Tag: Research

Categories
Uncategorized

FROM IDEA 💡 TO TOPIC 📚 TO QUESTION ❓

🚀 Documenting my MSc Dissertation Journey – Part 1

Halfway through my journey as an MSc Occupational Psychology student, I’ve realised that despite the pressure to figure out a career path, an MSc is actually about trying out different flavours of the profession and discovering where you feel most competent and connected with. Lately, I seem to have a growing conviction that I found my ‘sweet spot’—and the MSc thesis was the inspiration to this discovery.

Deciding on a topic for my dissertation was a long and iterative process. At first, I got swept away wanting to explore something ground-breaking; I went down rabbit holes of complex topics and ideas—believing this is where I can do the ‘next best thing’. However, it took a while for me to accept that the ultimate goal of a thesis is not to uncover ground-breaking discoveries (although of course that is entirely possible and amazing!), but showcase your research competence and ability to design and manage a research project effectively. Each step forward contributes to the broader scientific community’s understanding of a particular subject. The thesis is an opportunity to demonstrate your capacity to engage with scholarly literature, formulate research questions, employ appropriate methodologies, analyse data, and draw meaningful conclusions. It’s about the process as much as the outcome, showing that you possess the skills and knowledge to contribute meaningfully to your field.

📌BOUNDARIED CURIOSITY

The process begins with identifying a realistic, time-and-resource feasible, and ethical topic. At this stage, the most important skill is developing curiosity. It’s important to look around you, at things that happen right beside you and think whether you can answer or explore such phenomena through your study. Having a topic that interests you is important to keep yourself motivated, but it is also important to know what you can realistically do within the timeframe that you have. After weeks of discussions with my supervisor, who challenged me to think about the feasibility and relevance of my ideas (while still supporting my ambitious and curious nature), I finally decided to go about things bottom-up. I started reaching out to organisations, hoping that they would have a problem that I, as a researcher, can look into.

📌DEMONSTRATING VALUE

And here’s where I learned another skill—demonstrating ‘value’. It’s not enough to say that you are a student seeking an organisation for their study; it’s crucial to demonstrate the value you can offer the company through your project. This could manifest in various ways, but it’s essential to comprehend the organisation’s primary needs through discussion and dialogue and how your project can align with and address these needs. This approach guarantees a higher probability of success, but fair warning, it won’t always lead to a desirable outcome. It’s important to be prepared to ‘not get what you want’. It’s not a failure—it’s an opportunity to try again, with slight modifications. Although traditionally, universities expect MSc Occupational psychology students to conduct their project with an organisation, there are now several other avenues that can be used to gather participants, like social media. When I was struggling to find an organisation, I decided to switch my approach and develop a research question designed for a population of choice, which I can recruit through these alternate means.

📌CRITICAL READING & PURPOSEFUL NETWORKING

The interest in ‘predictors of resistance to change’ as a topic came about after a conversation with my previous boss. He mentioned how since the pandemic, organisations have made multiple attempts to help their employees integrate with planned and unplanned changes, but they seem to fail because there is an expectancy-value gap between what employers offer and employees need. When I mentioned this to my supervisor, he told me what to do next: “Read”. Focussed and extensive reading is often overlooked, in the hurry to get things in order, yet it’s the most crucial step in the process. Delving into the literature on change highlighted gaps in existing knowledge and revealed where my work could make a meaningful contribution. Ironically, with all the ‘changes’ happening in this profession itself, what better time than now to dive into a topic as relevant as change. The variables for my study emerged through discussions with supervisors, my own research, and conversations with individuals experiencing change first hand.

In conclusion, to develop the right topic for your thesis, it’s important to have four essential skills: boundaried curiosity, demonstrating value, critical reading and purposeful networking. My project is currently underway and still in the iterative stages, but the journey from selecting a topic to narrowing down a research question has also helped me understand my competencies and gauge my interest in a specific field or career path. The process of self-discovery during an MSc should never be underestimated, and every opportunity, such as an MSc thesis, should be maximised for its benefits. And hey! Don’t worry too much about getting things ‘right’—research, by nature isn’t about ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, it’s about discovery, which is what you are and will be doing.

