Qualitative Research Methods

Course goals

At the end of the course, the student can 

• Can explain which data collection methods are appropriate for answering specific qualitative research questions
• Can reflect on the ethical considerations during the design, implementation, analysis and presentation of qualitative research
• Can jointly conduct and analyze qualitative data collection
• Can critically reflect on one’s own positionality when conducting team-based qualitative research
• Can jointly write a research report and connect qualitative findings to existing scientific literature
• Can present qualitative research findings in a clear and concise manner to a scientific audience


Relation between assessment and objective
In this course students work on assignments throughout the course to acquire skills in conducting a qualitative research project. In the assignments students have to show awareness of the choices to be made in a qualitative research designs and decide what methods can best be used with respect to a specific research question.
 

Content

This course explores qualitative research methodology and its application in the social sciences. The purpose of this course is thus to equip students with knowledge and skills to critically assess, design, conduct, analyze, write-up and present qualitative research. The course starts with an exploration of the theoretical principles underlying qualitative approaches and subsequently explores the different phases of the research process; from generation of a research question, to data collection, analysis and the writing up of findings. The course combines theoretical lectures with practical exercises and group assignments.

To make sure students are familiarized with the concrete application of qualitative methods, the main assignment includes a team-based qualitative research project. Students will have regular group-based meetings with their supervisor to discuss the progress of their research project. During the final meeting, the groups will present the results of their qualitative research project in the form of group presentations and research reports.