Doctor of Professional Studies in Health and Social Care DProf

This module is designed to cultivate your critical awareness of how research is fundamentally shaped by underlying worldviews. Through an in-depth examination of key traditions within social science including empiricism, positivism, critical theory, constructivism, postmodernism, ethnography, and hermeneutics. You will be introduced to the diverse philosophical and methodological lenses through which knowledge is produced and understood.

Serving as a broad conceptual foundation, the module supports the development of your emerging research ideas by focusing on core issues such as truth, knowledge, methodology, and validity. It encourages critical reflection on the assumptions that inform different research paradigms and the implications these have for scholarly inquiry.

By the end of the module, you will be equipped to articulate, defend, and critique their own epistemological and methodological perspectives with increased confidence, laying the groundwork for the formulation of meaningful and coherent research questions.

The module aims to offer opportunities for: 

1. Exploration and critical evaluation of students' proposals for the research questions, design, methodology and methods, and negotiation of ethical issues for their theses.
2. Presentation of the proposed enquiry among peers and to a panel of tutors involved in delivering the module for formative feedback and formal assessment.
3. Confirmation of the supervisor for students' theses.

This module will draw upon the comprehensive philosophical, theoretical and practical research approaches addressed in the preceding taught modules. Using reflexivity and critical argument, you will develop a robust research proposal that is commensurate with the ethical approval process and demonstrates ethical sensitivity more widely.

The content of the module is framed to aid the delivery of the assessed components. The main product of the module will be a written proposal for the thesis including a brief review of the literature, study design, and a methodology and methods section.

However, the framing and conceptualisation of the proposed enquiry will, in the first instance, be presented among peers to a panel of tutors involved in delivering the module. This viva voce scenario will serve as feedback to assist a process of deliberate and purposeful refinement of the proposal. The proposed design, methodology and methods will be considered in ways that seek to maximise the justification for the adopted approach, both ethically and reflexively, by the student. Moreover, formal ethical approval for this proposal will be undertaken by preparing a Faculty Research Ethics Committee application form along with supporting evidence (20% of the assessment weighting). 

The aim of this module is to help you confidently justify your research approach and design, ensuring that your chosen methodology aligns with your research question. Throughout the module, you will develop the skills needed to create a coherent study design that fits your research paradigm. Additionally, you will learn how to critically evaluate research conducted using a range of different methodologies, empowering you to make informed decisions throughout your own research journey.

The module content further develops links between methodology theory and research study design in health and social care, looking at the practical implications of methodology for research methods, including:

1. Implications of methodology theory for study design – application of different methodologies to research, including experimental and quasi-experimental approaches; grounded theory; phenomenology; ethnography; narrative inquiry; discourse analysis; case study. Assessments of validity or trustworthiness in research studies.
2. Data tool development and data collection skills: questionnaire development and use; interview schedule development and interviewing skills.
3. Data analysis skills: statistical analysis; qualitative analysis; development of databases to facilitate analysis. Role of reflexivity in data analysis and discussion.
4. Large-scale, multi-site research including randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and cohort studies.
5. Desk-top research: meta-analysis; systematic literature reviews.

The aim of this module is to help you analyse professional practice through different theoretical frameworks, providing you with fresh perspectives and a deeper understanding of your field. It also seeks to prepare you to confidently embrace your role as a key professional and agent of change within the health and social care sector. By the end of the module, you will be better equipped to critically reflect on your work and actively contribute to improving outcomes in your professional environment.

The module content will be made up of a number of strands of sociological enquiry, relating to both macro and micro approaches: the primary focus is on the relationship between the individual and society. 

1. Sociological theory, to include examination of symbolic interactionist, feminist, Marxist, functionalist and post-modernist perspectives as means of understanding the shape and delivery of contemporary professional practice.
2. Theorising health and social care policy, to involve deconstruction of contemporary policy initiatives to establish the emergence of a particular discourse, and the subsequent implications for the types of service delivered in practice.
3. Examination of the changing role of health and social care professions in contemporary society e.g. deskilling; proletarianisation; deprofessionalisation.
4. Contextualise the contemporary role of health and social care professions in relation to policy changes.

This module is designed to develop and enhance the critical competencies essential for successful doctoral study, including advanced thinking, analytical reading, critical appraisal, creativity, and intellectual exploration. It provides a structured introduction to the nature and scope of doctoral research by engaging you in a systematic examination of the foundations of knowledge and epistemological inquiry.

Throughout the module, you will be encouraged to cultivate key attributes for independent research, such as self-motivation, self-direction, effective time management, and learner autonomy. These skills will be integral to navigating the complexities and demands of the doctoral journey.

In addition, the module will support you in beginning to identify and refine potential areas of research interest. These early explorations may form the basis for the development of the thesis proposal and, ultimately, the doctoral thesis itself.

All taught modules must be successfully completed before students can undertake the thesis module (NM8008). This module gives you the chance to deeply explore a topic that is directly relevant to your chosen field of practice. It encourages you to engage with, and contribute to, the expanding body of applied knowledge and professional practice in your area. Most importantly, it supports you in making an original contribution to knowledge through your research. As the final stage of the programme, the Thesis module builds on everything you’ve learned and developed throughout your taught modules, bringing your doctoral journey to its meaningful conclusion.

The module aims to:

1. Provide students with an opportunity to investigate, systematically and in depth, a topic of direct relevance for their chosen area of application.
2. Enable the student to draw on and contribute to the growing body of applied knowledge and professional practice.
3. Enable the student to make an original contribution to knowledge.