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PgDip Psychology of Childhood Adversity

Academic Year 2018/19

A programme specification is required for any programme on which a student may be registered. All programmes of the University are subject to the University's Quality Assurance and Enhancement processes as set out in the DASA Policies and Procedures Manual.

Programme Title

PgDip Psychology of Childhood Adversity

Final Award
(exit route if applicable for Postgraduate Taught Programmes)

Postgraduate Diploma

Programme Code

PSY-PD-CA

UCAS Code

HECoS Code

100952

ATAS Clearance Required

No

Health Check Required

No

Portfolio Required

Interview Required

Mode of Study

Part Time

Type of Programme

Postgraduate

Length of Programme

2 Academic Year(s)

Total Credits for Programme

120

Exit Awards available

INSTITUTE INFORMATION

Awarding Institution/Body

Queen's University Belfast

Teaching Institution

Queen's University Belfast

School/Department

Psychology

Framework for Higher Education Qualification Level 
www.qaa.ac.uk

Level 7

QAA Benchmark Group
www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements

Psychology (2010)

Accreditations (PSRB)

REGULATION INFORMATION

Does the Programme have any approved exemptions from the University General Regulations
(Please see General Regulations)

N/A

Programme Specific Regulations

N/A

Students with protected characteristics

N/A

Are students subject to Fitness to Practise Regulations

(Please see General Regulations)

No

EDUCATIONAL AIMS OF PROGRAMME

The overall aims of this programme are to offer a high quality, supportive teaching and learning environment that is academically challenging, intellectually stimulating and provides students with advanced knowledge and understanding of a range of theoretical and applied issues concerning the psychology of childhood adversity.

The General Aims of the programme are to:

1. Provide graduate students with an opportunity for advanced study in developmental psychology with a particular focus on the impact of growing up in adverse environmental conditions.
2. Prepare graduate students for more advanced research in topics relevant to the psychological consequences of growing up in adversity.

The Specific Aims are to:
Provide students with an advanced understanding of different theories of development in the context of adversity.

1. Enable students to link theories of normal development to understanding development in the context of adversity.
2. Raise students’ awareness of how growing up in adversity can impact on their psychological and educational development
3. Enable students to critically evaluate research in order to better understand mediators and moderators of outcome
4. Enable students to evaluate interventions designed to mitigate the effects of growing up in adversity.
5. Provide students with the skills to use appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods to address theoretical and applied research questions as well as with the skills to interpret quantitative and qualitative data
6. Educate students to conduct research ethically and maintain appropriate standards of conduct
7. Enable students to plan and conduct an independent research study from conception to dissemination.
8. To enable students to demonstrate self-direction and the capacity to deal with complexity and uncertainty
9. Facilitate self-reflection in support of personal and professional development

The General Aims of the programme are to:

Provide graduate students with an opportunity for advanced study in developmental psychology with a particular focus on the impact of growing up in adverse environmental conditions.

The Specific Aims are to:

Provide students with an advanced understanding of different theories of development in the context of adversity.

Enable students to link theories of normal development to understanding development in the context of adversity.

Raise students’ awareness of how growing up in adversity can impact on their psychological and educational development.

Enable students to critically evaluate research in order to better understand mediators and moderators of outcome.

Enable students to evaluate interventions designed to mitigate the effects of growing up in adversity.

Provide students with the skills to interpret quantitative and qualitative data.

Educate students to conduct research ethically and maintain appropriate standards of conduct.

Enable students to plan and conduct an independent research study from conception to dissemination.

To enable students to demonstrate self-direction and the capacity to deal with complexity and uncertainty.

Facilitate self-reflection in support of personal and professional development.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Show a high level of scientific reasoning, linking and evaluating theory and evidence in developmental psychology.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lecture, seminars, workshops and talks.

Methods of Assessment

Informally assessed through class discussion and exercises. Formally through coursework such as Essays, Dissertation, literature reviews, presentations and policy briefing.

Contrast different levels of explanation in developmental psychology, examine their implications and recognise their limitations.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lecture, seminars, workshops, talks and project work.

Methods of Assessment

Essay, literature reviews, proposal, and presentations.

Critically analyse research studies, commenting both on theory, methods and conclusions.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lecture, seminars, workshops, talks and project work.

Methods of Assessment

Essay, literature reviews, Ethics report and presentations.