Madhuri R's avatar

Madhuri is an emerging Occupational Psychologist, doing a Masters degree at the University of Hertfordshire, and a blog writer for PsychologyatWork.blog. She combines her skill for writing with her passion for workplace psychology to create engaging posts and thought pieces. With a BSc in Psychology and previous work experience in consultation, counselling and content development, she is keen on making a positive, creative and compassionate impact on her career, industry and optimistically, the world.

Madhuri R

Categories
Uncategorized

Success Begins with Your Pre-Goal Mindset

By Madhuri Rajkumar

Keeping up with the demands of academic/work life can be overwhelming! As emerging occupational psychologists, however, we are laying in a goldmine of theories and frameworks to overcome the challenges of occupational life.

So, why not use it for ourselves?

In this blog, let’s discuss a skill that can make your life easier and less overwhelming, if approached (that’s a clue) the right way: Goal-setting.

As a Master’s student, I’ve explored many tools that promise a shorter, clearer, and easier path to success. ‘Put your desires into grids and boxes and you’re halfway there!’ Influenced by these popular goal-setting strategies and techniques, I’ve come up with S.M.A.R.T goals (and not-so-smart ones). While some looked great on paper, few turned messy in action. Some goals made me feel like I was already on top of the highest mountain; while others made me rethink life choices at the foothill.

Ultimately, it wasn’t the methodology that helped me (although necessary); no matter how specific, measurable or timed the goals were, it was the ‘Why am I doing this?’ that made me perform.

Let’s start there!

When you hit a snag in goal achievement or don’t know how to follow through on a goal, ask yourself a simple question:

‘What were you expecting?’

Not to be condescending or sarcastic! – but to understand what drove you to set the goal in the first place. The answer to this question presents two underlying constructs in goal-setting: avoidance and achievement.

If you haven’t heard of these terms yet, you will soon come across them in the 2×2 matrix of Andrew J. Elliot; it involves a theory that outlines the internal factors of motivation. Let me explain to those who stuck around even after I said ‘theory’.

The Achievement Goal Theory: Approach (that’s another clue) Matters!

We self-evaluate our performance and come to a conclusion, or in other words, define our competence, using three standards, which I’ve reframed as questions:

  • Am I succeeding in doing this task?
  • Am I learning something new or accomplishing something I didn’t before?
  • Am I performing better than or like others?

Competence is also measured in terms of valence—success/positive outcomes and/or failure/negative outcomes. A ‘valence-based’ evaluation of goals brings out our avoidance or approach tendencies. We either find ourselves approaching goals expecting a positive outcome like growth and achievement (mastery), e.g., goals such as attending a seminar, learning a new skill. Or, we might find ourselves avoiding something we think might turn out negatively, like working on a dissertation, applying for a job, or attending an interview. There is a risk margin for such goals. We might feel the urge to avoid the criticism, negative evaluation or judgement that accompanies a possible failure or setback.

Source: Verdin, Dina & Godwin, Allison & Morazes, Jennifer. (2015). Qualitative study of first-generation latinas: Understanding motivation for choosing and persisting in engineering. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings. 122.

The underlying emotions behind the approach-avoidance perspective is the real predictor of motivation. Think of a goal you are trying to avoid out of a fear of a negative outcome. Now try to reframe that negative outcome to something positive. Let’s do it together:

Step 01: Write down your goals on a paper. Be sure to record all your goals without disregarding any because you think they might be unattainable. We will evaluate their feasibility at a later time.

Step 02: Categorise them into four boxes as given in the image, e.g., Goals that come under Mastery – Approach, Mastery – Avoidance, etc. This will help you uncover the emotional-basis of your goal approach. Refer to this grid to understand the meaning of each box heading so you can place your goal in the appropriate box.

Step 03: Reassess and recategorise your goals. Even if there are overwhelming, seemingly impossible-to-attain goals, reconsider why you may be putting them in the ‘avoid’ category. What is the underlying fear or self-judgement stopping you? You can write them down, discuss them with a coach or mentor or simply self-reflect. This might bring out a different perspective or motivation, or even the courage to approach something difficult.

Now, is there any goal that you would like to relocate from avoidance to approach?

