Reading list
How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine and healthcare
· Book by Trisha Greenhalgh - 2019 Essential Reading
Social work research and evaluation: foundations of evidence-based practice
· Book edited by Richard M. Grinnell; Yvonne A. Unrau 2018 Recommended Reading
Doing a literature review in health and social care: a practical guide
· Book by Helen Aveyard 2019 Essential Reading
Research design: qualitative, quantitative & mixed methods approaches
Handbook of health research methods: investigation, measurement and analysis
· Book by Ann Bowling; Shah E
ahim 2005 Recommended Reading
Research methods in community medicine: surveys, epidemiological research, programme evaluation, clinical trials
· Book by J. H. A
amson; Z. H. A
amson; J. H. A
amson c2008 Recommended Reading
A survival guide for health research methods
· Book by Tracy Ross 2012 Background Reading
Nursing Research: Principles, Process and Issues
· Book by Kader Parahoo 2014 Background Reading
Understanding research for nursing students
· Book by Peter Ellis 2018 Recommended Reading
Understanding research for nursing students
· Book by Peter Ellis 2010 Recommended Reading
The essentials of nursing and healthcare research
· Book edited by Ruth Taylor 2014 Recommended Reading
Assignment guidance
Research Methodology: and MOD XXXXXXXXXXL7)
Level 7 Outcomes MOD 006793
1.Critically analyse and synthesise the use of various theoretical approaches to research
2. Scrutinise a range of research methodologies, designs and data collection methods appraising strengths and weaknesses
3. Justify the choice of several data collection methods and strategies for data analysis utilised in research
4. Evaluate and analyse the ethical dimensions of research
5. Synthesise the findings of a research study within the context of existing research knowledge
Description: L6 and L7:
The assignment must be no more than 3000 words.
· Part 1 focuses on how you chose one piece of qualitative or quantitative primary research related to an area of practice.
· You then go on in part 2, to comprehensively critique this piece of research within a structured appraisal.
· Students on MOD 004978, Level 7 Research Methodology also need to apply the recommendations emerging from the research, and contextualise this in practice in part 3.
Students on Level 6 Research Methodology, MOD004977 do not need to complete part 3, if they do, this will reduce the words available to complete the level 6 requirement, and will lead to the student achieving an overall lower mark, as they have not fully met the requirements of their assignment. Please be aware of the module you are enrolled on and follow the relevant assessment guidance. You will be assessed in relation to the criteria applicable to the module on which you are enrolled.
In order to meet the assessment criteria, it is necessary to choose an original piece of primary research. While sometimes they resemble research, and often appear in searches literature reviews, meta-analyses or systematic reviews do not involve the collection of primary data, and so are not eligible for use. Some research uses data from other research, and in some cases, such as large scale multi-site and national studies, data is used that is collected by other people than the researchers and anonymised. In certain cases, studies of this type have been successfully used in this assignment before, however please check with your supervisor, the module leader, or the module tutor to see if they recommend using this source. Some research uses mixed-methods and is both qualitative and quantitative. A mixed-methods study can only be used by student on the Level 7 module.
Level 6 and Level 7 requirement:
L6 MOD 004977
L7 MOD 006793
Part 1
Part 1
Part 2
Part 2
Part 3
What are the differences between Level 6 and Level 7 in this module?
· A more critically sophisticated level of work is expected at Level 7. Issues will be discussed with greater insight and depth, and a wide and comprehensive range of literature is applied and synthesised within the discussion.
· At Level 7 the same content needs to be covered as the Level 6 assignment, but in fewer words. Students will need to demonstrate skills in condensing large amounts of information and the ability to succinctly express concepts and ideas, while developing a logically consistent argument, and presenting an advanced and compelling argument.
· Critical skills at level 7 involve more than identifying the strengths and weaknesses and advantages and disadvantages of respective viewpoints and concepts but instead involves the capacity to present an appreciation and understanding of the application of concepts in practice. In this case the student will provide an in-depth appreciation of the application of research methodology.
· In this assignment, Level 7 mastery will be evident through the assignment offering a well-balanced synthesis of theory and knowledge that is logically coherent with and used to elucidate an understanding of practice in order to develop an advanced appreciation of practice and how research can contribute to developing the effective delivery of healthcare and advancing knowledge.
· At level 7 students are require to contextualise the recommendations of the chosen research article into a practice context, and to consider how this improves practice, and the potential for further developments and the advancement of knowledge.
