Foundations of Qualitative Research

Description:

Introduction/Overview

This one-day foundation course provides participants with an introduction to the key principles and benefits of qualitative research. This includes the main methods and techniques employed in qualitative studies such as interviews, focus groups and observations. It outlines how to design an effective qualitative research question, how to design research instruments, how to sample and recruit participants, data analysis, and related ethical considerations. It also considers how to assess a qualitative research project’s quality and rigour.

Qualitative research seeks to understand people’s lived experiences and to answer questions about meaning and perspective, including from the standpoint of the participants themselves. It is particularly effective in obtaining culturally specific information about the values, views, behaviours, and contexts of particular groups. This foundational course provides an introduction to qualitative research tools and techniques which help us to answer these questions. It will equip participants with the knowledge, skills and confidence required to begin their own qualitative investigations.

The course is delivered online via Zoom. It includes a combination of presentations, discussions and practical activities. It is designed to equip participants to confidently implement their own qualitative design in research projects in a range of contexts.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the principles and functions of qualitative research
• Understand how qualitative research differs from quantitative research
• Understand the type of questions which qualitative research addresses
• Have knowledge of methods and techniques of qualitative research
• Understand how to sample and recruit in qualitative projects
• Have awareness of how we assess and evaluate qualitative research for quality and rigour
• Have awareness of the importance of reflexivity and ethics in qualitative design
• Understand the pros and cons of qualitative research

Topics

• Principles and theories of qualitative research design
• Functions of qualitative research
• The types of questions which qualitative research addresses
• Qualitative research methods and techniques (i.e. interviews, focus groups, observation, and mixed methods)
• Qualitative sampling and recruitment
• Qualitative research instruments
• Ethical considerations and reflexivity in qualitative research
• Assessing the quality of qualitative research

Who will benefit?

This introductory course will be of value to researchers who are new to qualitative research and qualitative methods, and who wish to delve into the principles of designing a qualitative study. It provides a basic overview of qualitative research, what this entails, and how to design a qualitative study.

Course Tutor

Karen Lumsden, PhD, is a qualitative trainer, consultant, and ICF qualified professional coach and mentor. She has over 20 years’ experience delivering qualitative methods courses and training to academics, PhD students, social researchers, and practitioners. She regularly delivers training courses for the Social Research Association, the European Consortium for Political Research, government departments, NHS Trusts, charities, police constabularies, and social and market research companies.

She also has extensive experience of the design and delivery of social research methods education and training for universities in the UK and internationally including, for example, the University of Auckland, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, King’s College London, Loughborough University, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Glasgow, Cardiff University, and University of Essex. She has held a number of academic posts including Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Aberdeen and Loughborough University, and Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Leicester and the University of Nottingham.

Over the years, Karen has been involved in a number of funded research projects and evaluations in social sciences, policing and health, for a range of partners and clients. She regularly undertakes research, training, consultancy, and coaching/mentoring on qualitative research for PhD students, social researchers, and research teams. In particular, she has an established reputation for her work in policing studies and online harm. She has published on qualitative methods including the books Crafting Autoethnography (Routledge, 2023) and Reflexivity: Theory, Method, Practice (Routledge, 2019). She is on the Editorial Board of the journal Qualitative Research. For more info see www.qualitativetraining.com

Cost:

£180 for SRA members, £235 for non-members

Website and registration:

Register for this course

Region:

International

Keywords:

Frameworks for Research and Research Designs, Data Collection, Data Quality and Data Management , Qualitative Data Handling and Data Analysis, Quantitative Data Handling and Data Analysis, Mixed Methods Data Handling and Data Analysis, ICT and Software, Research Management and Impact, Research Skills, Communication and Dissemination, AI and machine learning

Related publications and presentations from our eprints archive:

Frameworks for Research and Research Designs
Data Collection
Data Quality and Data Management
Qualitative Data Handling and Data Analysis
Quantitative Data Handling and Data Analysis
Mixed Methods Data Handling and Data Analysis
ICT and Software
Research Management and Impact
Research Skills, Communication and Dissemination
AI and machine learning

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