Qualitative Research (BPS315)

Content

This course provides general knowledge on the ethics, theories, and practices of qualitative inquiry in psychology. The foci of the course are both to provide a foundation for research that uses qualitative methodologies and epistemologies, as well as a foundation to incorporate the principles of qualitative inquiry in any relational context where students are to perform professionally.

This undergraduate course involves basic competence on philosophy of science, qualitative research designs, methods for data collection, and methodologies for data analysis. In order to achieve this, the course will cover a introduction to the theories that found these methodologies, namely: sociocultural, constructivist, phenomenological, narrative and discursive traditions in psychology. An introduction to case-study research, ethnography and participatory research designs will also be provided.

This undergraduate course will also include theoretical and practical learning experiences on how to structure and conduct data collection in the form of in-depth interviews and observations. In addition, the course will cover the most common methodologies for data analyses: thematic analyses, phenomenological research, narrative inquiry, and discursive analysis.

This course builds up on challenge-based learning, giving the opportunity to students to carry mini-research projects under the exception of SIKT/REK. The course coordinator will assign a general topic of relevance for psychology and well-being, such as, for example, silence in everyday life, or others.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course, the candidate will:

• identyfy the relationships between a research question, and methodologies for data collection and analysis
• differentiate traditions within qualitative inquiry such as narrative psychology, discursive psychology, phenomenological psychology, sociocultural psychology, and constructivist psychology
• recognize the different elements in an academic text, and the relationship between these elements
• identify basic principles of research ethics in the formulation of research projects
• recognize the main processes and techniques to carry-out in-depth interviews according to ethical standards and in congruence with the objectives of a specific research or practical project
• question the role that culture, and context play in research.
• recall the principles to ensure that diversity and inclusion in psychology
• recognize the different psychological dimensions of a research project aimed at promoting communication, connection and/or well-being

Skills

On successful completion of this course, the candidate will be able to:

• critically reflect about the assumptions that diverse theories within psychology have about human beings, and how this influence research processes, research outcomes, and theorizing
• formulate a research protocol, collect and analyze qualitative data, and reflect about the processes involved in a qualitative research project
• conduct in-depth interviews and observations
• assess the ethical implications of a research project and include protective measures to ensure the rights and well-being of the participants are considered

General competence

On successful completion of this course, the candidate will:

• recognize ethical dilemmas present in data collection, and the best practices to consider the rights of research participants
• be able to plan and carry out and independent research project following out principles of reflexivity, critical thinking, and ethical considerations
• communicate knowledge about qualitative inquiry in an assertive manner, considering different forms of dissemination and user involvement
• have insight about the impact a qualitiative research project can have in the promotion of well-being

Required prerequisite knowledge

Recommended prerequisites

Exam

Coursework requirements

All of the compulsory activities must be approved in order for the student to be eligible for examination. Approval/non-approval of compulsory activities is announced on Studentweb, normally no later than 7 days before the examination. Students who lack approval of one or more compulsory activities will be withdrawn from the exam.

• Seminars: Compulsory attendance is required to 4 out of the 6 seminars. If more than 50% attendance is achieved, the student’s absence may be addressed individually at the course leader's discretion. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that attendance requirements are met.
• Written assignment: The work requirement relates to the final essay. It will be assessed as “approved” or “not approved”, and feedback on the work will be given. In addition, the course offers one optional assignment.

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Study Program Director:

Method of work

This course will be delivered as a combination of lectures, webinars, seminar skills training, and independent work from the student. Experiential learning will be promoted by practices where the student can interview other classmates and be interviewed. Videos, books and songs will be used as sample materials to practice data collection and data analysis, in addition to the students’ own data collection and data analysis as part of their research project. Teaching and practices will occur for the most part in plenum at the classroom. The coding practices for this class will happen mostly manually, or with the use of software such as Excel.

As part of this course, there will be six seminars:

• Introduction to the challenge at stake, and how to write qualitative research questions about it.
• How to plan and conduct an in-depth interview
• How to carry a participant observation
• How to code data qualitatively
• Structure of a qualitative research article
• Summary and overview of qualitative methods in psychology

Language

The course will be taught in English. Students can write their assignments in English or Norwegian. This course is open for international exchange students.

Open for

Course assessment

Literature