HSC8050 Research Methodology for the Human Sciences

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Assessment notes
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

Nurses and midwives need to be able to read and critique research. They therefore need to develop the ability to be a critical consumer of research and to be able to apply this to their own areas of practice. It is particularly important that nurses and midwives base their practice on research evidence and can provide health care consumers with researched evidence when they seek to make informed decisions.

SYNOPSIS

This course will develop students' abilities to be critical consumers of research. Studies will focus on extending students' knowledge about the purpose of research, research design and various methodologies including empirical, interpretive, critical and feminist approaches. Through examination of past research students will distinguish the hallmarks of effective research design including ethical considerations. They will learn about evidence based practice and write a critical literature review for their own area of practice.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Critically analyse the current methodological debates taking into consideration the different philosophical bases of different scientific approaches to research (Assignment 1; Report - online group discussion);
2. Explain the varying ways the term "theory" is used in each of the research paradigms (Assignment 1);
3. Discuss the centrality of theory to research and describe how each paradigm claims to demonstrate the theory-evidence link (Assignment 1);
4. Discuss the benefits and limitations of the evidence-based practice movement in health care (Assignment 1);
5. Discuss ethical considerations which arise in research design and conduct (Assignment 1, Report - online group discussion);
6. Demonstrate the ability to take an area of research concern and refine it by framing a researchable problem or question (Assignment 2); and
7. Demonstrate the ability to analyse and critique the literature in a field of specific interest (Assignment 2).

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Roberts, K & Taylor, B 2006, Nursing research processes: an Australian perspective, 3rd edn, Nelson, Melbourne.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Anderson, J M 1991, Reflexivity in Fieldwork: Towards a Feminist Epistemology, Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Vol 23, no.2, pp115-118.

Carryer, J 1995, Feminist research: strengths and challenges, Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, Vol 4, no.4, pp180-186.

Colquhoun, D & Kellehear, A 1993, Health Research in Practice: Political, Ethical and Methodological Issues, Chapman and Hall, London.

Cozby, P 2004, Methods in Behavioural Research, 8th edn, McGraw Hill, Boston.

Creswell, J W 1998, Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Traditions, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks.

Crotty, M 1998, The Foundations of Social Research, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.

Denscombe, M 1998, The good research guide for small-scale social research projects, Open University Press, Buckingham.

Denzin, N & Lincoln, Y (eds) 2000, Handbook of Qualitative Research, Sage, Thousand Oaks.

Dey, I 1993, Qualitative Data Analysis: A User-Friendly Guide for Social Scientists, Routledge, United Kingdom.

Emden, C 1998, Conducting a narrative analysis, Collegian, Vol 5, no.3, pp34-39.

Emden, C & Sandelowski, M 1999, The good, the bad and the relative, part two: Goodness and the criterion problem in qualitative research, International Journal of Nursing Practice, Vol 5, no. , pp2-7.

Feyerabend, P 1993, Against Method, 3rd edn, Routledge, Verso, New York.

Foddy, W 1993, Constructing Questions for Interviews and Questionnaires: Theory and Practice in Social Research, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Fonow, M & Cook, J (eds) 1991, Beyond Methodology: Feminist Scholarship as Lived Research, Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

Grbich, C 1999, Qualitative Research in Health: An Introduction, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.

Habermas, J 1974, Theory and Practice, Beacon Press, Boston.

Lincoln, Y S & Denzin, N K 2003, The fifth moment, In the Landscape of qualitative research: theories and issues, N K Denzin and Y S Lincoln, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks.

Marshall, C & Rossmas, G 1999, Designing Qualitative Research, 3rd edn, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks.

Omery, A, Kasper, C & Page, G G 1995, In Search of Nursing Science, Sage, Thousand Oaks.

Polgar, S & Thomas, S A 2000, Introduction to Research in the Health Sciences, 4th edn, Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh.

Polit, D F, Tatano Beck, C & Hungler, B P 2006, Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods, Appraisal and Utilization, 6th edn, Lippincott, Philadelphia.

Reinharz, S 1992, Feminist Methods in Social Research, Oxford University Press, New York.

Yin, R K 2003, Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 3rd edn, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, vol 5.
(Applied Social Research Methods Series)

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. This course contains a discussion forum where students' participation is formally assessed and successful participation in that discussion group is required to complete the requirements to be awarded a passing grade in the course.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To satisfactorily complete an assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. Students do not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to be awarded a passing grade in this course. Refer to Statement 4 below for the requirements to receive a passing grade in this course.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without prior approval then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment will apply for each working day late.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations in this course.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

This version produced 27 May 2008.