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OUTLINE

Students will apply knowledge and skills gained in research design, research governance and management etc., covered in the modules SLAN0007 Research and Evidence Based Practice, and SLAN0011 Research Methods, to carry out a research project drawing on theoretical and/or clinical issues of importance to populations with communication disorders. Guidance about the general process of selecting and carrying out a project will be provided by the module coordinator and students receive guidance and formative feedback from a named project supervisor(s). This module is relevant to the Health & Care Professions Council ‘Standards of Proficiency’ for speech and language therapists relating to practising within the legal and ethical boundaries of their profession, understanding the importance of and being able to maintain confidentiality, communicating effectively, assuring the quality of their practice, and being able to draw on appropriate knowledge and skills to inform practice.

AIMS

• To enable the students to develop an understanding of research principles and practices, including issues relating to research ethics
• To allow students an opportunity to carry out supervised empirical research in speech, language, voice, communication, swallowing or clinical/professional practice
• To enable students to apply the knowledge and skills developed in SLAN0007 and SLAN0011 and other modules completed in partial fulfillment of the MSc SLS
• To heighten students' awareness of research design, and quantitative and qualitative methods
• To develop students' abilities to critically evaluate the evidence base for clinical practice
• To develop students’ abilities to write research articles for journals

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Knowledge and Understanding

On completion of their research project, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• the theoretical bases of their research topic
• issues in research design, including methods of investigation and analysis of data, that are relevant to their research topic
• research ethics, research governance, data protection and consent

Skills

They will also be able to demonstrate that they can:

• set up and carry out empirical research with others in the area of speech, language, voice, communication, swallowing, or clinical/professional practice
• identify relevant theoretical issues and source appropriate literature
• critically evaluate research conducted by others
• select and conduct appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative analyses
• write a research report as an article for a journal appropriate to their research topic

Completing the project also assists students in developing a range of transferable skills while studying a topic of interest in some depth.

Specific transferable skills often include:

• identifying a question worth investigating
• critically investigating previous work in an area
• integrating knowledge from a range of sources
• creating a suitable project design and implementing each stage
• collecting, analysing and interpreting new information
• time management and task management skills
• cooperative working and negotiation with others
• using new information technology
• formulating a logical and persuasive argument
• developing writing-for-publication skills, which require the coherent synthesis of information and the presentation of complex ideas in a relatively short word count
• taking responsibility, making choices, being flexible, using initiative and working to a deadline

These outcomes will be achieved through:

• guidance about the general process of selecting, carrying out and writing up an MSc project
• involvement in the process of obtaining ethical approval for a research project and/or reflection on the ethical issues relating to a project that already has ethical approval/is exempt from the need for ethical approval
• guidance and formative feedback from the project supervisor(s)
• training in the use of library resources
• completion of online self-study tasks, written tasks and a presentation to promote staged development of the project in active collaboration with the project supervisor(s)