whilst developing a research proposal
LO3 To write a competent and critically structured research proposal

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Essay 1 Research proposal including a critical review of relevant literature and a robust defense of the chosen method which demonstrates an understanding of the methodological issues relating to their study 0 6000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2 LO3
Essay 1

Reading List

Students will be actively encouraged and, in some cases, directed to the wealth of literature available on the LRC’s FINDit gateway and the wider Internet. The following textbooks act as recommended reading:

Parahoo K (2014) Nursing Research: Principles, Process and Issues . Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke

Moule P and Goodman M (2013) (2nd ed) Nursing Research: an Introduction Sage: London

Bowling A (2014) (4th Ed) Research Methods in Health; investigating health and health services Open University Press: Berkshire

Greenlaugh T (2014) (5th Ed) How to Read a Paper: The Basics of Evidence-Based Medicine. Wiley Blackwell; Oxford