Here’s my example:
Recently, I was trying to use Microsoft Excel to organise my literature review references. An overwhelming fear of not being able to do it right took over and I gave up on my task halfway. The next day, however, when I opened Excel with the determination to learn something new even if I won’t be able to master it, I ended up learning the application and organising my references with ease—ironically, mastering Excel. This is how I moved an overwhelming task from ‘avoidance’ to ‘approach’.

As an emerging graduate, it’s a good idea to spend a window of time planning your goal-setting approach. The Achievement Theory matrix gives clarity on your goal motivations and progress—and can help you tackle the stress and overwhelm of meeting all your goals. We’ll talk more about goal-setting in subsequent blogs; for now, I would like you to reflect on your goals and your approach towards them. We would love to hear about your progress!

As an emerging graduate, it’s a good idea to spend a window of time planning your goal-setting approach. We’ll talk more about goal-setting in subsequent blogs; for now, I would like you to reflect on your goals and your approach towards them. We would love to hear about your progress! If interested, you may read more about the Achievement Goal Theory here.

Madhuri R's avatar

Madhuri Rajkumar is an emerging Occupational Psychologist, doing a Masters degree at the University of Hertfordshire. She combines her skill for writing with her passion for workplace psychology to create engaging posts and thought pieces. With a BSc in Psychology and previous work experience in consultation, counselling and content development, she is keen on making a positive, creative and compassionate impact on her career, industry and optimistically, the world.

Madhuri R

Categories
Uncategorized

On Scientific Curiosity: Why we need to ask more ‘Whys’

By Madhuri Rajkumar

In the 20th century, in a bustling suburb of metropolitan Chicago, a telephone equipment company – the Western Electric Company – emerged as a monopoly supplier of telecommunication hardware. There was an interesting phenomena being studied at Hawthorne, where their factory was located—the subsequent investigations puzzled the factory owners, academicians, and industry experts.

Now, before I proceed with this story, let me ask you a question.

What, in your opinion, drives your productivity?

Here are some common answers:

  • The anticipation of receiving a reward, like a bonus or incentive
  • A determination to succeed at something challenging, new or interesting
  • A sense of commitment to what you have chosen to do
  • The pleasant feeling that arises when being noticed or validated for your work

At Hawthorne, a study was conducted to understand the effects of changing work conditions, like lightning, break times, etc., on the productivity/performance of employees. Somehow, the employees consistently produced high output even when the experimental conditions included longer working hours and shorter breaks. Who would ever feel motivated to perform under these conditions? Would you?

This led to the first and most important question a researcher/scientist/psychologist should ask: ‘Why?’

Children ask ‘Why?’ expecting an epic story to something as mundane as the working of cars or the flowering of a tree. ‘But why?’ they ask, a million times, to the frustration of parents who become the best storytellers in that moment of interrogation. But this small yet powerful word becomes the gateway to valuable information about others/the world and oneself. 

Somewhere along the way, however, we outgrew this stage and started accepting close-ended answers to our questions, in the form of rules and facts, often categorised as wrong or right. Conforming to the rules and keeping within bounds meant security and sustenance.

As a psychologist, however, we decide to be anti-conformists. The grey area of not knowing keeps us motivated to test new hypotheses and develop new theories. We regress into the child-like habit of asking ‘Why?’ And the subsequent investigation on why people do things or behave the way they do leads to new insights that make life easier – like what happened in the Hawthorne Studies.

So, what was happening at Hawthorne?

The factory owners at Hawthorne became interested in this productivity phenomena and they wanted to use whatever was happening there to improve productivity of all their employees. So, they called in the big guns — academicians like Elton Mayo, who insisted on understanding the behavioural and psychological reasons behind productivity. His deep dive into this aspect of motivation developed some turning-point answers in management studies. It became evident that people want to be noticed, attended to and cared for. They want to be involved and regarded, rewarded and understood. If this discovery didn’t happen, we would have been ages behind in understanding employee motivation and consequently developing effective management techniques. So, cheers to Elton, the other investigators and the factory owners who didn’t stop asking ‘Why?’

