This module aims to provide students with robust understanding, knowledge and critical insight into the major research designs, methodologies and analytical techniques used in the discipline of organisational psychology, and thereby equip them with the necessary skills and competencies to undertake an independent research dissertation (ULMS883 Dissertation in Organisational Psychology). The module aims to enable students to understand the philosophical principles of social science research and support them in developing and refining a specific research topic for their research proposal. Students will be provided with advanced insight into both quantitative and qualitative research design, methodology and analysis and will develop data analytical skills through a series of practical workshops and seminars. The module also aims to equip students with the necessary insight into how to effectively manage the research process, including negotiating access to organisations, the importance of ethics in research, and the dissemination of findings.

(LO1) Students will be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of the role that research philosophy plays in determining the choice of research design.

(LO2) Students will be able to critically understand and critically evaluate the major research designs used in qualitative and quantitative research.

(LO3) Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to apply key skills in qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

(LO4) Students will be able to demonstrate a critical appreciation for the importance of adhering to relevant ethical standards in the design, conduct and dissemination of research.

(LO5) Students will be able to demonstrate a critical appreciation for the importance of their own ethical practice in working with organisations and the practical challenges that conducting applied research can pose.

(LO6) Students will be able to conceptualise and design a novel and feasible research proposal in line with supervisory guidance that forms the basis for the ULMS883 Dissertation in Organisational Psychology module.

(S1) Numeracy
Students will be trained in the use of quantitative and qualitative research design and analysis, and based on this, will be required to present a data analytical strategy in their research proposal.

(S2) Problem solving
Students will be required to read a large body of literature in their chosen research topic and derive a specific organisational problem and related theory on which to build their research proposal.

(S3) Communication
Students will be required to critically reflect on the theoretical, practical, and ethical implications of their proposed research and communicate these clearly in the research proposal and ethics application.

(S4) Time management
Students will be working under strict deadlines to develop and refine a specific research question that makes a contribution to the discipline of organisational psychology.

(S5) Digital fluency
Students will be required to effectively navigate and utilise various electronic databases in order to conduct a comprehensive literature search on their chosen research topic. They will also use software packages for quantitative and qualitative data analysis in the practical workshops.

(S6) Ethical awareness
Students will be required to understand the both the University of Liverpool code of research ethics, as well as the BPS Code of Research Ethics, and apply these frameworks appropriately to the planning of their research proposal. Ethical awareness will also be directly assessed in the individual assignment.

This module will be delivered over twelve weeks, comprising ten teaching weeks plus two enhancement weeks. The approach to teaching and learning will combine the use of large group in-person and asynchronous lectures, small group seminars (or workshops), scheduled seminar preparation sessions, and cross-programme contemporary issues sessions.

Lectures (total of 14 hours) - Each week will include at least a one-hour scheduled lecture, except for four weeks (scheduled at the beginning, mid-points and end of the module), which will be delivered as two-hour, in-person, live lectures. One-hour lectures could also be delivered live and in-person but may alternatively be provided online or asynchronously (including appropriate scaffolding and online supporting material) at the discretion of the module teaching team.

Seminars (total of 12 hours) - Each module will include six two-hour seminars. These seminars will be interactive small-group in-person workshops.

Seminar pre paration (total of 6 hours) - Each seminar will also include a scheduled one-hour preparation session, enabling students to engage in relevant preparation activities, as deemed necessary by the module teaching team.

Contemporary Issues Sessions (total of 4 hours) - The module will also include two two-hour contemporary issues lectures or events that are directly relevant to the module and broader programme of study. These may include a lecture from a member of faculty on their research, an external industry speaker or a member of the advisory board and will be organised by the Director of Studies in coordination with module teams.

Workshops (total of 10 hours) – The module will deliver two dedicated data analysis workshops on advanced qualitative and quantitative analysis in semester 2 to prepare students for the analysis of primary data collected for their summer dissertation project. Independent data analysis of primary is a requirement of BPS accreditation.

Self-directed learning (total of 154 hours) – Students will engage in self-directed learning in a wide variety of ways throughout the programme. This will include engaging in scaffolded independent learning tasks set outside the classroom on the virtual learning platform, independent reading from essential and recommended sources (e.g., journal articles, textbooks, industry reports, practitioner publications), assignment development and preparation, formative online quizzes, case study analysis, simulation-based tasks, and self-directed group activities. Staff responsible for the module will also provide weekly office-hours and dedicated assessment and feedback sessions for students to seek individual support and formative feedback on their independent learning and progress.

Module content will be directly informed by the latest version of the BPS’s latest ‘Supplementary Guidelines for Research and Research Methods’, and, therefore, may be subject to change. The module will comprise the following indicative content:

Philosophical principles of social science research;

Identifying a research problem;

Refining your research focus and conducting a systematic literature review;

Quantitative research design and methodology;

Quantitative data analysis (e.g., moderation, mediation, and combination of the two; introduction to structural equation modelling, multi-level analysis); Qualitative research design and methodology;

Qualitative data analysis (e.g., template analysis; Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis);

Research ethics;

Writing a research proposal;

Preparing a research ethics application.

Practical skills workshops on conducting qualitative data analysis using NVivo, and quantitative data analysis using SPSS, PROCESS, and AMOS will be conducted in semester 2.