2016/17 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

SLSP5111M Qualitative Research Methods

30 creditsClass Size: 27

Module manager: Kahryn Hughes
Email: K.A.Hughes@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2016/17

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

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Objectives

On completion of this module, students should have knowledge of different strategies for qualitative research and be skilled in the use of a range of methods for generating qualitative research data (eg interviewing, biographical and narrative approaches, focus groups, ethnography and observation, non-verbal and visual methods) and have a critical appreciation of the appropriateness of particular methods to different research scenarios.

Students will:
- develop skills in the planning, designing and practical application of different strategies and methods;
- have a good knowledge of sampling issues in qualitative research;
- have knowledge of a range of sources of 'secondary' qualitative data, including documentary data and qualitative data archives, and a critical appreciation of how they might be used, as well as the wider issues involved in archiving qualitative data;
- have skills in the recording, coding, organisation and management of qualitative data;
- have a critical appreciation of and skills in different ways of analysing qualitative data and understand their relationship to different theoretical orientations;
- understand the distinctive contributions and also the limitations of qualitative research, and have a critical appreciation of debates about the differences or otherwise between qualitative and quantitative research, and of how qualitative and quantitative research might be combined;
- have an understanding of issues in the relationship between qualitative research and policy;
- develop a critical appreciation of a range of positions on the relationship between theory, epistemology and practice in a qualitative research through an applied focus on key issues for qualitative research such as researcher reflexivity and standpoint;
- the relationship between qualitative sampling, analysis, interpretation and theory generation (including grounded theory and analytic induction);
- and questions of generalisation, validity, reliability, replicability and their alternatives;
- be able to communicate the relevant issues effectively in written form.

Syllabus

In this module students will develop 'hands-on' skills in the generation, management and analysis of qualitative data, as well as an understanding of the theoretical and epistemological issues informing qualitative research. They will develop a critical understanding of a wide range of issues in qualitative research, using concrete research problems and social issues, and engaging in practical tasks as well as individual project and groupwork.

The module will cover issues in qualitative research design, practice and analysis. It will also cover issues in the relationship between qualitative and quantitative research, and between qualitative research and policy.

Assessment is by way of an essay or a practical data analysis project, and can be related directly to the student's social research interests and disciplinary or cross-disciplinary orientations.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Workshop	8	2.00	16.00
Practical	3	2.00	6.00
Private study hours			278.00
Total Contact hours			22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1 x 6,000 word essay involving practical engagement with data generation or analysis	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 14/04/2015

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