Assignment 1: PS413 – Qualitative Methods in Psychology, 2020-2021
Assignment 1 is worth 50% of the total marks for the module. The word count is 1,200
words maximum (+/-10%) with an interview schedule attached at the end (not included in
the word count).
In Assignment 1 you are asked to design a hypothetical qualitative research study. Your brief
is to envisage that you are a research student carrying out a study over a 7-8 month period
(i.e., an academic year). Bear in mind your methodology should be chosen to address your
research question, be appropriate to the group you are working with, and be feasible for
use within the remit of a student-led study.
As part of the plan you will also design an interview schedule or other data collection
strategy (i.e., you may use participatory strategies to assist in the interview process or other
methodology that goes outside of the traditional interview). All students are paired with
another member of their class, to facilitate a peer to review your interview schedule. Please
see accompanying document. This peer review process is applicable to your interview
schedule only. Please include the completed peer review template received from your
reviewer and the final revised interview schedule, as appendices to your research proposal.
You should use the format of the proposal document outlined below. Complete each
section (1-6). You do not have to use the text boxes below each point – if more convenient
you can simply write in your own text under each point in paragraph format. You can use
the 1,200 words (+/-10%) across the six main points below as you see fit. The interview
schedule is supplemental to that word count and is not counted, neither are references .
Ensure that you include a title page with your student number and name and declare that
the assignment is original and your own work.
Please submit the proposal by November 20th via Turnitin on Blackboard.
General queries can be sent via the discussion board on Blackboard. A group drop-in
session will be held online for queries and questions on Oct 30th, 10am. You can also
contact caroline.heary@nuigalway.ie / padraig.macneela@nuigalway.ie with any
queries.
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Proposal document
1. What is your research question(s)? And what are the specific objectives of this
research?
2. What is the rationale for your proposed research? That is – What is the justification for
your proposed participant group and the research question? Why do we need this
study?
3. What is your sampling strategy? What are the criteria for inclusion? How many people
do you intend to recruit? How will you conduct recruitment – i.e., get access to your
sample and have them take part?
4. Describe your methodology. Why is this strategy the most appropriate? Think about
your use of a specific theory in guiding the data collection process / interview guide.
Ensure your approach to data collection clearly addresses the research question
identified. What is the procedure for collecting your data? Are there any original /
innovative strategies that you can use? What form will the interview schedule take?
Include the interview schedule as an appendix. Please see accompanying document
on the peer review process for the interview schedule.
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5. How will you analyse your data? Why is this method appropriate?
6. Identify the key ethical issues for your proposed research and describe what
procedures will be used to address these ethical issues.
Include references at the end (APA style).
Include the following as appendices:

Interview schedule for your individual interview/focus group

Feedback sheet received from your peer reviewer.

These are not included as part of your word count.
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Notes for completing the qualitative research proposal
Read the following notes carefully before completing the form.
General

You should aim to write a proposal for a small research project – the size of research
project that a student completing an undergraduate psychology degree could
realistically complete in their final year (less than 7-8 months).

Depending on the type of study you are proposing, you might want to provide more
detail in some boxes than in others. There is some information that is relevant to more
than one box and you will have to make choices about where you present this
information. Avoid repetition and convey as much information as possible within the
word limit.

Remember that you are writing a proposal for a qualitative research project – so avoid
inappropriate (quantitative and experimental) language and concepts such as
‘experiment’, ‘hypotheses’, ‘reliability’ and so on.

The key word for any research proposal is rationale! When we write a research proposal
we are trying to convince a funding body to view our ideas as worthy of support, so in
writing every aspect of the proposal we always think about the rationale. Is this
convincing? Is this justified? Is this appropriate?

Draw on relevant literature throughout this proposal – not just in the section on the
literature (e.g., you should provide references for the method(s) of data collection you
are proposing and for the particular analytic approach you plan to use).

The different elements of your proposal should work together well. For example,
individual semi-structured interviews, IPA and a homogeneous sample work together
well.

Aim for an economical writing style. Your proposal should be packed with useful
information, and details; it should not be a long narrative about your study, with very
few details. Funding bodies indicate that one of the most common weaknesses with
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research proposals is that they do not provide enough information about the proposed
methodology – keep this in mind when writing your proposal.
Sections 1-2 (background literature and research questions)

Provide a convincing rationale for your proposed study.

In a research proposal, you are not expected to provide an exhaustive review of the
literature, rather you should display an awareness of relevant literature and the key
features of the literature that pertain to your study. It is particularly important to note if
there is a gap in the literature that your study will fill, and whether a need for research
(or further research) on your proposed topic has been identified.

It is also helpful to discuss any theories that are relevant to your research and the overall
theoretical framework that will guide your research.

Your research question doesn’t have been to be very precise (although it can be) – it is
entirely appropriate within qualitative research to start with a rather broad research
question that is refined through the process of data collection and analysis. The research
question (or aims) is the big over-arching question guiding your research, whereas the
objectives are the ‘bite-sized’ chunks of the research question/aims; the smaller goals
you intend to fulfil in conducting your research.
Sections 3 Sampling strategy and access

What kind of sampling strategy will you use? (Purposive? Convenience? Snowball
sampling? Homogeneous? A maximum heterogeneity sample?) Why is this kind of
sampling strategy appropriate? Who do you want to speak to and why do you want to
speak to them? Are there any inclusion and exclusion criteria for your sample? What size
of sample are you aiming for, and why is this size of sample appropriate? How are you
going to find your participants?
Sections 4 Data collection and procedure

In these sections, outline the method you will use to collect your data and what your
data-set will consist of. Again, it’s really important to indicate the rationale for using
your chosen method or methods (you can use more than one method of data collection,
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but remember you are proposing a small research project!). Why is this method(s) the
most appropriate to use in answering your research question (and/or given the time and
resource constraints of the project)?

How many interviews/focus groups will you conduct?

How will you collect your data, and what materials you will use in the process of data
collection (such as consent forms, participant information sheets and demographic
forms). How will you design your interview/focus group schedule? Where and when will
you collect your data? How will you negotiate consent with participants?

Remember to include your interview schedule in your appendices.

Please see the accompanying document on the peer review process for your interview
schedule.
Section 5 Analysis

What method of analysis will you use and why? You may want to indicate the broad
analytic procedures associated with your chosen method and research approach. Give a
rationale for your chosen analytic approach.
Section 6 Ethics

Psychologists are obliged to conduct their research ethically. Think about whether your
study raises any particular ethical issues – for example, are you proposing to recruit
people from vulnerable groups? Are you proposing to research a particularly sensitive
issue? You should also consider any particular researcher safety issues associated with
your research design, and whether you will encounter any potential risks and hazards in
conducting your research.
Adapted from © Virginia Braun & Victoria Clarke (2013) Successful qualitative research: A
practical guide for beginners. London: Sage. For use in teaching and learning only.
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