Introduction to qualitative research

This live online course shows how to develop a clear understanding of qualitative research, its key features and the different methods that are used. 

Introduction/Overview

This course is designed to equip participants with a clear understanding of the key features and commonly-used methods of qualitative research. It is also intended to give you an appreciation of what qualitative research can be used for and how its findings can be understood and presented to a wider audience.

The course will be delivered through a mixture of taught sessions and practical exercises.

Course objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• describe the key features of qualitative research and its key contributions and applications
• make informed decisions about which types of research questions are best answered using qualitative approaches
• contrast qualitative and quantitative approaches and understand when they are best used singly or in combination
• understand the advantages and disadvantages of different qualitative research methods
• recognise quality in the design, undertaking and reporting of qualitative research
• understand how to make use of qualitative research evidence in a credible way

Topics

• The role and use of qualitative methods in social research
• The key principles of qualitative sampling
• Qualitative data collection tools and techniques, with a focus on in-depth interviews and focus groups
• The key principles of managing and analysing qualitative data
• Talking about and using qualitative data credibly

Who will benefit

We hope this course will be useful to you if you:

• are new to qualitative research, or about to embark on your first project
• commission or manage qualitative research in central or local government, health or other applied policy sectors, or
• work in a different research discipline (e.g. quantitative research) and are about to collaborate with qualitative researchers or use qualitative research findings.

NatCen Learning courses are led by experienced trainers and subject matter experts who work within the National Centre for Social Research. Every course is specially designed to encourage the effective transfer of theory to practice through encouraging participatory contribution.