Use the Tab and Up, Down arrow keys to select menu items.
This course will provide students with specialist knowledge and skills to support postgraduate research and/or health industry led projects. Philosophical, ethical and methodological issues influencing health research design will be examined and applied to researching health related issues.
Group A – 180 Master of Health Science studentsThe course requires students to demonstrate the application of their knowledge and understanding in relation to a specific health issue or opportunity, and to take an active role in developing an investigation for the benefit of a wider audience. The course will require students to plan and implement a small-scale project and present the findings to a community of interest for critique. In doing this, students are demonstrating a critical awareness of current and emerging issues in an area of health practice; their leadership in conducting the research and communicating results back to the community; and the opportunity to demonstrate the application of highly specialised knowledge. In essence this is a capstone project which provides an opportunity for students to draw on their particular backgrounds, knowledge and expertise in order to identify, plan and implement a small-scale project of relevance to a particular health community.Group B - Master of Health Sciences Thesis track students.The course requires students to demonstrate the application of their knowledge and understanding in relation to a specific health issue or opportunity, and to take an active role in developing an investigation for the benefit of a wider audience. The course will require students to plan for their thesis and present the findings to a community of interest for critique. In doing this, students are demonstrating a critical awareness of current and emerging issues in an area of health practice; their leadership in planning a research project and communicating design decisions back to the community; and the opportunity to demonstrate the application of highly specialised knowledge. In essence this course provides students with an opportunity to draw on their particular backgrounds, knowledge and expertise in order to identify, plan and eventually implement a research project of relevance to a particular health community.
GROUP A:- Critique important philosophical perspectives on research and justify the implications of these for their research design.- Critically analyse different research traditions and design strategies that affect knowledge development for health research and practice.- Utilise experiential learning from workshops for research design decisions.- Evaluate the ethical and cultural considerations related to research in New Zealand.- Plan and implement a research project that is philosophically, methodologically and ethically congruent for a specialised health context or issue.- Present the outcomes of the project to the identified community of interest for peer critique and review.GROUP B:- Critique important philosophical perspectives on research and justify the implications of these for the research design.- Critically analyse different research traditions and design strategies that affect knowledge development for health research and practice.- Utilise experiential learning from workshops for research design decisions.- Evaluate the ethical and cultural considerations related to research in New Zealand.- Plan a research project that is philosophically, methodologically and ethically congruent for a specialised health context or issue.
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:
Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award
Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.
Subject to approval of the Head of School of Health Sciences.
(W, Th, F): Feb 21, 22, 23 (W, Th, F): May 2, 3, 4
Alison Dixon
Philip Schluter and Kate Reid
Assessment 1 – Group A, 180 Masters students.Methodological critique.Date: 9 April 2018 at 7pmWord Limit: 3500 words (excluding references)Instructions: From the SAGE data base in the university library, identify a research approach (excluding focus group) with relevance to your area of interest. i.e. A methodology. Find 1 health related research article that has utilised this methodology. Write an in-depth essay that demonstrates your understanding of this methodology, including its epistemological and ontological position. Explain how this methodology informed design decisions in your research article. Please cover ethics, participant recruitment, data gathering methods and analysis, and design rigor. Was the design congruent with the stated methodology and why were the research outcomes relevant for influencing health practices or not? You are required to:• Attach the research article’s abstract at the beginning of your assignment• Attach your literature search as an appendix• Use the APA 6th Edition referencing • Submit the work, as a WORD document, to ‘Turn-it-in’ via the HLTH464 UC LEARN site on or before the due date.Assessment 1 – Group B, Master of Health Sciences Thesis track students The Research Question: location and justification.Due Date: 9 April 2018 at 7pm Word Limit: 3500 words (excluding references)Instructions: Identify the research area of interest. From the literature review, demonstrate the refinement process and the justification for the research question. i.e. what gap in the literature will it address? Locate the research question against an appropriate research methodology, with the rationale for this choice (1-2 paragraphs only) You are required to:• Use the APA 6th Edition referencing • Attach your literature search as an appendix• Submit your work, as a WORD document, to ‘Turn-it-in’ via the HLTH464 UC LEARN site on or before the due date.Assessment 2 – Groups A & BSimulated Quantitative and Qualitative Workshops: Due Date: 2nd & 3rd May 2018Quantitative workshop:Questionnaire developmentFor the Quantitative workshop on 2nd May students will be in small groups which will be allocated in Block 1. The students in each group will work together to design a questionnaire, which each group will present in the afternoon. Each student will be responsible for presenting at least 1 of the points in the rubric below. The presentations will be assessed against this rubric:• What is the research question?• Why use a questionnaire?