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• Undergraduate study:
• Courses
• Order a prospectus
• How to apply
• Information for applicants
• Why choose Kingston University
• Disability and mental health support
• Accommodation
• Undergraduate fees
• Fees, funding and payments
• Access, participation and inclusion

Principles of Research and Evidence of Midwifery Practice

• Module code: MW5005
• Year: 2018/9
• Level: 5
• Credits: 30
• Pre-requisites: Year 1 modules
• Co-requisites: None

Summary

This module will enable you to appraise practice guidelines and published research. A variety of research methods and the research process will be reviewed, giving you the information required to be able to critique the evidence informing midwifery practice.

Aims

• Utilise appropriate knowledge and skills when applying research based information to midwifery practice.
• Select appropriate sources of evidence to support parents in making informed choices.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

• Discuss the research process with reference to quantitative and qualitative methods
• Demonstrate understanding of quantitative and qualitative research principles, design and methods
• Apply knowledge of the research process to appraise published guidelines and articles related to midwifery practice
• Discuss the regulatory framework related to research ethics
• Utilise the evidence to enable women to make informed decisions.

Curriculum content

• The research process
• Sources of midwifery knowledge
• The hierarchy of evidence
• Literature searching, using search engines and databases effectively
• Reviewing the literature
• Evaluating midwifery research
• Philosophy of research
• Research designs and frameworks
• Research regulation and research ethics
• Populations and sampling strategies
• Data collection methods eg. interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, surveys, experiments and observation
• Qualitative data analysis
• Quantitative data analysis
• Introduction to statistical tests
• Concepts of validity and reliability, trustworthiness, quality and rigour
• Interpretation and application of results
• Research evidence and current midwifery practice

Teaching and learning strategy

A variety of teaching and learning strategies will be utilised within this module. The use of lead lectures, seminars and tutorial group discussions will enable students to explore topics in depth. Study space will be used to support the teaching and learning, relevant materials will be available within the module including power point presentations and other E-learning materials.

• Lectures
• Tutorial group discussion
• Group work
• Guided study
• Online activities
• Seminars

Breakdown of Teaching and Learning Hours

Assessment strategy

Formative

Draft of the research critique with the focus on three elements of the research methods (1000)

Summative

Research Critique: On published research paper, from a choice of two made available to students approximately six weeks prior to submission (3000 words)

Mapping of Learning Outcomes to Assessment Strategy (Indicative)

Elements of Assessment

Achieving a pass

It is a requirement that the major category of assessment is passed in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.

Bibliography core texts

Rees, C. (2011) An introduction to research for midwives 3^rd edn. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

Steen, M. (2011) Handbook of midwifery research. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. 

Bibliography recommended reading

Greenhalgh, T. (2010) How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine. 4^th edn. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

Polit, D.F (2010) Statistics and data analysis for nursing research. 2^nd edn. London: Prentice Hall

Polit, D.F. (2010) Essentials of nursing research methods: appraisal and utilisation. 7^th edn. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.