Module manager: Nathalie Benesova
Email: n.h.benesova@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 Oct to 30 Sep (12mth) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
This module is not approved as an Elective
The aim of this module is to provide students with an opportunity to conduct a piece of data-driven empirical research of demonstrable relevance to organizational psychology or organizational behaviour and an organization. It will enable students to develop in depth knowledge of a chosen area of practice and contribute to the academic discourse around this topic. The module aims to offer students the means to apply their academic knowledge and research training gained on their programme to a complete research cycle.
This module offers students the necessary grounding in conducting and reporting applied research – a key skill for scientific-practitioners.
On completion of this module, students will be able to critically evaluate:
- theory and methodology of organizational psychology and organizational behaviour
- the ethical implications of their research designs
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
Subject specific
- Negotiate project parameters
- Gather, synthesise and critically evaluate large amounts of information from different sources
- Analyse quantitative and/or qualitative data sets and research evidence
- Report research results in a clear and consistent way
Transferable
- Organise their time effectively
- Communicate in writing to an academic standard
- Plan and design studies to evaluate theory and assumptions
For eligible students the module contributes to stage 1 of the QOccPsych.
The module requires students to undertake the following activities:
- Selecting and deciding on a research topic
- Contacting an organization and negotiating access
- Reviewing and summarizing the relevant literature
- Developing research questions and/or hypotheses.
- Preparing and conducting data collection
- Analysing and interpreting data
- Developing conclusions and identifying limitations and future research
- Visualising and writing up results
- Feeding back to practice
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Supervision | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Lecture | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Private study hours | 586 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 14 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 600 | ||
The dissertation project is central to developing students’ competence in designing and conducting occupational psychological research, with a view to providing an evidence-base for practice.
Accordingly, the dissertation is a student-driven project that entails a considerable amount of independent study, to include reviewing literature, formulating hypotheses/research questions, developing a research design, collecting data/undertaking fieldwork, analyzing data, reporting and interpreting the implications of results, and writing the formal dissertation document.
Supervisors provide feedback on the dissertation proposal and written feedback on the introduction, literature review and methodology chapters of the students dissertation, prior to hand in.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Research Proposal | A 1,500 word individual piece of work | 5 |
| Essay or Dissertation | A 8,500 word individual dissertation | 85 |
| Report | A 2,000 word individual dissemination report summarising findings and implications | 10 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
The dissertation should constitute a substantial piece of research. The quality of the coverage, analysis and presentation of the investigation – not the number of words written – signals its significance.
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 9/26/2024
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