SP0751 - Exercise Science Dissertation

For the majority of this module you will partake in independent study, with hours allocated for practical laboratory work in the form of data collection and analysis. A small number of lectures, in combination with group seminars and individual tutorials are provided to help you during the completion of their research thesis. You will be introduced to the dissertation within the first semester of study during your final year; this will enable you to consider potential topic areas alongside your studies.

At the beginning of the second semester you will be allocated a dissertation supervisor on the basis of an initial proposal idea and timetable that you are directed to complete. A research methods tutor will also be available for help and guidance. Your supervisor will be an appropriate member of staff from the Department of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation (DSER). Individual one-to-one tutorials with these tutors during the second and third semesters will be used to support you in the development and progress of your dissertation, whilst group tutorials may be used to facilitate discussion between all students and enable peer support. E-mail communication will supplement these tutorials, according to your needs. Students are informed that staff will not be wholly available for tutorials during the month of August.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

You will be expected to:
1. Critically analyse the literature pertaining to a research area of their choice providing rationale for their research project.
2. Design and manage an extended empirical study that is ethical and is related to a topic of their choice.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

You will be expected to:
1. Collect, analyse and critically interpret the resulting data appropriately.
2. Write up the thesis consolidating the above adopting a concise writing style.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

You will be expected to:
1. Collect data for your investigation whilst always adhering to ethical standards and maintain professional standards within the laboratory environment.

This module requires completion of two pieces of summative assessment, being:

Literature Review (40% weighting, 8,000 words max, K&U 1, IPSA 2):

At the end of Semester 2 you will submit a Literature Review which is no longer than 8,000 words. The Literature Review will provide the rationale for your subsequent research project.

Thesis (60% weighting, 6,000 words max, K&U 2, IPSA 2, PVA 1):

You will write the research project up in keeping with that of an article being prepared for submission to the Journal of Sport Sciences, written in no more than 6,000 words. The dissertation will illustrate the development of a clear and focused theoretical perspective, a focused demonstration of methodological issues (including ethics), the accurate interpretation of data, and the clear and concise presentation of results including an account of the study limitations. Limiting the dissertation to 6,000 words will encourage a concise writing style that is required for publication in peer reviewed journals.

Your supervisor and module tutor will be responsible for guiding you in your pursuit of knowledge, providing formative feedback during this process. This will take the form of questions prompting you to question your new knowledge, and verbal feedback on the depth and criticality of your interactions with the topic under study. Written summative feedback will be provided.

Both generic (posted to the e-learning portal) and individual summative feedback will be provided on assessment components.

Feedback will be provided on the specific mark sheets. General assessment feedback is posted to the e-learning portal. Formative feedback is provided throughout the lecture and practical sessions.

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This module provides the opportunity for an independent study in an area of relevance to exercise science. Students are expected to use skills and knowledge acquired in modules as the basis for an in depth investigation of specific issues in the discipline. The purpose of this module is to develop the student’s knowledge and understanding of an aspect of practice in the vocational area, and to develop skills in communication, critical thinking and independent enquiry.