SMGT30260 Dissertation

Academic Year 2022/2023

The aim of Sport & Exercise Management Dissertation is to provide the student with the opportunity to undertake an individual piece of empirical research in a subject area that has been of most interest to them over the course of their undergraduate studies. It is expected that successful completion of the Sport & Exercise Management Dissertation will develop the student’s confidence in and competence to design and conduct an independent research study, collect, analyse, and interpret novel empirical data, and communicate their findings study in a clear, concise, and logical manner.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Identify a ‘research gap’ and clearly articulate a ‘researchable’ question;
2. Select an appropriate methodology to answer that research question;
3. Design and administer an independent research study, which includes using a research instrument to collect novel empirical data;
4. Collate, analyse, and interpret a novel dataset, and thereafter synthesise it with/within the existing research evidence base;
5. Communicate the findings of the research study in both an oral and written manner in a clear, concise, and logical format;
6. Conduct a defense of the findings of the research study when exposed to questioning and scrutiny from your peers.

Indicative Module Content:

- Identification and articulation of a research design, including choice of research method and approach to participant sampling
- Obtaining ethical clearance to access research participants
- Collecting primary research data and data management
- Use of quantitative and/or qualitative research methods and testing protocols
- Use of quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis software (SPSS, AMOS, R, NVivo)

To successfully fulfil these tasks, on this module, students will collaborate with a subject expert supervisor in the field of sport and exercise science and management

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Project Supervision

25
Specified Learning Activities

125
Autonomous Student Learning

225
Total

375
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The Sport & Exercise Management Dissertation utilises a constructivist approach to teaching and learning. It especially promotes what Mosston and Ashworth (2002) have defined as both ‘Guided Discovery’ and ‘Divergent Discovery’. In Guided Discovery, students draw upon their existing knowledge and experience to identify a problem or question that is of interest to them. They also collaborate with an expert (i.e. academic supervisor) to identify an appropriate exploratory methodology to solve this problem/answer this question. The style of discovery is also ‘Divergent’ in the sense that the solution to the problem or answer to the question is not laid out in advance by the instructor. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Project: Written dissertation Week 12 n/a Graded No

80
Oral Examination: 10-minute presentation with 5 minutes for questioning and defense of dissertation findings Week 12 n/a Graded No

20

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

To scaffold students’ learning on the module, weekly student-supervisor meetings will be held across the semester. The aim of the meetings will be for the supervisor to provide a broad research conduct framework and timeline within which the students can work autonomously and to task on their own individual research projects. Weekly tutorials and meetings will serve both as a formal teaching and instruction mechanism (e.g., for development of instrumentation and proper use of research software) and as a forum within which students can address and have problem swiftly resolved (e.g. troubleshooting testing protocols or identifying changes needed in participant recruitment strategies).

Name Role
Ms Maria Monahan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Varsha Eswara Murthy Tutor
Dr Seamus Kelly Tutor
Assoc Professor James Matthews Tutor
Dr Lachlan Mitchell Tutor
Dr Mark Roe Tutor
Giampiero Tarantino Tutor
Professor Eleni Theodoraki Tutor