PL3D102 - Psychology Dissertation 01 Sep 2023 - 31 Aug 2027 | Version 4

Associated Module Information

Module Code: PL3D102
Module Title: Psychology Dissertation
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Psychology
Faculty Sub Group: Youth and Community
Module Leader: Hayley Gibbon
Module Team: Shakiela Davies, Gabrielle Hale, Alexis Jones, Biao Zeng, Karen Chamberlain, Andrea Mahoney, Martin Graff, Philip Tyson, Gareth Miles, James Greville, Rachel Taylor, Dan Bowers, Susan Williamson, Luke Colquhoun, Laura Drummond, Mary O'Connell, , Lucy John, Alexis Jones, Leigh Attwood
First Intended Intake: SEP 2018 Final Year of Intake: 2023
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 40 Credit Level: 6
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100497 - psychology
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 4
Valid From 01 Sep 2023
Valid To 31 Aug 2027

Module Aims

To foster critical appraisal of methodology through carrying out an original piece of research, analysing data and reporting research findings.

To assess the ethical issues involved in research and the range of methods available to test research questions.

Content Summary

Students must be studying BSc (Hons) Psychology as a British Psychological Society accredited undergraduate programme to study this module. 

Students will be encouraged initially to explore a variety of potential methods to address specific research questions. Students will be allocated a research supervisor to assist with this process. Therefore their exploration will be done in consultation with their supervisor and will utilise the skills in advanced critical analysis and psychological investigation that students have already applied to a pre-defined topic in Level 5. Students will then agree a research aim in discussion with a supervisor and will be supported in their selection of the most appropriate methodology for this topic. 

Students will additionally receive guidance in the interpretation and evaluation of their findings. However the emphasis will be placed on the student's autonomy in the planning and execution and reporting of their project. Additional support will be provided in the form of statistics clinics. 

Summative assessments are a research proposal poster and a written research project. As part of an immersive learning activity, students will make a poster describing the rationale and proposed methodology associated with their planned dissertation, present this at a department conference and receive feedback from staff and exchange feedback peer to peer with other students. The written research project is a 8,000 word report of this empirical research project. 

Before students start their research project they must obtain ethical approval. The ethics form will not count towards the assessment but must be submitted and approved by the psychology ethics approval process before data collection can begin.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Project supervision 6
Practical classes and workshops 48
Independent Study 246
Directed Study 100
Total Hours Selected 400

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically engage with and reflect on the total research process including consideration of the match between research aims and methodology.
LO2 Analyse and evaluate research findings, including a sophisticated appreciation of associated ethical, methodological and practical issues.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Poster 1 Students design a research proposal poster and present poster at departmental conference. 0 1000 20 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Dissertation / Major Project 1 An independently conducted empirical research project, presented as a 8000 word written dissertation 0 8000 80 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Poster 1
Dissertation / Major Project 1

Reading List

Reading materials as appropriate to the student's chosen topic with emphasis on current journal articles.

APA (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (7th Edition). Washington: APA.

Brace, N., Kemp, R. and Snelgar, R. (2016) IBM SPSS for Psychologists. Palgrave Macmillan: Hampshire.

BPS (2017). Ethics Guidelines for Internet Mediated Research (pdf). URL: https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/ethics-guidelines-internet-mediated-research-2017

Willig, C. (2013). Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology Third Edition (UK Higher Education OUP Psychology)