MPH6215 · Qualitative Research Methods

Overview

This unit provides an introduction to the research designs and methods used in qualitative research and is designed to help you develop the practical skills required in the design and assessment of a qualitative research project. The unit covers the six main qualitative research designs relevant to public health and health services research, data collection methods, analysis approaches and critical appraisal of qualitative studies. Ethical considerations and mixed methods approaches are also covered.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Match the research question to the appropriate qualitative research design (descriptive, phenomenology, action research, case study, ethnography and grounded theory);
2. Develop qualitative data collection processes (interview and focus group guides, participant observation sheets);
3. Describe principles of good research and ethical issues in qualitative research including recruitment, sampling, data collection and analysis approaches;
4. Describe the main types of data analysis approaches for qualitative research (content analysis, thematic analysis, narrative analysis, discourse analysis and grounded theory);
5. Apply thematic analysis coding techniques to an example transcript;
6. Critique qualitative papers published in health services and public health literature;
7. Describe how qualitative research can be used in mixed methods research designs.

Workload

3 on campus block days. 6 hours per week of self-directed study. Total per week = 8 hours

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.