APPLIED CRITICAL THINKING AND QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS - 2020/1

Module Overview

The main aims of the module are to foster the skills needed to think critically about psychological research and to critically analyze qualitative research data.

Module provider

Psychology

Module Leader

BANKS Adrian (Psychology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Introduction to critical thinking, the module and the coursework.


• Qualitative data analysis as a context for critical thinking: reprise of the principles of qualitative research and qualitative data generation.


• Thematic analysis: a foundational method of qualitative analysis.


• Thematic coding of interview transcripts.


• Generating themes from coded transcripts.


• Creating an analytic story by relating themes.


• Identifying and evaluating critical arguments.


• Evaluating theory & evidence: quantitative psychological research.


• Evaluating theory & evidence: qualitative psychological research.


• Constructing critical arguments.


• Exam preparation.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The summative assessment for this module consists of:

1. Qualitative research report (8 pages, excluding Appendices)

This assignment has been designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of qualitative research methods and their skill in qualitative data analysis.

LO 1 & LO 2

2. Critical thinking exam (60 minutes)

This assignment has been designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their skill in constructing a sound argument about a psychological question based on a critical evaluation of qualitative and quantitative research.

LO 3 & LO 4

Formative assessment and feedback

The module contains a high level of discussion about analysing psychological research and using it to answer psychological questions. Through this, good critical thinking is modelled by the lecturer, practised by the students and continual feedback is given about how their arguments in classroom discussion map onto the standards of critical thinking outlined in the lectures. The tutorial further supports this in a smaller group that supports interaction from all students.

Module aims

• Provide students with the knowledge and skill to analyze qualitative data on psychological topics
• Enable students to develop sound arguments based on critical evaluation of qualitative and quantitative psychological research

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The eleven lectures will be of two hours duration and involve a combination of traditional lecturing and discussion. Principles of qualitative research methods and critical thinking will be presented in combination with practice applying these techniques to interview transcripts and psychological research. One tutorial will be conducted in groups of approximately 30 and will last one hour. During this tutorial students will be guided in the analysis and synthesis of research to practise their critical thinking.                                                      

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PSY2018

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.