Patch 1: Mini-review and research question (25 marks)

Next: Rubric for patch 1 ►

Task overview

For this task you need to find, evaluate and summarise 5 papers related to a research topic, and then
develop an answerable research question arising from your synthesis of the information in the papers.

How to approach the task

 Think of a research theme or topic relevant to your degree subject. It needs to be fairly tightly
focused ("housing" or "obesity" are too broad). Review the teaching materials on how to
refine your research topic for further guidance, and discuss with your pathway leader.
 Use this topic to develop an initial search strategy that will help you identify some relevant,
related papers. This should consist of a specific set of keywords and identification of a
relevant journal database that you are going to search (e.g. PubMed, Scopus, etc).
 From your search, identify 5 papers that are closely related to your research theme. They
should have been published in the last 10 years. If you find lots of papers, prioritise those
published more recently.
 Read and review these papers. Make notes evaluating what you read - you do not need to
conduct a detailed critical appraisal of each paper, but you should highlight any significant
methodological strengths or weaknesses, as well as the key findings from the research. 
 Bring together the findings of the different papers (this is also known as synthesising the
findings) - what are the common themes? What are the areas where there are disagreements,
debate, or uncertainty? Are there methodological issues that need to be considered? Are there
any gaps in current knowledge, based on these 5 papers?
 Use your synthesis of the findings to develop a research question that, if answered using an
appropriate study, would add to our understanding of this research topic. You need to ensure
that your question is clear and unambiguous, specific and answerable.

Advice on writing up this patch

You have 1250 words for this patch. Whilst you are free to present the work in whichever way you
wish, we recommend the following structure:

 A brief introduction to the topic and explaining the keywords and database that you used to
find the papers you have reviewed. (approx 100-150 words)
 Present your review and evaluation of the themes and issues that have arisen from your
review of the 5 papers. Do not simply discuss each individual paper in turn - you need to
show your evaluation and synthesis of information from across the papers. (Approx 1000
words)
 Conclusion and research question - identification of the key issues requiring further
investigation arising from your mini review, and a research question that will address one or
more of these issues. (Approx 100-150 words)
 References using the Harvard system: not included in the word count

Marking criteria

Your final patch will be marked using the following marking criteria, which draw upon the skills
identified in the Research Skills Development Framework:
 Marks
Criterion available (total
25)
Find - search for literature connected to your research theme, and select 5
4
relevant recent journal articles
Synthesise - draw together the key issues arising from the review of the 5
12
papers
Embark - develop an answerable research question based on your review 6
Communicate - present your work in accordance with expected standards -
academic writing, punctuation, spelling & grammar, word count and Cite 3
Them Right Harvard referencing

Patch 2: Quantitative research case study (25 marks)

Next: Survey methods ►
Task overview

For this task you will be investigating a quantitative research case study. You will be using data from
the National Survey for Wales 2017-18 to investigate a range of factors that may be associated with
self-reported well-being. Your investigation aims to answer the following research question:

 Using existing data from a sample of survey respondents in Wales, to what extent are job
satisfaction, healthy lifestyle behaviours and material deprivation associated with overall
satisfaction with life?

You need to:

 Evaluate the sampling and interview methods used to conduct the survey and obtain the case
study data
 Use the dataset provided to analyse the association between the dependent variable (well-
being: overall satisfaction with life) and each explanatory variable (job satisfaction, healthy
lifestyle behaviours, material deprivation)
 Draw an appropriate conclusion based on your interpretation of the statistical analysis

How to approach the task

 Read the information provided about how the National Survey for Wales is designed and
conducted. Evaluate the strengths and potential weaknesses or limitations of the study design
and methods used in the context of this research question. You may find it helpful to use a
critical appraisal tool relevant to the study design.
  In order to access the data, you must first agree to the terms and conditions of use. You can
read the terms and conditions, and confirm your agreement, by completing this one-question
survey. You MUST agree to the terms and conditions in order to successfully complete the
assignment - failure to complete the survey will result in your assignment being treated as a
non-submission.
 Use SPSS to complete the analysis tasks using appropriate techniques. All the techniques
required are covered in the associated quantitative analysis teaching materials. You will need
to consider the type of data held in each variable, and the most appropriate methods for
displaying and analysing relationships between these variables.
 Interpret your results. What do these results tell us? Explain what you have found in your own
words, using appropriate units where relevant, and in the context of the original research
question.
 Draw a conclusion - what are the implications of these findings, and how do they relate to
other literature on this topic? Are their any limitations in the methods that need to be
considered when interpreting the findings? What other explanatory factors/variables might
need to be taken into account? What further analysis might be needed to further investigate
this issue? (NB you do not need to conduct any further analysis beyond the tasks stated).

Advice on writing up this patch

You have 1250 words for this patch. Whilst you are free to present the work in whichever way you
wish, we recommend the following structure:

 Evaluation and critique of the methods used in the survey, in the context of this research
question (approx 500 words)
 Presentation and interpretation of your data analysis, including graphs and tables where
appropriate, leading to an overall conclusion (approx 750 words)
 References using the Harvard system: not included in the word count

All charts and tables should have an appropriate caption; axes in charts should be clearly labelled so
that it is clear what is being presented. For tables, do not simply reproduce the original SPSS output -
develop your own summary tables that display the information required.

