• Home
• Study
• Study Information
• Modules
• Module Information

Research Methods and Analytical Procedures

Module description

Taking a research project from conception to completion is a challenging but rewarding task. This module looks at how this development takes place, concentrating on the forming of a study using a quantitative approach. The module will help your critical digestion of the research articles you read and help you appreciate the rationale required in making the correct choices when using statistical analyses, including considering assumptions, limitations and pitfalls. Overall this module provides you with the tools and techniques required for a dissertation using quantitative methods.

Module aims - intentions of the module

You are expected to produce a dissertation in the third year of the degree. This module will provide you with the tools to prepare you for a dissertation using quantitative methods. This module will also serve to aid your critical analysis of the results of research articles you read. It will develop the issues and concepts introduced in the 1st year. It will look at the development of a research project from conception to completion, concentrating on the planning and design of a study. The module will involve the development of an understanding of the use of statistics in research, and will introduce you to some of the statistical data analysis techniques that might be used for the dissertation. It will also create an appreciation for the rationale involved in making the correct choices when using statistical analyses, including considering assumptions, limitations, and pitfalls.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Use and evaluate experimental and non-experimental quantitative research design methods
• 2. Select and employ analyses using SPSS and evaluate and explain the SPSS outputs

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Describe how statistics are used in research in exercise and sport science
• 4. Appraise and explain different statistical analyses in order to make an informed choice about which to use.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Use of computer programs to solve problems and enhance research
• 6. Competently input, analyse and interpret of various forms of quantitative data
• 7. Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the ethical implications of research

Syllabus plan

• Introduction to the module and revision of basic statistics and terminology
• Quantitative research design
• Introduction to the dissertation module and ethics
• One-way ANOVA
• Repeated Measures ANOVA
• Factorial ANOVA
• Multiple regression I
• Multiple regression II
• Non-parametric tests

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to sit a further examination. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. 4th edition. Sage: London
• Huck, S. W. (2009). Reading statistics and research. New York: Addison-Welsey Longman
• Nevill, AM; Atkinson, G. and Scott, M.A. (2009) Statistical methods in kinanthropometry and exercise physiology. In Eston RG and Reilly T (Eds) Kinanthropometry and Exercise Physiology Laboratory Manual: Anthropometry, pp 250-299
• Vincent, W. J. and Weir, J. P. (2012). Statistics in Kinesiology. 4th edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Further recommended reading:

• Gratton, C. and Jones, I. (2003). Research Methods for Sport Studies. London: Routledge.
• Lynch, C. (2010). Doing your Research Project in Sport. Exeter: Learning Matters.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=10312

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• You should also take the opportunity to read exercise and sport science journals e.g., Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, Sports Psychology and Journal of Sports Science, noting in particular the types of statistics used and how to interpret statistical results. The special issue of Journal of Sports Sciences (Volume 19, Number 10, October 2001) on research methods will be of particular interest.

Key words search

Quantitative research, experimental design, SPSS, statistics, assumptions, dissertation preparation, ethics