Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Psychology Research
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish
Teaching staff
By appointment
Introduction
The aim of this program is primarily to provide students with the necessary academic language required to understand and present psychological research in English. Critical reading and listening skills are particularly emphasised for this purpose, while speaking and writing skills are mainly reinforced to consolidate knowledge and to promote academic communication.
The program contains three elements that include class-based lessons, tutorials and self-study.
The teacher-led lessons focus on reading and listening activities related to topics in the field of scientific research and Psychology. Such activities are designed to develop comprehension within an academic setting. Speaking and writing activities aim at enhancing communication common to university and conference environments as well as to facilitate a solid linguistic base for the elements introduced throughout the course. Tutorials will focus on student development and interpersonal skills and will include an evaluated group project. The final part is the self-study element, which primarily focuses on developing reading, writing and listening skills, consolidating linguistic aspects relevant to the domain of research in psychology, ultimately leading to an increased autonomy of the learner when learning a foreign language.
Pre-course requirements
Recommended minimum level of English at the start of the course is B2.
Objectives
Classroom:
To prepare and equip students with the linguistic tools necessary to understand, synthesise and present psychological research in English.
To reinforce the receptive skills of reading and listening and to facilitate the development of the productive skills of speaking and writing through interactive activities.
Tutorial:
To develop students’ interpersonal skills and ability to work with others in both their own language and in an additional language.
To increase reading comprehension skills through tasks requiring students to analyse language on a lexical and structural basis, main and supporting ideas, and organisational patterns common in English literature related to Psychology; to reinforce listening comprehension skills; to review high-frequency linguistic/ discursive structures and vocabulary encountered in psychological research.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CE07 - Carry out a project by using data sources, and applying methodologies, research techniques and tools of Psychology, and make an exhibition and public defense of the project before a specialized public so that the acquisition of the skills and knowledge of the Degree is demonstrated.
- CG03 - The ability to read scientific literature in a critical, well-founded manner, take into account its provenance, situate it within an epistemological framework and identify and contrast its contributions in relation to the disciplinary knowledge available.
- CT03 - The capacity for analysis and synthesis.
- CT04 - The capacity to work in a team
- CT07 - The capacity to learn autonomously
- CT10 - The ability to communicate in a foreign language
Learning outcomes of the subject
CE07 / CT04
Be able to carry out a basic survey project in English with other team members that involves formulating research questions, searching for relevant information, identifying appropriate survey questions / assessment tools, collecting data, analysing data to produce basic interpretations of the data, comparing data with a similar study, identifying limitations, recommending next research steps, and presenting the study to peers
Be able to provide a justification in English for certain characteristics of a study design.
CG03
Have a critical attitude and know how to compare rigorous scientific articles with less rigorous studies
Being able to carry out and justify a basic evaluation of the study design
Be able to read critically and demonstrate an understanding of certain commonly encountered / expressed ideas, content, and stance in the psychological literature
Share / discuss the reasoning of the students' interpretations of some aspects of the psychology literature to further consolidate and synthesise knowledge
CT03
Analyse and synthesise data collected and presented in survey projects on which to base interpretations and recommendations for applications and future research
Reflect and identify basic learning needs, as well as recognise and apply relevant resources that can help meet these needs
Apply assessment instruments to evaluate / reflect on the elements of the task performance by itself and by others and also on the learning processes and results.
CT07
Be able to perform tasks individually related to reading comprehension tasks and certain writing tasks in response to reading a psychology bibliography.
CT10
Develop a basic skill to discuss, co-construct, and share with your peers (orally and in writing) knowledge / information on predefined key topics and related research in psychology.
Syllabus
Topics:
Students will cover topics related to the evidence-based approach to Psychology as well as areas of most immediate relevance to current nonexperimental and experimental studies in psychological research.
Discipline-specific Language Skills
Students will learn to read, understand and discuss academic literature related to Psychology and nonexperimental and experimental research. Furthermore, they will learn to recognise main features and the common format of research articles. They will develop synthesis skills of material covered throughout the course.
Language knowledge:
Instruction of this component is dependent on the students' language level. Students will revise/consolidate knowledge about professional and academic discourse related to health sciences research, the organisation of information provided in scientific articles, and citation of sources.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Students will become actively engaged in the process of reading, analysing and synthesising information from a variety of academic genres specific to Psychology, such as extracts from textbooks and psychological journals. Students will discuss course contents in collaborative tasks. They will give presentations as well as produce some writing assignments. Listening activities will comprise listening for general and specific information given in lectures by a professor and presentations by other students and online speakers.
The Internet will also serve as a source for language tools and material which students can apply throughout their overall learning process. These materials will further form an integral part of the students’ self-study, thus equipping and motivating students for the life-long learning of English related to their field.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
|
Activity |
% of final course mark |
|
|
25%
|
|
Midterm exam
|
15% |
|
Course work: -Progress tests -Collaborative learning tasks -Autonomous learning tasks/ Written work
|
10%
|
|
Group projects Lecture Highlight: Oral Presentation of aspects from lectures about psychological content
Development and presentation of a survey study
Design an RCCT |
10%
30%
10% |
Important information:
Attendance and participation: Students are reminded that attendance and participation in class and continuous assessment are fundamental to passing the course. Furthermore, group work outside of class will also form a major part of the evaluation.
It will not be possible to pass the course solely by taking exams.
Resit exams
Second sitting
The second sitting consists of an exam and may also include a written assignment and/or oral presentation.
No student can pass the course by only taking the second sitting of the exam.
If students fail the course they will have to contact their teacher and the course coordinator to arrange the conditions and contents of the second sitting.
If they intend to attend the second sitting they must contact your teacher and the coordinator at least 14 natural days before the second sitting exam date
Other exams: Students who miss a midterm exam, and who have a valid justification (i.e. medical certificate) must present it to their teacher the following day of class. At the end of the term, if the student has attended at least 80% of the classes, he or she will be able to make up the midterm on the day of the final exam.
Many small progress tests, or quizzes, will be given throughout the course. No make-up quizzes will be given, so students who miss a quiz will receive a 0 for that quiz. However, because each quiz bears little weight individually in the course evaluation, missing one will have little effect on the total grade.
Bibliography and resources
Class-based materials:
Class-based materials are based on a wide range of professional and educational resources from current online professional journals and textbooks.
Intranet and Internet materials for self study.
Evaluation period
- E1 26/05/2022 I3 12:00h
- E2 30/06/2022 I1 12:00h