Ensure that you provide clear interpretations for your analysis (i.e. what the statistics tell us) - we are
assessing your ability to explain what you have found as well as presenting the analysis.

Marking criteria

Your final patch will be marked using the following marking criteria, which draw upon the skills
identified in the Research Skills Development Framework:

Marks
Criterion available
(total 25)
Evaluate - evaluate quantitative methodological information and the research
10
process using appropriate tools or criteria
Analyse - use appropriate statistical techniques to analyse and present
quantitative data, and interpret findings to identify trends, patterns,
12
associations and/or differences, reach appropriate conclusions and identify
emerging issues
Communicate - present your work in accordance with expected standards - 3
clear display of charts and tables, academic writing, punctuation, spelling &
grammar, word count and Cite Them Right Harvard referencing

Patch 3: Qualitative research case study (25 marks)

Next: Study methods ►
Task overview

For this task you will be investigating a qualitative research study exploring the experiences of
patients with HIV and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) multi-morbidity in Cape Town (Republic of South
Africa). Your investigation aims to use interview transcripts from this study to answer the following
research question:

 How do patients with HIV & Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) experience health services in Cape
Town, and how do they perceive their needs?

Accessing the data

The data you will use to investigate this qualitative study can be accessed through the Qualitative
Data Repository, hosted by Syracuse University in the USA. Click the link to take you to the site (link
opens in a new window). The page provides details of the study authors and background to the
investigation. Scroll down the page and you'll find the list of files - you can access some of the study
documentation immediately, but to access the interview transcripts you will need to Request Access,
and register for a free account with the QDR.

The registration process is straightforward - we recommend that you sign up using your Cardiff Met
email address so that it is clear that you are accessing the repository as a registered university student.
The account creation process is automated so you should get registration confirmation pretty
quickly. See the guidance video for this patch for more details on the registration process. 

Once your account has been created, login to the repository again and access the study details. You'll
see a 'read document' and 'download' options against every file. Click one of these to access the file -
you'll have a final set of standard terms and conditions to agree to, and then you'll have full access to
the dataset.

Interview transcripts to analyse

For the purposes of this case study you are going to analyse two interview transcripts:

 Participant P4 - 55-60 year old male

 Participant P6 - 50-55 year old female
You will need to click onto page 2 of the file list (or change the number of files per page) in order to
see these files in the list. Ensure that you are accessing the transcripts of interviews conducted with
patient-participants (indicated with a P), not those conducted with healthcare workers (indicated with
an H). You only need to access and analyse the transcripts shown above - you do not need to access or
analyse any of the other interview transcripts for this assessment. 

How to approach the task

 Critique the methods - read the information provided about how the study was designed and
conducted. Evaluate the strengths and potential weaknesses or limitations of the study design
and methods used, in the context of a qualitative study. Support the points that you make with
reference to relevant sources, e.g. qualitative research methods textbooks or journal articles.
 Access the data - see details above.
 Conduct a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts provided. This process is explored in
detail in the qualitative research teaching materials.
 Some issues you may wish to consider when undertaking the thematic analysis include:
o Your approach to coding - are you taking a deductive approach applying codes from
the theory underpinning the study (the Complex Cumulative Model - see study
methods), or an inductive approach deriving codes from the data, or a combination of
the two?
o Clear definition of your codes and themes - ensure that they are unambiguous and
distinct from one another. Themes should be logically constructed from the
underlying codes and data quotes.
o Consider visualising the final thematic structure to aid the reader in understanding
your findings - e.g. in a 'code tree' or word cloud
 Interpret your findings - summarise the key themes that you have identified from the data,
relate these to the existing literature, and explain what you have found in your own words, in
the context of the original study question.
 Draw a conclusion: what are the implications of these findings? Recognise the subjective
nature of qualitative analysis (reflexivity): to what extent has your involvement and
perceptions of the topic influenced your analysis and interpretation of the data? What
assumptions and biases may have influenced your research process?

Advice on writing up this patch

You have 1250 words for this patch. Whilst you are free to present the work in whichever way you
wish, we recommend the following structure:

 Evaluation and critique of the qualitative methods and research processes used in the study, in
the context of this research question (approx 500 words)
 Presentation and interpretation of your qualitative thematic analysis of the interview
transcript, leading to an overall conclusion (Approx 750 words)
 References using the Harvard system: not included in the word count

Marking criteria

Your final patch will be marked using the following marking criteria, which draw upon the skills
identified in the Research Skills Development Framework:

Marks
Criterion available (total
25)
Evaluate - evaluate qualitative methodological information and research
10
processes using appropriate tools or criteria
Analyse - use appropriate thematic analysis techniques to analyse qualitative
12
data, interpret the findings leading to an overall conclusion
Communicate - present your work in accordance with expected standards -
academic writing, punctuation, spelling & grammar, word count and Cite 3
Them Right Harvard referencing