Major Project (Psychology of Education)

EDUC33000 Major Project (Psychology of Education) 40 Full year Undergraduate Level 3 Margarita Panayiotou Unit coordinator Education 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Last part of a Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 20.0 Students are expected to design, produce, manage and carry out independent and original research relating to educational psychology, with guided support from a supervisor. This is an opportunity for students to bring together foundational research skills from previous years, but also wider knowledge and skills gained from the programme, towards the completion of an independent research project. Students have the opportunity to choose a topic of interest within educational psychology and are expected to produce a 8,000-word research report either through primary data collection, or secondary data research. Within this word count, students are also expected provide two additional sections 1) impact summary, and 2) reflective statement. Students are expected to design, produce, manage and carry out independent and original research relating to educational psychology, with guided support from a supervisor. This is an opportunity for students to bring together foundational research skills from previous years, but also wider knowledge and skills gained from the programme, towards the completion of an independent research project. Students have the opportunity to choose a topic of interest within educational psychology and are expected to produce a 8,000-word research report either through primary data collection, or secondary data research. Within this word count, students are also expected provide two additional sections 1) impact summary, and 2) reflective statement. <ul><li>Build upon foundation skills developed in Research issues in Psychology and Education (RIPE) in Year 1, and Data Analysis in Education and Psychology (DAPE) in Year 2, specifically in relation to the critical awareness, practical application, analysis and interpretation of different educational psychology research processes.</li><li>Support students with designing, producing, managing and carrying out independent and original research relating to educational psychology.</li><li>Provide an opportunity to further develop critical thinking skills and apply these to Educational Psychology research.</li><li>Provide an opportunity to solidify core analytical skills.</li><li>Further develop students’ ability to communicate their work confidently to academic audiences.</li><li>Provide students with the opportunity to explore areas of personal interest, and engage with real-world educational psychology research questions through primary or secondary research.</li><li>Foster students’ time and project-management skills.</li></ul> Students will develop a well-balanced theoretical and practical understanding of educational psychology research, and how to apply this to design and conduct a piece of research. Doing so, they will reflect on learning experiences acquired in the programme and their own personal development. They will also develop wide-ranging employability skills that can be used to showcase to potential employers or apply these to further studies. Specifically, students will enhance their teamwork, critical awareness, creative thinking, ability to critically evaluate existing research, ability to translate research findings into real-world impact, ability to reflect on one’s own skill development, writing and communication skills, digital skills, problem solving skills, strategic thinking, time and project management skills, and specialised software skills. <ul><li>Identify a range of research paradigms, methods, and analytical techniques, their applicability and limitations in existing research, and identify the most appropriate for the aims of the independent research project.</li><li>Identify and describe key ethical principles and issues in educational psychology</li></ul> <ul><li>Synthesise and analyse complex psychological issues and debates in a critical and systematic manner</li><li>Generate, operationalise and critique research questions and designs relating to psychology and education</li><li>Critically reflect on and articulate the implications of the project, including the skills and competencies developed through the research process.</li></ul> <ul><li>Plan, conduct and evaluate an empirical research project using appropriate designs, analytical methods (quantitative and/or qualitative), and ethical principles.</li></ul> <ul><li>Effectively use a range of digital tools and platforms, including general resources (e.g., online databases, search engines) and specialised software (e.g., data analysis packages)</li><li>Communicate effectively through an academic report and reflective statement.</li></ul> This is the final (out of three) core research methods units for the BSc Psychology of Education. The unit builds on RIPE in Year 1 and DAPE in Year 2.A ‘major projects’ seminar is delivered in semester 2 of DAPE in Year 2 to introduce students to the major projects. Students will be offered major projects to choose from (proposed by supervisors), that will cover a range of topics and methods (primary, secondary, qualitative, quantitative) and will be asked to select and rank three options in order of preference.Supervision allocation will take place over the summer, based on students’ topic preferences and supervisor capacity. Each student is assigned to a group supervision team, where they benefit from collective supervision and peer discussions focused on their shared topic area. Key seminars are provided on key research areas across the year. For example, 1) an introduction to the unit and how to manage their major project; 2) conducting an ethical project; 3) writing up research; 4) data management; 5) drop-in and further development. Asynchronous online videos (e.g. conducting secondary data research) and resources are available throughout the year.Students work on their research project independently, with the support of their supervisor, with key hard deadlines in place:<ul><li>One month before the submission deadline: Students must submit any final drafts to supervisors for feedback</li><li>Submission deadline: Students must submit their major project  </li></ul> The unit offers approximately 5x2 hours seminars (synchronous, in-person) focusing on the practical skills and knowledge required to plan and deliver a successful major project. Indicative sessions include:<ol><li>an introduction to the unit and how to manage the major project;</li><li>conducting an ethical project;</li><li>writing up research;</li><li>data management;</li><li>drop-in and further development.</li></ol>Each seminar has dedicated time for questions and an opportunity for students to share their thoughts and any concerns they might have with the unit lead.The unit offers specific asynchronous seminars, focusing, for example, on data export and cleaning, and an introduction on secondary data analysis.Students are offered a minimum of 7 hours group-based contact with their assigned supervisors (in person or online) within their topic-based supervision teams.   0 Other 5% 4 Dissertation 95% Dissertation (95%) — 7,500 words<ul><li>A research major project (dissertation) based on primary or secondary research</li></ul>Reflective Statement (5%) — 500 words<ul><li>A reflective statement (focusing on learnings and skills gained) and impact summary (focusing on translating the major project findings into real-world impact).</li></ul> Written feedback (utilising Turn-it-in), within University guidelines. EDUC13060 Research issues in psychology and education (1) Pre-Requisite Compulsory EDUC23030 Data Analysis in Psychology and Education Pre-Requisite Compulsory BSc (Hons) Educational Psych BSc (Hons) Educational Psych Third Year Mandatory N Beech, J. (2008). How to Write in Psychology: a Student Guide. London: BPS Blackwells.Bell, J. (2014). Doing your Research Project (6th Ed). Buckingham: OU Press.Forshaw, M. (2013). Your Undergraduate Psychology Project: a BPS Guide (2nd Ed). London: BPS Blackwells.Harrison, E. & Rentzelas, P. (2020). Your Psychology Dissertation. London: SAGERobson, C. & McCartan, K. (2015). Real world research (4th Ed.). London: Wiley   Seminars 10 Supervised time in studio/wksp 7 0 383