Assignment number and title Two – Research dissertation
Assignment type Coursework – Dissertation Report
Weighting of assignment 70%
Size or length of assessment 10000 words
Unit learning outcomes
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- Demonstrate the following knowledge and understanding:
How to conduct a sustained piece of individual research which, encompasses a critical understanding and appreciation of the processes required to ensure social research is conducted within an ethically appropriate framework - Demonstrate the following skills and abilities:
Synthesise, evaluate and defend the findings of your research and communicate the results in a focused, logically organised, appropriately concluded format and referenced according to the format and standard of the Harvard system.
- Demonstrate the following knowledge and understanding:
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What am I required to do in this assignment?
You must write a 10000 word (+/-10%) research dissertation. It is important to remember that your dissertation is where you set out the research project you have undertaken (the project you proposed in assignment one). As such, your methods section (where you clearly explain your research design, data collection methods, and analysis) and your findings are the core of your dissertation. You will provide background context before your methods and findings sections and will follow these with a discussion where you explore the implications of your findings and make connections to the relevant background context. You will conclude by revisiting your research question and
considering what your research has allowed you to say in answer to this question. You may also make recommendations for research, policy and practice as and where this is relevant.
What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)
Produce a 10,000 word Research Study, logically structured, articulate, convincingly conclusive, and referenced according to the format and standard of the Harvard system.
Include a comprehensive literature review of the chosen area, which displays a critical grasp of the findings.
Select appropriate methods, providing a rationale for their selection, applying these methods, presenting the data obtained in an appropriate format, evaluating the limitations of the chosen methods, addressing and resolving ethical issues and drawing conclusions from the data.
Evidence the application of critical knowledge of relevant theoretical frameworks with evidence of critical appraisal and synthesis including how your work can make a difference or create change.
How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?
This unit is all about supporting you to complete your undergraduate dissertation. Your dissertation is where you provide an account of the research project you have undertaken and this assignment requires you to set out the project you intend to complete. Much of the support you will receive with completing your research project and dissertation will be from your dissertation supervisor. There will also be six weeks of content at the beginning of the unit which will be focused on providing you with the support you need to complete your research proposal. This content will also be relevant to the completion of your dissertation and will cover:
- What makes a good research proposal and developing a research question
- The research design options you can choose from: literature review, content analysis, discourse analysis, data analysis
- Setting out the background context
- Outlining your methods and ethics
- Including theory in your proposal
- Bringing it all together
