Assessment Brief
Program
Bachelor of Applied Social Science
Subject
Qualitative Research Methods
Subject code
SOC301A
Name of assessment
Assessment 3: Research Methodology
Length
2000 words (+/- 10%)
Learning outcomes addressed by this
assessment:
A, B, C, D, E
Submission Date:
Week 11
Assessment brief summary:
You are required to explain the research methodology for your proposed
research project.
Total marks
100
Weighting
50%
Students are advised that any submissions past the due date incur a 10% penalty per day, calculated from the total
mark e.g. a task marked out of 40 will incur a 4 mark penalty per day.
Please note: you must attempt all tasks in a subject to be eligible to pass the subject.
More information, please refer to the Academic Progression Policy on
http://www.think.edu.au/aboutthink/thinkquality/our-policies.
SOC301A – AB3, Research Project
Page 1
Assessment Description:
This assessment builds on Assessment 2. In that assessment, you developed part of the research proposal by formulating a research topic, providing an introduction and justification for the research, and reviewing the literature on your topic.
In this assessment, you will finalise your research proposal by developing the methodology part of your research. In order to do this effectively, you should follow the structure below.
Structure of the paper
•
State your research topic clearly at the start of the paper
•
Provide an introduction to the research – justification for the research; research questions (at
least 5 questions are recommended). (This information should be adapted from Assessment 2 and
based on assessment 2 feedback).
•
Engage in a brief, critical review of the literature. This information will come from Assessment 2.
It should be brief and take into consideration the feedback provided to you in that assessment.
The review should discuss what previous research has said about your topic and the gaps that you
are trying to fill by carrying out this study.
•
Discussion of methodology: This is the main part of this assessment. Students must engage in an in-depth discussion of their chosen methodology. This would include:
o
The data collection methods and justification for those methods: the specific
instruments used to collect the data (for example, interviews, questionnaires,
observation, focus groups etc). Remember, you don’t have to use all of the methods, you
just need to choose the one(s) that are most suitable for your chosen topic
o Sampling – what sampling strategy would you use; sample size (for this study, it is limited to between 0 – 10 participants); how will you recruit your sample (that is, how will you get
access to the sample) etc
o Analysis of the data – explain how you plan to analyse the data. Since most qualitative
data would be coded and categorised, it would be useful to explain how you would go
about doing this – what would you be looking for? For example, based on your particular
topic and research questions, you might expect certain themes to emerge (you should
have an idea of these from your review of the literature) and these themes can be
discussed as examples during your discussion of the coding process. The main idea here is to show the examiner that you understand the process of coding of qualitative data. In
addition, if there are particular techniques of data analysis recommended by your
theoretical framework, you should incorporate those into the discussion.
SOC301A – AB3, Research Project
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o
o
Ethical implications – Discuss how you will ensure that your research conforms to
research ethics.
Conclusion – Conclude the discussion.
Remember, you are not expected to go out and collect the data. This is just the ‘proposal’
or plan for what you intend to do.
Marking Criteria:
Max. in
category
Background – intro and brief literature review
10
Discussion and justification of data collection procedures
30
Discussion of data analysis
30
Discussion of ethics
20
Word count, grammar and referencing
10
Total:
Your
points
100
Comments:
SOC301A – AB3, Research Project
Page 3
What we want to see:
The work must be fully referenced with in-text citations and a reference list at the end. We recommend you work with the APA 7th Edition Reference Guide to ensure that you reference correctly. You will find a copy of this guide on the Portal. Correct academic writing and referencing are essential tasks that you need to learn. We recommend a minimum of 10 references.
Research and Referencing: References are assessed for their quality. You should draw on quality academic sources, such as books, chapters from edited books, journals, government reports etc.
Your textbook can be used as a reference, but not the Study Guide and lecture notes. We want to see evidence that you are capable of conducting your own research.
Formatting: The assessment MUST be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format. Other formats may not be readable by markers. Please be aware that any assessments submitted in other formats will be considered LATE and will lose marks until it is presented in Word.
Use Times New Roman, font size 12.
Stay within the required word count.
You can use personal language in this paper as you will be explaining the methods you plan to use.
What we don’t want to see:
Plagiarism: All sources of information need to be properly acknowledged. Please refer to the plagiarism information on Blackboard. Like other forms of cheating, plagiarism is treated seriously.
Plagiarising students will be referred to the Program Manager. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to explain ideas in your own words, while crediting the authors for the information.
No submission: Students must attempt all tasks to be eligible to pass the unit.