Research education in postgraduate health promotion: Does one size fit all?

Abstract

It has been customary in health promotion courses to prepare students to complete masters level research based dissertations and to be able to undertake research and evaluation in the context of professional practice. Given the changing nature of health promotion practice and the place of research and evaluation within it, it is timely to review the preparation that courses offer. This paper examines current research education in the UK, drawing on a recent survey of postgraduate health promotion courses. Consideration is given to the question of whether current models of provision, although meeting academic requirements, offer insufficient preparation for the specifics of research and evaluation activity within current UK practice. The strengths and limitations of the traditional dissertation are discussed. In response to the challenges of incorporating collaborative and participatory research into masters level study and increasing dissemination of students' work, alternative models for the dissertation phase are presented. Overall the paper is designed to stimulate debate on the possibilities of a better fit between postgraduate research education and research practice.