Master's Degree Dissertation
Code: 44457 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4317571 Legal and Forensic Psychology | OB | 0 | A |
Contact
- Name:
- Rocio Pina Ríos
- Email:
- rocio.pina@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- spanish (spa)
Other comments on languages
The Master's project can be written in Catalan, Spanish, or English.Teachers
- Elena Garrido Gaitán
Prerequisites
There are no previous requirements for the registration of the Master's project, but it is recommended to enroll in parallel with the other modules in order to start the process of allocating places during the first semester of the course (when the student will be helped in the selection of the subject, will attend face-to-face sessions, as well as tutorials, that can be of interest for the beginning of their work). During this first period, a tutor will be allocated, and the contents and timing of the supervision will be defined for the delivery and final defense of the project, to be completed in the second semester of the course.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The Master's Project's (MP) main objective is to confront the student with a practical case of research, assessment and/or intervention that is related to the activities developed in the external internship module or to the lines of research of the teaching staff, or of the master's degree
Upon completion of the MP, students are expected to be able to:
-Pose a problem or identify a need in the field of forensic and/or legal psychology.
-Collect and analyze relevant information on the state of the art in relation to the topic of interest.
-Design and develop a series of objectives and actions that respond to the identified problem or opportunity.
-Communicate the relevance of the problem or opportunity, as well as the relevance and viability of the solution or response developed. The expected products of the MP include a written report with the design and development of the project, and a brief oral presentation of the project and its results.
Competences
- Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
- Organise and plan activities in order to achieve professional goals.
- That students have the learning skills that enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.
- That the students can apply their knowledge and their ability to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study.
- Use quality criteria to critically analyse and evaluate the work done.
- Use the basic techniques and suitable methodologies to draw up and defend judicial reports.
Learning Outcomes
- Adapt the techniques and methodologies to be used in the preparation and defence of judicial reports.
- Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
- Organise and plan activities in order to achieve professional goals.
- That students have the learning skills that enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.
- That the students can apply their knowledge and their ability to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study.
- Use quality criteria to critically analyse and evaluate the work done.
Content
The MP will be carried out in parallel with the development of the rest of the modules. In the first place, an adjudication will be carried out by the coordinating commission that will consider both the proposals of the students and the lines of research offered by the teaching staff. Once the topic and the tutor have been defined, the period of elaboration and supervision of the MP will begin. The MP will have a professional nature that must be developed from the elaboration of a research work of one of the following typologies:
-Professionalization: development of a practical case of assessment or intervention in the field in which the internship has been carried out. Other aims such as designing a new instrument or assessment method, a new modality or intervention system, the improvement of a process, a program, a tutorial, or any other useful consequence for legal and/or forensic psychology will also be considered.
-Empirical research: research project that addresses a relevant research question based on specific objectives. This typology implies a data collection design, field work, as well as a statistical analysis and evaluation of results.
-Theoretical research: systematic review for assessment purposes of an existing project, program or methodology, or critical reflection on specific topics of interest to identify problems, the current state of the matter, or the establishment of guidelines for practice in the different areas of professional performance. The systematic review must allow synthesizing and reporting on the current state of research on a topic, using explicit procedures for the identification, selection, and critical evaluation of relevant research to identify relationships, contradictions, absences or inconsistencies based on the scientific literature and suggest new works to solve the problems raised.
Methodology
The MP is characterized by:
1. Having an eminently autonomous nature. Of the 6 ECTS credits (150 hours) contemplated for this module, 142 hours correspond to autonomous work.
2. The teaching of the TFM is not directed and is based on the tutorial action. During this supervision period, the tutor will monitor the work with the aim of clarifying the typology, offering models or reference frameworks, guiding the process, and offering the corresponding feedback. Each tutor may establish the monitoring relationship that they consider most appropriate by mutual agreement with the student. During the follow-up of the tutorial action, respect in the communications and punctuality are expected. It is also important not to put the responsibility of the work on the tutor (it is not the responsibility of the tutor to lead the project).
3. Additionally, sessions will be organized during the course to present the functioning of the module, to explain the characteristics and the process of preparing the MP, as well as to facilitate the process of assigning the tutor.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Presentation | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 6, 3, 5, 4, 2 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Mentoring with the academic tutor | 6 | 0.24 | 1, 6, 3, 5, 4, 2 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| MP Development | 142 | 5.68 | 1, 6, 3, 5, 4, 2 |
Assessment
The assessment of the MP covers both the process and the results obtained (written report and public defense). Both the tutor and the members of the panel will participate in the assessment, as detailed below:
-Assessment report by the tutor, who will evaluate the learning process and the acquisition of the skills required in the module.
-Delivery of the final report, assessed both by the tutor and by the panel.
-Oral defense of the final report, where the oral presentation nd its corresponding defense will be assessed by the panel.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment report by the academic tutor | 30 | 0 | 0 | 3, 5, 4 |
| Delivery of reports | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1, 6, 3, 5, 4, 2 |
| Oral defense | 30 | 0 | 0 | 1, 6, 3, 5, 4, 2 |
Bibliography
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association (7th Edition).
Appelbaum, Mark, Cooper, Harris, Kline, Rex B., Mayo-Wilson, Evan, Nezu, Arthur M. & Rao, Stephen M. (2018). Journal Article Reporting Standards for Quantitative Research in Psychology : The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force Report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 3-25. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/amp0000389
Hernández-Sampieri, Roberto y Mendoza Torres, Christian Paulina (2018). Metodología de la investigación. Las rutas cuantitativas, cualitativas y mixta. McGrawHill. http://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-151-4-200908180-00135
Levitt, Heidi M., Bamberg, Michael, Creswell, John W., Frost, David M., Josselson, Ruthellen & Suárez-Orozco, Carola (2018). Journal Article Reporting Standards for Qualitative Primary , Qualitative Meta-Analytic , and Mixed Methods Research in Psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force Report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 26-46. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000151
Moher, David, Libertati, Alessandro, Tetzlaff, Jennifer, & Altman, Dogulas G. (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 151(4), 264-270. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-151-4-200908180-00135
Tójar Hurtado, Juan Carlos (2006). Investigación cualitativa. Comprender y actuar. La Muralla.
Software
Not required.