UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION
HMPYC80
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
DATE: 2015-10-26
TIME: 14:30 – 17:30
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY.
Note that you may not receive help from anybody or assist anybody else when you complete
this examination. Also, note that when you are logged in all activities are recorded on a server
at Unisa. This means we can see exactly when you log on and off, the questions you respond
to, the time you use per question etc. During and after the examination students’ response
patterns and responses may be subjected to integrity testing. If any irregularities are found
your examination paper may be nullified. Examination fraud is considered in an extremely
serious light, and may result in your being refused reregistration as a student.
YOU MUST RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTION
Question 1
I declare that I am not receiving help form anybody, nor am I assisting anybody else in
completing this examination. I understand that my submitted responses may be subjected to
integrity testing and that my paper may be nullified should any irregularities be found.
1. True
2. False
NOTE: If your paper does not contain a “True” response to this question, your examination
will be nullified.
The research consultation company …
You own a consultation company specialising in psychological research. The company
is PsyConsult. You employ a number of social scientists and professional psychologists,
but there are also students (psychological interns) who do their practical at the company.
1 TURN OVER
, Meeting the client …
Dr Johanna Lategan contacted you to consult on a problem they experience, namely
the low pass rate of learners enrolled for science subjects. Johanna is the director of
learner assessment in the Limpopo Department of Education.
In your first meeting with Johanna Lategan she indicates that the Department of
Education decided to implement a programme for learners in Limpopo high schools. The
programme is called the Meta-cognition Development Programme (MCDP). The aim of
the programme is to improve learners’ understanding of their own cognitive processes.
The MCDP was developed and successfully implemented by Namibia’s department of
education in an attempt to improve pass rates of high school learners. The Limpopo
Department of Education maintains that high school learners in Limpopo could benefit
from a similar programme. Because of similarities between the Namibian and South
African contexts they decided not to develop their own programme but to adapt the
Namibian programme for South African schools. They completed the review of the
programme but want a specialist consultancy firm such as PsyConsult to assess the
impact of the adapted programme once it has been implemented. They hope the
programme will improve the pass rates of high school learners enrolled for science in
Limpopo. They are aware that research concerning the impact of the programme
requires specialised data gathering methods and that some time would be needed to
develop such methods. Dr Lategan provides you with the programme manual. The
manual describes the psychological theory that the programme is based on. It also
indicates how the programme applies the theory in order to affect the behaviour of
programme participants.
At the research consultation company …
At PsyConsult each day begins with a morning meeting to discuss the business of the
day. The meeting is attended by the social scientists and psychologists working for the
company as well as psychology interns. At this morning’s meeting you inform everybody
about the project of the Limpopo Department of Education and opens the matter for
discussion.
You pay close attention to what everybody says because the purpose of the discussion
is to sort out the details of the project. In order to guide the discussion you have to
indicate who you agree with most, who you agree with second most and who you agree
with least.
Suppose Dineo, Tony and Mphai respond to a point under discussion. If you agree most
with Tony’s response, second most with Dineo’s response and least with Mphai your
choice is: Tony, Dineo, Mphai.
2 TURN OVER
HMPYC80
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
DATE: 2015-10-26
TIME: 14:30 – 17:30
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY.
Note that you may not receive help from anybody or assist anybody else when you complete
this examination. Also, note that when you are logged in all activities are recorded on a server
at Unisa. This means we can see exactly when you log on and off, the questions you respond
to, the time you use per question etc. During and after the examination students’ response
patterns and responses may be subjected to integrity testing. If any irregularities are found
your examination paper may be nullified. Examination fraud is considered in an extremely
serious light, and may result in your being refused reregistration as a student.
YOU MUST RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTION
Question 1
I declare that I am not receiving help form anybody, nor am I assisting anybody else in
completing this examination. I understand that my submitted responses may be subjected to
integrity testing and that my paper may be nullified should any irregularities be found.
1. True
2. False
NOTE: If your paper does not contain a “True” response to this question, your examination
will be nullified.
The research consultation company …
You own a consultation company specialising in psychological research. The company
is PsyConsult. You employ a number of social scientists and professional psychologists,
but there are also students (psychological interns) who do their practical at the company.
1 TURN OVER
, Meeting the client …
Dr Johanna Lategan contacted you to consult on a problem they experience, namely
the low pass rate of learners enrolled for science subjects. Johanna is the director of
learner assessment in the Limpopo Department of Education.
In your first meeting with Johanna Lategan she indicates that the Department of
Education decided to implement a programme for learners in Limpopo high schools. The
programme is called the Meta-cognition Development Programme (MCDP). The aim of
the programme is to improve learners’ understanding of their own cognitive processes.
The MCDP was developed and successfully implemented by Namibia’s department of
education in an attempt to improve pass rates of high school learners. The Limpopo
Department of Education maintains that high school learners in Limpopo could benefit
from a similar programme. Because of similarities between the Namibian and South
African contexts they decided not to develop their own programme but to adapt the
Namibian programme for South African schools. They completed the review of the
programme but want a specialist consultancy firm such as PsyConsult to assess the
impact of the adapted programme once it has been implemented. They hope the
programme will improve the pass rates of high school learners enrolled for science in
Limpopo. They are aware that research concerning the impact of the programme
requires specialised data gathering methods and that some time would be needed to
develop such methods. Dr Lategan provides you with the programme manual. The
manual describes the psychological theory that the programme is based on. It also
indicates how the programme applies the theory in order to affect the behaviour of
programme participants.
At the research consultation company …
At PsyConsult each day begins with a morning meeting to discuss the business of the
day. The meeting is attended by the social scientists and psychologists working for the
company as well as psychology interns. At this morning’s meeting you inform everybody
about the project of the Limpopo Department of Education and opens the matter for
discussion.
You pay close attention to what everybody says because the purpose of the discussion
is to sort out the details of the project. In order to guide the discussion you have to
indicate who you agree with most, who you agree with second most and who you agree
with least.
Suppose Dineo, Tony and Mphai respond to a point under discussion. If you agree most
with Tony’s response, second most with Dineo’s response and least with Mphai your
choice is: Tony, Dineo, Mphai.
2 TURN OVER
