Qualitative Research Methods

Program Overview

Qualitative Research Methods

Overview

Qualitative Research Methods is a CPD course for people wanting to carry out qualitative research in a wide variety of sectors. It will provide attendees with the knowledge and skills needed to design a research project and begin using qualitative research methods.

Endorsements from previous attendees

• “What we learned in two days was more informative and clear than what I saw in a full semester elsewhere. The teachers were welcoming, presented clearly and engagingly. They answered all questions in an easily understood manner and didn’t miss a beat in their presentations. This course was exactly what I was looking for.”
• “I really, really enjoyed it! It was so interesting and the course leaders were so knowledgeable and made every effort to ensure the content and activities were applicable to each participant.”

Full description

Taught by a team of experts in qualitative methods, this introductory two-day course will take participants through the stages of a qualitative research project. Topics include:

• What is a qualitative research question?
• How to collect data appropriate to your project (including interviews, focus groups, observations, document, media and social media sources)
• How to analyse data (we will focus in detail on thematic analysis and content analysis, but will introduce a range of other analytic techniques such as discourse analysis, narrative analysis, framework analysis, conversation analysis, realist evaluation, ethnography, participatory action research)
• How to report results of qualitative research.

The course will be interactive, with taught content alternating with exercises to help you gain the practical skills needed at different stages of a qualitative research project. There will also be opportunities to ask questions about project ideas you might have relevant to your interests and organisations.

Coffee, tea and lunch will be provided, allowing networking opportunities with academics doing qualitative work, as well as other attendees who are interested in doing qualitative research in their organisations.

The course team are drawn from ARU's Social Justice and Empowerment research area, which contains researchers in a wide variety of areas. These include body image across cultures, the benefits of nature, improving mental health services, communication and interaction in social care, mental health apps, gender, cancer services and recovery, human rights abuses, intergroup conflict and political communication.

For attendees with a research project in mind, we can also provide one-to-one support tailored to their particular project for an additional £186 fee (including VAT).

This would consist of three one-hour online or face-to-face meetings after the course to advise on data collection, analysis and presentation.

Who should attend?

This course will be useful for people interested in using qualitative methods for research purposes or service/organisational improvement in a wide variety of sectors. The following are examples of groups that may find this course useful:

• Health and social care practitioners
• Public health practitioners
• Charitable organisations
• Criminal justice organisations
• Armed forces
• Marketing consultants
• Educators
• Academics and researchers
• Politicians
• Service improvement specialists
• Product developers
• Postgraduate research students

Dates

This course is now on request only. If you have a team who would like to carry out the training, please email.

Where you'll study

Where can I study?

Cambridge

Our campus is close to the centre of Cambridge, often described as the perfect student city.

Fees & funding

Course fees

Two-day CPD course, 2022-3 (non VAT)

£440

Optional one-on-one consultancy (including VAT)

£186

Entry requirements

There are no entry requirements for this course.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Taught by a team of experts in qualitative methods, this introductory two-day course will take participants through the stages of a qualitative research project. Topics include:

• What is a qualitative research question?
• How to collect data appropriate to your project (including interviews, focus groups, observations, document, media and social media sources)
• How to analyze data (we will focus in detail on thematic analysis and content analysis, but will introduce a range of other analytic techniques such as discourse analysis, narrative analysis, framework analysis, conversation analysis, realist evaluation, ethnography, participatory action research)
• How to report results of qualitative research.
The course will be interactive, with taught content alternating with exercises to help you gain the practical skills needed at different stages of a qualitative research project. There will also be opportunities to ask questions about project ideas you might have relevant to your interests and organizations.

Outline:

• Day 1
• Morning: Introduction to qualitative research, research questions, and data collection methods
• Afternoon: Hands-on exercises in data collection methods
• Day 2
• Morning: Data analysis techniques
• Afternoon: Reporting qualitative research findings

Assessment:

Assessment will be based on participation in class exercises and a short presentation on a research proposal.

Teaching:

The course will be taught by a team of experts in qualitative research methods from Anglia Ruskin University. The teaching methods will include lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises.

Careers:

This course is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to carry out qualitative research in a wide variety of sectors. It will be particularly useful for people who are interested in pursuing a career in research, policy, or evaluation.