PL4T131 - Dissertation in Clinical Psychology 01 Sep 2018 - 31 Aug 2028 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: PL4T131
Module Title: Dissertation in Clinical Psychology
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Psychology
Faculty Sub Group: Youth and Community
Module Leader: Shakiela Davies
Module Team: Philip Tyson, James Greville, Gareth Miles, Gabrielle Hale, Biao Zeng, Deborah Lancastle, Victoria Markham, Bev John, Gareth Roderique-Davies, David Shearer, Rachel Taylor, Martin Graff, Alexis Jones, Dan Bowers, Leigh Attwood
First Intended Intake: SEP 2018 Final Year of Intake: 2023
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 60 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100497 - psychology
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2018
Valid To 31 Aug 2028

Module Aims

To enable the student to demonstrate the skills necessary to carry out a substantial, independent empirical study that demonstrates both academic and professional qualities.

Content Summary

Students will be guided in their selection of a research topic in an area pertinent to Clinical Psychology. Guidance will be provided by the module team but students are ultimately responsible for organising their dissertation topics and gaining access to client groups, as well as the planning, execution, and reporting of the research they undertake. Students are allocated a primary and secondary academic supervisor to provide support for all aspects of the dissertation process.

A series of formative deadlines and assessments will be set to help students manage their progress. These reflect:

1) Approval/discussion of project topic

2) Submission for ethical approval

3) Approval of data collection methods and materials

4) Interim progress report on data collection & analytic strategy

5) Interpretation of results

6) Discussion of strengths/weaknesses of project and future research directions

The dissertation assessment will require students to demonstrate competencies in the following areas:

•Selection of a realisable research project.

•Literature search and literature review

•Clear and appropriate development and presentation of research questions

•Due consideration of ethical and professional issues

•Choice and application of appropriate methodologies to test hypotheses

•Selection and application of the correct statistical analyses and understanding of the results

•Interpretation of the findings effectively and within a context of previous findings.

•Reflection on professional/practical/policy implications from findings and relevant theories.

Throughout the dissertation process students will develop their knowledge and understanding of professional and ethical issues. Particular emphasis will be given to the British Psychological Society’s codes of conduct and ethical guidelines in this module.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Tutorial 3
Project supervision 9
Independent Study 566
Directed Study 14
Formative Assessment - Scheduled 8
Total Hours Selected 600

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Be able to provide new evidence, ideas and interpretations of professional implications within a chosen area of Clinical psychology.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Dissertation Dissertation Students will present an original piece of research in the form of a dissertation. 0 10000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1
Dissertation

Reading List

Students will be referred to topic specific current journals and will be expected to engage in substantial independent reading related to their dissertations. Substantial research is required for this assessment.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed. (2010). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Hinton, P.R., McMurray, I & Brownlow, C 2nd Ed (2014). SPSS explained. Hove, East Sussex: Routledge.

Coolican H. 6th Ed. (2014) Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology. London: Hodder and Stoughton