Next are some instructions on how to structure your assignment. It is an expectation that this is closely followed, as your work will be marked in terms of conforming to these guidelines which have been devised based on the outcomes listed above. Feel free to use the section titles in bold type font as the headings for your assignment.
Following the introduction, your work needs to address the following concepts:
The assignment:
Introduction
What does the assignment cover? Provide an overview of the issues that are discussed.
What is research?
Include referenced definitions, and discuss what they tell us about what research is in the context of practice.
Qualitative / Quantitative
methodology
Discuss qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Please be aware that these are not the same as methods, as these are the investigative approaches that are used. Methodology refers to the concepts, ideas and theoretical background which informs the adoption of the methods.
Background/ Rationale:
Next the assignment will identify the specific area of practice in which you will later search for and select one research article. This section provides useful information about the chosen area of practice including contemporary facts, statistics, policies and guidance, psychosocial factors, and technical information (if appropriate). These will establish a useful context for the discussion, and provide an outline and compelling reason(s) for why the research is needed, and what it intends to add to cu
ent knowledge.
At the end of this part of the discussion, provide the full Harvard reference for the chosen research article in the text of the assignment. In other words the reference that you will also include in the final reference list at the end of the assignment should appear at this point in the assignment.
Part two:
Methodology:
What is the methodological background of the research? If this is not discussed in depth within the article, the student will need to identify the methodology that has been used, and involve wider literature. Is the methodology suitable? Will the methodology identify the information that is being sought?
Sample:
Discuss how the article identifies the sample. Does the sample represent the target population? How does the sample represent the methodological approach? For example, does the sample size exert an influence on the significance and validity of the research?
Methodology- Methods:
How has the methodological approach been implemented? What was the investigative approach? Why has the method, or methods been used?
Ethics:
In this section, the discussion will examine the ethical dimensions of the research article. Not just whether ethical permission has been gained but what are the necessary considerations to be made in collecting data. Has the conduct of the research required specific considerations to be made to protect participants’ well-being? Are there any features of the participants which make them vulnerable, or ethical implications to the research? How are the quality issues of the research presented? What are the consequences for participants as a result of their involvement in the research?
Analysis/ Discussion:
This heading has been used as it incorporates both the qualitative and quantitative approach. In qualitative research, it is likely that there will be more emphasis on the textual aspects of the data. While in quantitative research there will be more concern with the numbers. However these distinctions are not exclusive, and some qualitative approaches also make use of structured analysis, while some quantitative studies consider text in their analysis. How transparent is the analytic process?
Recommendations:
What has the research found that can contribute to the specific area of healthcare? What are the implications of the recommendations? Are the recommendations reflective of the findings of the research?
Part 3 (MOD006793 – Level 7 ONLY)
In this part of the assignment you will discuss how the recommendations emerging from the research can be applied and contextualised. Has the research made a contribution to the body of knowledge that we possess? What might be the focus for further research? What is the likelihood of further progress being made in practice in this particular area? What are the obstacles and enabling factors for research and the development of knowledge? It is expected that you will have a sound knowledge of the research profile in your particular chosen area, and that you refer to multiple other research articles and sources of literature.
Appendix 1
Include the abstract of your chosen article. This may be as provided on the front of your article, or a Word document in which you summarise the articles contents.
Appendix 2
Literature search: In this part of the assignment you will identify how you found the chosen article. This will involve identifying the search engines that were used, your search terms, which filters were used and the number of articles found as you ca
ied out the search. This process will require that you tell the reader about why you made all of the decisions that you made, as these are not necessarily obvious, for example how you excluded articles and a
ived at the one which you will then go on to critically appraise.
Marks will be awarded for, and deducted for the following:
· Upload your assignment to Turnitin under your student Identification Number (SID)
· Include a title page on which there is the following information only: “Research Methodology” ; the Module Code: MOD004977 or MOD XXXXXXXXXXas appropriate); and your SID
· Do not identify yourself on the title page, or anywhere in your assignment
· Write in the first person. Using “I” demonstrates ownership of your work
· Include the full Harvard reference of the chosen research article in the text of the assignment after you have outlined the process of the search
· Clearly structure your work, so that there is a
ief Introduction outlining what the assignment will discuss. In the main part of the assignment it is necessary to address all of the content outlined in the guidance above. Balance the discussion, so that the content is allocated effectively. For example, in the critical appraisal it is necessary to apportion your content equally under