Master Project: Thesis

Course goals

1. Formulate concrete (research) questions and write a comprehensive literature review on a topic in the field of youth 

2. Apply methodological and analytical skills to analyze the data and to write a sound methods, results and discussion section of a scientific paper 

3. Communicate your research in an accessible manner to different audiences, orally and in writing 

4. Assess academic work of colleagues and provide academically sound constructive feedback taking various (stakeholder) perspectives and disciplines into account 

5. Reflect on the ethical and interdisciplinary aspects of your own and others’ research, and the application of your research findings in practice 

Content

The Master thesis represents the final stage of the Youth Development and Social Change (YDSC) academic Master's program. Students will write a thesis on a social issue related to a theme in the domain of Youth Studies. They will work together in project groups of up to five students who all have chosen the same overarching theme and are supervised by the same thesis supervisor. The student will independently and individually conduct research aiming to answer a scientifically and/or practically relevant research question using empirical data (qualitative of quantitative). In the Master thesis, the student demonstrates their interdisciplinary knowledge and skills by critically reflecting on their own and others’ (inter)disciplinary approaches in theories and or/methods that are applied. The Master thesis should have the form of a scientific journal article and is always an individual product. However, during the process of thesis writing students in the project group will be asked to provide peer feedback and critically review each other’s work.

The Master thesis consists of the following individual end-products that will be evaluated by the thesis supervisor: (1) the thesis in the format of a scientific journal article, (2) a presentation of the thesis and how your findings can be applied in practice.

Format: Students work together in project groups of up to five students. This way of working aims to encourage discussion when developing the master thesis design; to accompany the substantive exchange of theoretical findings and research results; to maintain contact between students, and to help the students finish their projects on time. Project group meetings will be organized to give students the opportunity to discuss the progress of their thesis with their supervisor and fellow students.