Forming part II of dissertation training, this module aim to introduce participants to qualitative research. Commencing with a grounding in the research process, the module will explain the procedural nature of research, highlighting the separate, but related, elements of a research project. This will be followed by lectures covering the philosophical basis of qualitative research, how this influences the design of qualitative research and the related research proposal. Four major qualitative research methodologies are then discussed in the module (action research, ethnographies, grounded theory, and case studies) coupled with an examination of qualitative forms of data collection and qualitative data analysis.
A Understand the research process. B Appreciate the philosophical underpinnings of qualitative research, and how these influence the design of qualitative research and research proposals. C Understand the four major qualitative research methodologies and the differences between them. D Explain the different forms of qualitative data collection and how they relate to, and support, each other. E Understand how different forms of qualitative data are analyzed.
This module will involve a series of seven lectures and six tutorials. The tutorials will be used to consider, and examine in greater details, material discussed in the lectures. The lectures and tutorials will be accompanied by a private study period of 55 hours. Aside from the module textbook, additional teaching material will be provided for the students via LMO.