Program Overview

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Degree Project for Master's Degree in Physiotherapy, 15 Credits

The Degree Project for Master's Degree in Physiotherapy is a 15-credit course that commenced in the autumn term of 2016.

Course Code and Name

• Course Code: 2QA257
• Course Name: Degree Project for Master's Degree in Physiotherapy

Course Details

• Credits: 15 hp
• Education Form: Higher Education, according to the 2007 study order
• Main Field of Study: Physiotherapy
• Level: Advanced Level, with requirements of courses at an advanced level
• Grading Scale: Passed, Failed
• Department Responsible: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society
• Decision-Making Body: Board of Education
• Date of Establishment: Autumn term 2016

Special Eligibility

To be eligible for the course, students must have:

• A Bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy or the equivalent of at least 180 hp
• Completed 45 hp of courses, with at least 30 hp at the advanced level, including at least 15 hp in the main field of Physiotherapy or a related field
• At least 15 hp in scientific theory and method at the advanced level
• Swedish B/Swedish 3 and English A/English 6 with a passing grade

Objectives

The objectives of the course are for students to:

• Deepen their knowledge in the scientific basis of the main field of study
• Demonstrate the ability to apply relevant research methodology in an independent degree project
• Show proficiency in scientific theory and method to participate in research and development and to lead the development of evidence-based physiotherapy

Learning Outcomes

After completing the course, students will be able to:

• Identify a problem area related to physiotherapy and motivate the choice from a patient, professional, and societal perspective
• Plan and conduct a scientific study based on research ethical principles and guidelines within given time frames
• Argue for the chosen design based on the research question, critically analyze and discuss study quality, and analyze results in relation to relevant theory and current evidence
• Give and receive constructive feedback to help others and to develop themselves
• Present and communicate scientific results in writing and orally, adapting the presentation for different audiences and contexts

Content

The course includes:

• Identification and delimitation of a relevant research question
• Research ethical considerations
• Data collection, analysis, and compilation
• Writing an independent scientific work
• Presentation and defense of the degree project
• Opposition on another student's work

Teaching Methods

Supervision is primarily conducted in seminar form, with continuous follow-up of the degree project process during supervised, scheduled seminars. Lectures that support the process are included.

Examination

Examination is conducted in three steps:

• The written degree project is assessed by the examiner based on established assessment criteria
• Oral examination where the student defends their work
• Oral examination where the student opposes another degree project

For a passing grade, all steps in the examination must be passed. The examiner sets the grade.

Transition Provisions

Examination will be available for a period of two years after a potential discontinuation of the course. Examination can be conducted according to the previous literature list for a period of one year after a renewal of the literature list has been made.

Other Regulations

• Language of Instruction: Swedish

Literature and Other Educational Materials

Recommended Literature

• Skrivregler för svenska och engelska frĺn TNC (Writing rules for Swedish and English from TNC)
• How to write and publish a scientific paper by Robert A. Day and Barbara Gastel
• Ethics in qualitative research by Melanie Mauthner
• Good research practice - what is it? : views, guidelines and examples by Bengt Gustafsson, Göran Hermerén, and Bo Petersson
• Designing and conducting mixed methods research by John W. Creswell and Vicki L. Plano Clark
• Designing clinical research by Stephen B. Hulley
• Nursing research : generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice by Denise F. Polit and Cheryl Tatano Beck
• Basics of qualitative research : techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory by Anselm L. Strauss and Juliet M. Corbin
• Writing in the dark : phenomenological studies in interpretive inquiry by Max Van Manen
• How to write and publish a scientific paper by Robert A. Day and Barbara Gastel
• Synthesizing research : a guide for literature reviews by Harris M. Cooper
• Research synthesis and meta-analysis : a step-by-step approach by Harris M. Cooper
• Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions 4.2.6 by JPT Higgins and S Green
• Users' guides to the medical literature : a manual for evidence-based clinical practice by Gordon Guyatt and Drummond Rennie
• Complex interventions in health : an overview of research methods by David A. Richards and Ingalill Rahm Hallberg
• Narrative methods for the human sciences by Catherine Kohler Riessman
• Qualitative research for education : an introduction to theory and methods by Robert Bogdan and Sari Knopp Biklen
• Qualitative research methods for health professionals by Janice M. Morse and Peggy-Anne Field
• Statistics with confidence by Douglas G. Altman and Martin J. Gardner
• Handbook of health research methods : investigation, measurement and analysis by Ann Bowling and Shah Ebrahim
• Fundamental statistics for the behavioral sciences by David C. Howell
• Nonparametric statistics for health care research : statistics for small samples and unusual distributions by Marjorie A. Pett
• Health measurement scales : a practical guide to their development and use by David L. Streiner and Geoffrey R. Norman
• Regression methods in biostatistics : linear, logistic, survival, and repeated measures models by Eric Vittinghoff
• Reflective Lifeworld Research by Karin Dahlberg
• Content analysis : an introduction to its methodology by Klaus Krippendorff
• Den kvalitativa forskningsintervjun (The Qualitative Research Interview) by Steinar Kvale and Svend Brinkmann