“When curiosity turns to serious matters,
it’s called research.” 
– Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Every day we make observations. We make observations about the people around us, our surroundings, and if self-reflective enough, about ourselves. Out of these, even if we choose to ignore some, something else might keep us awake, wondering ‘Why?’ And there begins your scientific journey to establish lines of evidence to either credit or discredit these observations. Once you’ve arrived at satisfactory conclusions, you apply them to real life and test the outcomes. It doesn’t stop there. You test and re-test, keeping in mind that there is no right or wrong, only a series of developments to how things were vs how things can be.

So, fellow psychologists, here are some takeaway messages, not only from enterprising studies like the Hawthorne Experiments, but as observed from instances of daily life:

  • Be constantly and forever intellectually curious
  • Do not limit yourself to a single answer; yearn to know more
  • Finding evidence to prove yourself wrong is also as valuable as evidence to prove yourself right (A good observation/study is always falsifiable)
  • Use your curiosity for the good of others, with a determination to make their lives better or easier

Elton Mayo and his fellow researchers played a role in inspiring a culture of active listening, empathy and interpersonal support in the Western Electric Company, positively influencing many workers’ lives – all because they couldn’t stop thinking about why people kept working under poor lighting.

Here’s a link to read more about the Hawthorne Experiments, the ‘Hawthorne Effect’, and its various implications: https://www.bl.uk/people/elton-mayo. We’ll also talk about Evidence-based Practice (in later blogs), which is the standard in Occupational Psychology (briefly mentioned through the diagram above). And once inspired,

Take a look at the world around you, your work or academic space and think of where you may have missed out on asking the big question: ‘Why?’

Madhuri R's avatar

Madhuri is pursuing an MSc in Occupational Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. She combines her skill for writing with her passion for workplace psychology to create engaging posts and thought pieces. With a BSc in Psychology and previous work experience in consultation and content development, she is keen on making a positive, creative and compassionate impact in her career, industry and optimistically, the world.

Madhuri R

Categories
Occupational Psychology

Lessons from the PCL Student Sponsorship Programme

Recent weeks have been hectic for MSc Course Directors. Tasked not only with assessing final dissertations submitted by students from the previous year, they have also been putting plans in place to welcome and induct new students into their MSc programmes for the 2019/20 academic year.

From the student perspective, a fresh cohort of MSc graduates has been released on the job market, keen to begin recuperating the investment of their education. Yet for some, the feeling of elation experienced by graduating may soon be replaced with a sense of disappointment as the exciting range of employment opportunities they expected fails to materialise. This is a situation I am all too familiar with; the gap between graduation to early career placement can feel like a chasm.

After starting work for Psychological Consultancy Ltd (PCL) over 4 years ago, we began considering ways in which I could help graduates minimise some of the difficulties I faced when breaking into the industry. These methods benefited from hindsight, and not only included things I had done, but things I had not. Any actions not only needed to help future graduates, but also to provide a return on investment for PCL.

As an assessment publisher, we have an ongoing responsibility to demonstrate the validity of our tools. Research cuts to the core of this. The insight we generate serves to inform product development and improve the education and training of our test users. Reflecting on ways of generating this insight led me to consider the work students engage in during their courses. The dissertations of MSc students not only form a key component of programmes; they represent a potential conduit for obtaining essential validation data.

This led me to conclude that our goal was to create and develop a process that facilitated a win-win outcome for both students and PCL, and the MSc dissertation represented the best vehicle for this.

The Role of the Dissertation

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

A dissertation is likely to be a student’s greatest academic achievement for a single piece of work. The culmination of months of effort, it encompasses a range of skills including (but not limited to) review of the evidence base, writing proficiency, research methodology and project management. It also provides insight into a student’s interests and the directions they may want to take in navigating the profession. In short, it represents a foundation stone of the personal brand students will cultivate over the course of their professional career.

To some, a dissertation is viewed solely as a constituent part of their overarching MSc. The goal of completing it is to receive a score that combines with those of other modules to create an overall grade. Whilst this is true, an MSc dissertation can represent so much more than that. The goal of our involvement with students was to help them consider untapped opportunities generated by their MSc dissertations in a manner that justified PCL’s support. The result of our efforts to achieve this led to the creation of the PCL ‘Student Sponsorship Programme’ (SSP).

