ACADEMIC RESEARCH TRAINING - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module equips students with the skills to design and undertake academic research in psychology, in preparation for developing their own dissertations. The module will cover key aspects of research design, including literature review, forming hypotheses, ethical conduct, and study design and methods, both quantitative and qualitative. Students will propose a study design in a group presentation; implement the study via small-scale data collection and analysis; and present and discuss the findings in an individual research report. 

Module provider

Psychology

Module Leader

SILVANTO Juha (Psychology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

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

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

Students may not select both PSYM147 and PSYM130 as optional modules. Where the option exists, they may select only one of these modules.

Module content

The module content covers key topics in the journey from designing to implementing a research study. These include conducting a literature review and developing a research question; designing a study and forming hypotheses; quantitative and qualitative research methods; consideration of ethical issues and data management; and how to communicate findings. 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Group presentation: If unable to attend the session, students will be asked to complete the presentation/discussion separately (in person in the first instance, or virtually if necessary). 

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to prepare students for all aspects of designing and conducting postgraduate level research in psychology. Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:1. A group poster presentation of a research proposal (assessing learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)Data will be collected and analysed as a group. Each student will then produce:2. An individual written report comprising literature review, method (including ethical considerations), results, and discussion sections (assessing learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Students on MSc Psychology (Conversion) must produce a proposal and report that uses qualitative research methods. Students on other programmes can choose a qualitative or quantitative method for their proposal and report.Formative assessment and feedback will be provided in workshops/seminars taking place throughout the module, to support students in developing their group presentations and individual reports.  

Module aims

• Provide students with practical experience of research design, methods, ethical reflection, and reporting
• Support students in developing understanding of recent psychological research on a chosen topic, including how to think critically about this research
• Enhance written and verbal communication skills through group work, presentation, report-writing and discussion

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

Learning and Teaching Strategy:Core material will be delivered through weekly lectures and will equip students with a solid background understanding of all the stages of the research process. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss ideas with presenters. They will receive guidance on how each week's lecture content can be applied to relevant sections of the assessments.During seminars, students will form groups and work together on the research proposal, poster presentation, and data collection/analysis. Teaching staff will provide formative feedback regarding, e.g., identifying a gap in the existing literature; developing a research question and hypothesis and designing a study to address these; methodological, ethical, and analytical considerations; and how to structure and write a psychological research report. A supportive environment will encourage group discussion and peer interactions to further develop ideas. Students will be expected to continue their group and individual work during their independent learning hours. The resultant student outcomes will be increased resourcefulness, confidence, and knowledge of the research design process.Indicated lecture hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate.

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: PSYM130

Other information

In line with Surrey's Curriculum Framework, we are committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module contributes to the five pillars in the following ways:

Employability (E)

This module supports students' employability by developing critical thinking, presentation skills, team working, and individual report-writing. One important lesson to learn when designing a poster is that it only has a limited space for information. Thus, the students will need to work together to ensure they have all the necessary content to effectively communicate their proposal and present it in a way that is visually impactful. Additionally, giving a presentation will develop communication skills that are highly regarded in the world of work. 

Digital Capabilities (D)

Students will need to engage with several elements of digital skill during the module; they will utilise the University of Surrey's Virtual Learning Environment (SurreyLearn) to access the course materials and key content. Students will also need to use online search engines to research academic journal articles for their assignments. Additionally, in preparation for the group assignment, students are encouraged to create online groups (e.g., via WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams) to discuss the project developments and arrange meetings. The coursework also provides further digital learning opportunities using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. 

Global and Cultural Capabilities (G)

Students will learn about a range of different theoretical and practical approaches present in the academic literature. This will include global and cultural aspects related to carrying out research. For example, students will reflect on conducting research that is internationally and cross-culturally relevant. They will be invited to, e.g., critically examine literature and research methods that traditionally focus on WEIRD populations, and to consider how wider communities can be better represented and included in knowledge production. 

Sustainability (S)

By engaging with the module content and exploring relevant literature, students will develop awareness of psychology's role in several UN Sustainable Development Goals, e.g., good health and wellbeing (Goal 3), gender equality (Goal 5) and reduced inequalities (Goal 10), sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11), responsible consumption (Goal 12), peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16), and partnerships (Goal 17). Students will also be encouraged to consider how environmental, social, and economic sustainability can be factored into psychological research design and methods.

Resourcefulness and Resilience (R)

This module encourages critical thinking skills. Students will need to evaluate existing literature and develop new ideas which have not been previously examined, thereby developing resourcefulness. They will also need to present their work to their peers. Public speaking can sometimes be stressful and/or take students out of their comfort zone, but students will be assured that the classroom is a supportive and positive environment to practice this skill. Students will be encouraged to support their peers through questions and discussion. Successful completion of the task will bring increased confidence and will enable students to reflect on a positive outcome which will build resilience. 

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.