Methods of Qualitative Analysis

Description
This course provides a comprehensive overview of four methods widely used in the social sciences to analyse qualitative data; namely, qualitative content analysis, thematic analysis, cross-case analysis and grounded theory. The course opens with a discussion about the historical context of each method with a particular emphasis on the ontological and epistemological underpinnings of each, the type of research questions they answer, their sampling requirements, their coding and analytical procedures and the visualisations that best present their findings. Moving from theory to practice, using sample data, we look at how each method is implemented in NVivo. We conclude with the ladder of abstraction, a heuristic device where each method corresponds to a level of abstraction in qualitative research. In turn, we review each level of abstraction and assess how much each requires in terms of researcher time, effort and resources. In the second part of the course, participants assess the quality of published studies based on the four methods, using benchmark papers as best practice examples.

Prerequisites
Although no previous knowledge of any of the four methods of qualitative data analysis is required, participants should have some familiarity with qualitative research.

Schedule
Half-day from 9:00 to 12:00 or full-day from 9:00 to 16:00.

Location
This course is taught online in Zoom as well as onsite on a request basis.

Teaching methods
Lectures, demos with NVivo and hands-on exercises.

Fee
Please email me for information on fees.

Combining courses
This course is part of a five-course series on methods of qualitative analysis that includes Qualitative Content Analysis, Thematic Analysis, Cross-case Analysis and Grounded Theory. It can be taken alone or in conjunction with the other related courses. It can also be taught before, after or simultaneously with the Introduction to NVivo or Qualitative Data Analysis with NVivo courses.