PCL’s Student Sponsorship Programme

The SSP is a competitive process involving approximately 20 UK-based universities running MSc courses in occupational psychology and related fields. Students interested in taking part are invited to submit a short 500-word application by the 11th November. The lynchpin of the SSP is the MSc dissertation, so students’ applications must demonstrate consideration for how PCL products could play a role in their research.

Applicants are informed of the status of their application several days after the deadline, and unsuccessful applicants are offered the chance to have a Skype or phone call with a consultant to discuss their research projects.

Our support starts in mid-December when we welcome successful applicants to our offices in Tunbridge Wells. This ‘Professional Skills Event’ is crammed with content that includes introductions to our assessments and sessions on consultancy, research skills and marketing.

The following months involve ongoing remote contact where we help the students pinpoint and flesh out their research ideas into actionable projects. Once these are identified, the next step is data collection. A significant obstacle for all students, PCL can provide support through our professional contacts and social media presence. Our help extends through to the analysis and write-up stages, with PCL staff on hand to respond to any questions the students may have.

Students have frequently noted the benefits of the programme. PCL staff represent an accessible source of expertise that can respond to students’ questions and concerns, thereby supplementing the support provided by academics. Working with a test publisher also provides the added benefit of enabling students to remotely and automatically deliver bespoke feedback reports to their participants.

Working with a consultancy can also provide opportunities for professional development. This relationship helps the student develop a practitioner mindset that encourages them to think about how academic research can be applied to the client-focussed services offered by consultancies. PCL represents another stakeholder in their project, and the student must reciprocate the support they receive by providing us with the insight resulting from their research.

Submission deadline day for dissertations typically represents the culmination of a student’s MSc journey. However, this is not the case for our SSP students!

Beyond Submission

After a well-earned break from their efforts, communications with the new graduates resume with discussions about next steps. The former students will have developed a range of skills and knowledge during their MSc, so the next goal is to make these as visible as possible. Networking and engagement forms part of this visibility, with the former students encouraged to continue applying the lessons introduced during the professional skills event.

This leads to the most significant next step in the context of the SSP: content dissemination. Students are strongly encouraged to make the most of their research beyond the dissertation. Luckily, disseminating content from dissertations is easier than ever! There are various platforms capable of hosting and distributing content that can be seen by peers, the wider public and potential employers. The SSP graduates can also benefit from uploading to PCL’s online ‘Knowledge Bank’, which hosts a range of freely accessible content.

Outputs emerging from the SSP include white papers, industry publications, blog pieces, video content and conference presentations. Translating an MSc dissertation into each of these formats requires the student to develop a more diverse skillset and cements the benefits of ongoing learning that all psychologists should engage in throughout their careers.

Lessons from the SSP

Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash

We have learned a great deal as facilitators of the SSP but feel many of these lessons are equally applicable to students, recent graduates, and academics. Recommendations include:

  • Do not view your dissertation as a single piece of work. Instead, look to break it up and disseminate it across various platforms using different formats.
  • Consider approaching your research as a consultancy project in and of itself. Engage with organisations and offer feedback on what you find, even if it’s for free!
  • Create and foster habits that improve your personal brand. Engage with posts and thought leaders relevant to your interests during and after your research.
  • Aim to use your research as a vehicle for engaging with the industry and community. You’ve developed MSc-level knowledge on a specific topic, so use it!

The list of achievements by SSP alumni is extensive and growing year on year. For students, we believe the SSP provides unique insight into the industry that enriches their knowledge and increases their employability. For consultancies, we believe the SSP represents a replicable framework that bridges the academic-practitioner divide and generates win-win outcomes for all involved.

Call for Applicants

Are you or someone you know completing an MSc in Occupational Psychology (or related field) during the 2019/20 academic year?

You can find more information about the SSP on the PCL website, including the SSP brochure, previous outputs, contact details and testimonials.

The deadline for applications to the next intake of the SSP is Monday 11th November 2019.

About the Author

Dr Simon Toms is a Principal Research Psychologist with Psychological Consultancy Ltd, and a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.