Curriculum Information

This module will address different forms of research design and analysis, with a focus on preparing students for a range of research challenges that they might face in applied settings. A range of statistical tests will be covered; with students having the opportunity to practice these and understand their underpinning assumptions. However, a key theme of this module is being able to select and critically appraise the suitability of different research methods and forms of analyses for particular circumstances. This will include identifying the assumptions of different methods, establishing criteria for operationalising variables and research questions and gaining practice in mapping research designs to applied research questions. Topics addressed in the module will include different forms of quantitative research design (e.g., experiments, correlational studies, questionnaire design), assessment of statistical significance, inference, reliability and validity; simple and factorial tests of differences between groups (e.g., t-tests, ANOVAs, MANOVAs) and tests of relationship/prediction (e.g., correlation, regression, multiple regression). Students will also discuss ethical and practical considerations of doing research, including guidelines for research with human participants, transparency and open science and the process of defining appropriate outcome measures for applied research.