RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY - 2025/6

Module Overview

The module enables students to understand the theoretical and practical aspects of research; how to design research informed by theoretical, methodological and practical issues; and how to prepare a research proposal relevant to health and social care practice. The module provides students with the knowledge, skills and confidence in planning and writing a research proposal that can be taken forward to the dissertation module.

Module provider

School of Health Sciences

Module Leader

KERRISON Robert (Health Sci.)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): 90

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:
 

• Introduction to research


• Conducting literature reviews and critical appraisal


• Writing research proposals


• Philosophy and ontology of research


• Basic qualitative research methods (e.g. focus groups and interviews)


• Basic quantitative research methods (e.g. questionnaires)


• Mixed methods research


• Advanced qualitative methods (grounded theory, ethnography and phenomenology) - OPTIONAL


• Advanced quantitative methods (health statistics) - OPTIONAL


• Open research


• Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes, namely:

 

1. Ability to systematically search journal databases;


2. Ability to critically evaluate literature;


3. Define and distinguish between key concepts in research;


4. Select appropriate research methodologies, methods and designs for answering research questions


5. Plan high quality research

 

 Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

Development of a 3,000 word research proposal which will include evidence of the need for the research along with a literature review and search strategy; including research questions, methods, data collection and analysis, and research ethics.

 

This single assignment will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Learning Outcomes 1-5 

  Formative assessment

Students will be encouraged to submit a single A4 page plan to one of the module team for written feedback.

  Feedback

The module learning and teaching strategy include small group tutorials, the discussion within these will provide both academic and peer led feedback on the student’s ideas and proposals.

 

• 
  At both the formative and summative assessment points the students will receive written feedback.
  

Module aims

• 1. Enable students to search for, and critically appraise, health and social care research.
• 2. Enable students to plan and carry out high quality research, with an awareness of the strengths and limitations of their research, and the implications for these on the reliability, validity and generalisability of their findings.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Provide students with a thorough grounding in research design and research approaches relevant to health and social care practice. The learning and teaching strategy is designed to give students the opportunity to work in small tutorial groups so they can discuss their research ideas and have tutorial support. They will have a structured introduction to various research designs including quantitative, qualitative and mixed method research. Students will, through seminars, small group tutorials, presentations and discussions, develop a research proposal that can in the future be taken forward to the dissertation module.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Small group tutorials


• Individual tutorials


• Lectures and discussion

 

 

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: NURM141

Other information

The school of Health Sciences is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

 

Employability:

Students taking this module are all professionals working within a health or social care setting, the majority of whom will also be completing a Masters level programme of study.  The skills they will be developing can be applied to their professional role, demonstrate commitment to growth and personal development, and will aid the student to utilise evidence-based practice with a greater appreciation for research methodologies, key to their future career aspirations and employability.

Digital Capabilities:

Students will develop their digital capabilities through learning how to undertake a systematic unbiased search of literature using electronic academic literature databases. Students will, through the development of their literature review and protocol, expand their use of digital skills of creating a written report with academic references.

Sustainability:

Students will learn strategies and tools to critically appraise evidence, a transferable skill for life-long and life-wide learning within healthcare practice. Creating professionals equipped for evidence-informed sustainable practice in a changing healthcare environment. The utilisation of best practice evidence enables decisions to be based around utilising the limited resources nationally in the most constructive manner.

Programmes this module appears in

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 2025/6 academic year.