The course combines lectures, class discussion and individual presentations. All participants are expected to present their research project. Day 1 provides an overview, with lectures and discussions. Day 2 is set aside for individual preparations. The remaining days are for lectures and presentations in class.
Day 1. Monday 1 September, 9 am - 4 pm: Overview and perspectives
- Short presentation of participants and their projects
- Formulation of research problem, design, data gathering and analysis
- Research strategies and various designs – single case versus comparative case
- Qualitative studies, qualitative data, qualitative analysis
- Description, interpretation, explanation – using and generating theory
- Major challenges – some examples – discussion
- Plan for participant presentations - articles, individual projects
Day 2. Tuesday 2 September: Time for preparations
Day 3. Wednesday 3 September, 9 am - 4 pm: Data gathering
There are three major topics:
- Data gathering. Preparing a study based on existing empirical and theoretical knowledge. Operationalization and coding. Looking for patterns – coding – adjusting research plans based on new knowledge. A key concern is the practical application of methods in the research process.
- What are major types of data – strength and weaknesses, how to combine them (data triangulation)?
- Informant interviews: strategies for conversations, types of data generated, criteria for interpretation, relevance and reliability.
- Use of documents, and other sources.
- Contacts and relationships in the research field, how to handle them and implications for research process.
Presentation of individual projects
Day 4. Thursday 4 September, 9 am - 4 pm: Data analysis
Data analysis is partly about identifying structures in data, partly to establish relationship between data and analytical assumptions and hypothesis. Techniques and procedures must reflect underlying logic. Central topics are: grounded theory, hermeneutics, discourse analysis, narratives and content analysis.
Presentation individual projects
Day 5. Friday 5 September, 9 am - 4 pm: Interpretation and explanation – summary and discussion
Qualitative analysis emphasizes interpretation, but also explanation and theoretical generalizations. Major challenges in qualitative analysis are discussed with a focus on pattern matching and process tracing. Single case versus comparative case. How qualitative studies can contribute to theory development
Presentation individual projects
Summary and discussion