• How will participants be selected? • How will the questionnaire be administered? (Mail, face-to-face, telephone, online) and justify this choice• What methods will be used to encourage a high response proportion?• Justify the design of the questionnaire (types of questions eg: open/closed/Likert scales/demographic data) • How will the results be analysed?Qualitative Workshop:Powerpoint Presentation (40 minutes, plus 10 minutes for questions)For the qualitative workshop on 3rd May the students will be in small groups which will be allocated in Block 1. Each group has responsibility to deliver a presentation which will be graded. The three topic areas to be covered are:• Focus Group methodology. Include all design issues and compare / contrast with 2 other qualitative approaches. • Qualitative Data Analysis. Utilise at least 3 different ways to analyse qualitative data.• Ethical issues to consider for qualitative research. Include access to the field, participant recruitment, confidentiality, managing distressing situations and data withdrawal process.The power point presentation will include notes and cover in-depth the key aspects of the group’s allocated topic. After the presentation, the group will lead a simulated workshop, demonstrating the application of the group’s allocated topic to a research situation with academic support. The group is required to make any changes to the presentation in response to feedback and email to academic staff for loading on the HLTH464 UCLearn site. The group is required to:• Use the APA 6th Edition for referencing • Submit the power point to academic staff by Wednesday 9th May 5pm. These will be loaded on the UC LEARN site as a resource for assessment 3. Assessment 3 – Group AProject WorkDue Date: 5 June 2018 by 5pmIdentify a research question to apply to the assigned data set. Analyse the data using the appropriate resources for your method of data collection. i.e. from a quantitative or qualitative design. Write a research report of the analysis, including the method(s) of analysis. Link the findings to the literature in a discussion section, including any implications for health care practices. The marking template for this assessment provides a structure that is consistent with what information is expected for this assessment. It should be very succinct with sufficient information to assess the analysis and the ‘so what’ for health practices. You are required to:• Use the APA 6th Edition referencing • Load a small (maximum 6 slides) power point of your findings by Monday 11th June 2018 (terms requirement) on the LEARN site for HLTH464. These will be critiqued by your peers from Group A by 15 June 2018. All students in this group are expected to provide feedback on a limited number of presentations (2-3) and share these critiques with the wider group. This is a Terms Requirement to pass this course. • Submit your work, as a WORD document, to ‘Turn-it-in’ via the HLTH464 UC LEARN site on or before the due date.Assessment 3 – Group BThe Research Proposal. Due Date: 5th June 2018 by 5pmDevelop the research question from assessment one into a research proposal. The marking template for this assessment provides a structure that is consistent with what information is expected in a research proposal. It should be very succinct with sufficient information to assess the research aim and design. A review panel will not want to read pages of unnecessary information. Since you plan to complete a thesis this proposal should reflect your future intent. Filling out a draft ethics application identifies any weaknesses in your design so this is a useful process to undertake, see http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/humanethics/hec/index.shtmlYou are required to:• Use the APA 6th Edition referencing • Present a PowerPoint (maximum 10 slides) of your thinking in action for peer critique Friday 4th May (terms requirement). Terms requirements must be met to pass this course. • Submit your work, as a WORD document, to ‘Turn-it-in’ via the HLTH464 UC LEARN site on or before the due date.
Creswell, John W; Research design : qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches ; 4th ed; SAGE Publications, 2014.
Gerrish, Kate,1955- , Gerrish, Kate, Lacey, Anne; The research process in nursing ; 6th ed. ; Blackwell Pub, 2010.
Richardson-Tench, Marilyn et al; Research in nursing : evidence for best practice ; Edition five; Cengage Learning, 2014.
Tolich, Martin. , Davidson, Carl; Getting started : an introduction to research methods ; Pearson, 2011.
There is no set text for this course. Rather, students are expected to access appropriate resources to develop their knowledge of research methodologies. Besides the University of Canterbury library, the universities (Otago; Canterbury; Victoria; Auckland; AUT) and polytechnics (EIT; WINTEC) with postgraduate Masters of Health programmes usually have their theses collections on line. The design chapters will illustrate the application of various methodologies to the research process. These are excellent sources for research application. Recommended:Creswell, J.W. (2014) Research Design (4th Edition). CA, USA. SAGE Publications, Inc. Gerrish, K; Lacey, A. (2010) The Research Process in Nursing (6th Edition). Singapore. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Richardson-Tench, M; Taylor, B; Kermode, S; Roberts, K. (2014) Research in Nursing Evidence for Best Practice (5th Edition). China. Cengage Learning Australia Pty LtdTolich, M; Davidson, C. (2011) Getting Started: An Introduction to Research Methods. Wellington. Pearson New ZealandSAGE Research Methods database, University of Canterbury Library.http://www.statisticsdonewrong.com/NZResearch has quite a few theses and journal articles that might be useful secondary sources.
Indicative Course Outline- What is research? Epistemological and ontological positions- Choosing a research topic and framing the research question- Approaches to literature reviews - Ethics in health research- Māori and community consultation- Exploration of design issues, including analysis- Aligning methodologies with their ontological and epistemological basis - Presenting a range of approaches from the different research traditions- Simulated quantitative and qualitative workshops / Thinking in Action for critique
Domestic fee $2,108.00
International Postgraduate fees
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see School of Health Sciences .