Reflect on how theory and research can inform interventions and practice.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lecture, seminars, workshops.

Methods of Assessment

Policy briefing.

Learning Outcomes: Transferable Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Communicate ideas, principles, theories and research findings by oral and written means.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lecture, seminars, workshops, talks, project work. Lecture, seminars, workshops, project/placement work.

Methods of Assessment

Coursework, presentations and placement report.

Elicit high quality information and data from field sources.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lecture, seminars, workshops, project/placement work.

Methods of Assessment

Coursework and placement report.

Use information technology (e.g. WWW, bibliographic data bases such as Psych info, word processors, statistics packages).

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Workshops, project work.

Methods of Assessment

Class work and coursework.

Conduct themselves in a professional (accountable, responsible, ethical) self-regulated and constructively critical fashion.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars, project work.

Methods of Assessment

Class work and coursework.

Use interpersonal and social skills as appropriate.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Seminars, workshops, project work.

Methods of Assessment

Class work and coursework.

Pursue continuous improvement via self-reflection and other forms of professional and personal development activity.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Student-self-assessment will be promoted through Personal Development Planning.

Methods of Assessment

Class work and coursework.

Use analytical skills in a problem solving context.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Use analytical skills in a problem solving context.

Methods of Assessment

Use analytical skills in a problem solving context.

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

The recent history of developmental psychology in relation to theoretical approaches to development in the context of adversity.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars, talks and workshops.

Methods of Assessment

Essays, literature reviews and presentations.

Different levels of explanation in accounting for children’s development.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars, talks and workshops.

Methods of Assessment

Essays, literature reviews and presentations.

Theories and research related to specific examples of childhood adversity. Practical issues relating to research and/or intervention with children raised in the context of adversity.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars, talks, placement work and workshops.

Methods of Assessment

Essays, literature reviews, presentations and placement report.

Basic and advanced research design and methods of investigation, data analysis and techniques and how they relate to theoretical and applied issues in child development.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars and workshops, placement work.

Methods of Assessment

Class tests, Ethics Report and placement report.

The ethical conduct of research with human participants, specifically with children.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars and workshops.

Methods of Assessment

Ethics report and ethics submission.

Learning Outcomes: Subject Specific

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Show competence in a range of methods to analyse both quantitative and qualitative data using statistical packages, if appropriate.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars, workshops and placement work.

Methods of Assessment

Statistics assignments, ethics assignment and placement report.

Show specialist competence in the methodology and analyses chosen for placement work.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars, workshops, research supervisor meetings

Methods of Assessment

Placement work.

Use a variety of psychological tools relevant for working with children, e.g., psychometric tests, laboratory equipment, specialist software.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars, workshops, research supervisor meetings, placement work.

Methods of Assessment

Proposal, essays, presentations, placement report.

Write well-structured and well –argued prose, using style and conventions appropriate for publishing in the psychology literature.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars, workshops, research supervisor meetings.

Methods of Assessment

Essays, Ethics assignment and presentations.

Make a successful application for ethical approval.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures, seminars, workshops, research supervisor meetings.

Methods of Assessment

Ethics assignment, Essays.

MODULE INFORMATION

Programme Requirements

Module Title

Module Code

Level/ stage

Credits

Availability

Duration

Pre-requisite

Assessment

S1

S2

Core

Option

Coursework %

Practical %

Examination %

Principles of Qualitative Research Methods and Data Analysis 1

PSY7063

7

10

YES

6 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Principles of Qualitative Research Methods and Data Analysis 2

PSY7064

7

10

YES

6 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Quantitative Data Analysis 1

PSY7065

7

10

YES

6 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Quantitative Data Analysis 2

PSY7066

7

10

YES

6 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Childhood Adversity

PSY7077

7

20

YES

12 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Improving Outcomes using Evidence Based Interventions

PSY7080

7

20

YES

12 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Theoretical Perspectives on Child and Adolescent Development

PSY7081

7

20

YES

12 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Psychological Methods in Developmental Research

PSY7034

7

10

YES

6 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Children in International Contexts of Adversity

PSY7035

7

10

YES

6 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Research Skills

PSY7031

7

10

YES

6 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Placement - Childhood Adversity in Applied Contexts

PSY7036

7

10

YES

6 weeks

N

YES

100%

0%

0%

Notes