5 Summative assessment: Group proposal

The group project for Research Methods 2 involves a summative assessment, worth 30%. This is a group assessment, with a group mark returned for the proposal. For the group proposal, we ask that you work together to justify the study that you have chosen to conduct. As part of this, you will be expected to finalise a research question, provide background about the study, present your rationale and then consider an ethical implication relevant to your study.

Please ensure that you download a copy of the template provided to structure your group proposal.

You can find specific details about how the proposal is assessed (including the word limit and deadline) in the Assessment Information Sheet. You can also find the Intended Learning Outcomes in this document, which specify what markers are looking for in your submission. You will receive feedback on your group proposal, as well as some suggestions for your qualitative report. You can find more information about the feedback you will receive on the Feedback Information Sheet.

5.1 Components of the Assessment

5.1.1 Research Question (not included in word count)

• Clearly linked to your rationale: Make sure that your question is clearly linked to your rationale. It must be clear for the reader why you have chosen this research question, based on the information presented in the rationale.
• Communication: Keep your research question simple and specific. If you have a very broad question, it can be helpful to break the question down into smaller sub-questions
  
• Type of question: We want the RQ to tap in to more than ‘descriptive’ experience but also offer scope to explore the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of psychological experience–Is the question asking about experiences, understanding, accounts of practice, or influencing factors?
  
• Practical constraints: Can the question realistically be explored using an online focus group methodology and a thematic analysis? You may not cover all aspects of your question in one focus group, so consider which aspects of the research question(s) you want to prioritise.
  
• Flexibility: Research questions are more flexible than hypotheses - it is acceptable for the focus of the RQ to be refined during/after data collection.

5.1.2 Background to topic (suggested word count = 250 words)

The aim for this section is to provide an overview to the topic for the reader. Remember that you will know much more about the topic than the person reading it - you should aim your proposal at someone who knows about psychology but who does not have in-depth knowledge of the topic at hand.

We suggest around 250 words for this section, which means that you should aim to provide context for the reader, but not go into lots of depth. What do you think the reader needs to know about the topic in order for you to convince them of the importance of the study in the rationale section? Are there any important theoretical considerations that should be included?

5.1.3 Rationale for the study (suggested word count = 500 words)

The aim is to provide a justification for your research question : we want you to give a rationale to your methodology and topic. Why is your study worth doing? Show how your study builds on existing literature and back up your arguments with relevant evidence.

Why study this topic/research question using qualitative methodology?

• Explain why qualitative methods are suited to study your particular research question
• Here, you may want to critique the existing studies that have taken a quantitative approach to your topic - what information/aspect of the topic are they missing?
• How does qualitative research help further our understanding on the particular topic?
• What features of qualitative research help us answer your RQ?

Why use focus groups?

• Why are focus groups a good methodology to study your particular research question?
• What features about focus group help you answer your RQ?
• Here, you may want to critique previous studies using different qualitative or quantitative approaches to your topic; what information are they missing? How is your study addressing this by using focus groups?

Why look at this specific sample?

• Why is your sample worth studying?
• How does it differ from other samples that have been studied in your topic?
• How would studying your sample help us understand the topic better?
• Here, you may want to critique previous studies that have used different samples – what information are they missing? How is your study addressing this by using your specific sample?

5.1.4 Ethical Considerations (suggested word count = 250 words)

When we are conducting research with human participants, it’s really important to think about the ethical implications of your work. In this section of the proposal, you should identify ONE potential ethical issue relating to your study, and explain how your group is going to address it.

• Read the BPS code of ethics and identify one ethical issue with your study
• Make sure the ethical issue you identify is relevant for the methodology and aims of your specific study
• Explain how you would address it when you are running the study
• Make sure to cite the BPS code of ethics when you explain the issue and how to address it. Also cite relevant literature to back up your arguments
• Look at the materials from lab 3 to help you with this part of the proposal.

5.2 Assessment Checklist

Before you submit, check the following:

Do you...

• Source literature that is directly related to the topic of the research question?
• Develop a coherent research question that relates well to the group proposal?
• Provide a clear overview of the general topic related to your study?
• Present a clear rationale for the specific study that you have chosen to conduct?
  
• Identify one ethical issue, saying how you would mitigate it?
• Link to the BPS Code of Conduct and the literature base as appropriate?
• Ensure that everyone has reviewed the full document to ensure it is a coherent whole?
• Ensure that everyone has agreed on the final draft before submission takes place?